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Team

Curriculum vitae

Dr. rer. medic. Anna Lena Friedel is postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology of the University Hospital in Essen. She studied psychology at the Paris Lodron University Salzburg (Bachelor) and completed her Master of Science in Psychology at the University of Wuppertal in 2014. Her dissertation at the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunology focused on potential neuropsychological side effects of the immunosuppressive calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A and the conditioning of subjectively perceived side effects in the context of conditioned immune functions in healthy humans.

Interests

My research focuses on the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the peripheral immune system during learned placebo responses. In this context, I am interested in learned immunosuppression / immunomodulation in healthy humans and its influence on therapeutic effects of immunomodulatory drugs in patients. Preclinical teaching, especially on the topic of doctor-patient communication and the related psychological effects, as well as the coordination of our teaching constitutes another focus of my work.

Selected publications

Hörbelt T, Kahl AL, Kolbe F, Hetze S, Wilde B, Witzke O, Schedlowski M (2020). Dose-Dependent Acute Effects of Everolimus Administration on Immunological, Neuroendocrine and Psychological Parameters in Healthy Men. Clin Transl Sci. Online ahead of print.

Kahl AL, Kirchhof J, Petrakova L, Müller J, Laubrock J, Brinkhoff A, Unteroberdörster M, Benson S, Wilde B, Witzke O, Schedlowski M (2018). Are adverse events induced by the acute administration of calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A behaviorally conditioned in healthy male volunteers? Clin Ther. 40: 1868-1877.

Kahl AL, Kirchhof J, Füting A, Hütter BO, Wilde B, Witzke O, Benson S, Hadamitzky M, Schedlowski M (2017). Acute administration of cyclosporine A does not impair attention or memory performance in healthy men. Behav Pharmacol. 28: 255-261.

About us

The Institute of Medical Psychology was founded in 1978 and is one of the pre-clinical Departments of the Essen University Hospital.

Address

  • Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology
    University Hospital Essen
    Hufelandstr. 55
    45122 Essen
    Germany

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