As part of a prospective registry study, patients in our Memory Clinic with subjective cognitive complaints (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative diseases undergo standardized clinical characterization and are followed longitudinally. In addition to neuropsychological assessments, blood tests and—when clinically indicated—cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses, as well as imaging studies, are performed.

A key focus is on the identification and validation of new biomarkers for neurodegenerative and neuroimmunological processes. To this end, clinical, neuropsychological, imaging, and molecular data are integrated with proteomic, metabolomic, and other multi-omics analyses. The goal is to better understand disease mechanisms and to identify new diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers for personalized diagnosis and therapy.

Understanding neurodegenerative diseases requires experimental models that realistically replicate disease-relevant molecular and cellular processes. Our research group establishes and utilizes human cell models to investigate mechanisms of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, as well as their interactions. A particular focus is on the functional characterization of signaling pathways and biomarkers identified in clinical cohorts. By closely linking experimental models with clinical, molecular, and multi-omics data, we aim to identify new diagnostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common cerebrovascular disease of the elderly and a major cause of cognitive impairment and intracerebral hemorrhage. In addition, neuropsychiatric symptoms are increasingly coming into focus; however, their clinical significance and pathophysiological basis have not yet been sufficiently investigated. With the introduction of disease-modifying antibody therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, CAA is also gaining particular significance, as it is closely linked to amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and other treatment-related complications.

Our research group investigates the clinical relevance of CAA for psychiatry and analyzes neuropsychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological profiles, imaging findings, and biomarkers in patients with CAA. The goal is to gain a better understanding of the clinical heterogeneity and neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease, as well as to identify biomarkers and predictors of disease progression, functional outcome, and therapy-related complications.

The research group investigates the care of patients with neurodegenerative diseases along the entire treatment pathway - from diagnosis through pharmacotherapy to cross-sectoral care. A key focus is on analyzing medication safety aspects, polypharmacy, and clinical outcomes in everyday clinical practice.

To this end, the group utilizes prospective registry studies, retrospective cohorts, and national and international real-world data. This includes, among other things, collaborations with Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP) and analyses of large health databases.

• Molecular Neuroscience Research Group (Prof. Dr. Peter Claus)
• Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP)
• Department of Neurology with Clinical Neurophysiology (Prof. Dr. Thomas Skripuletz, Prof. Dr. Martin Klietz, Prof. Dr. Florian Wegner, PD Dr. Matthias Höllerhage, Dr. Maria Gabriel)
• LEBAO – Leibniz Research Laboratory for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs
• Institute for General Medicine and Palliative Care (PD Dr. Johannes Heck)
• Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology (PD Dr. Julius Renne)
• Department of Neuropathology (Prof. Dr. Christian Hartmann)

• UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University
• Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg
• GHU Paris Psychiatry & Neurosciences (Prof. Dr. Jean-Claude Baron, Prof. Dr. Guillaume Turc)
• LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf (Dr. Franziska Kümpers)