Publications

Gallistl, M.; Hamann, J. E.; Croy, I.; Vrticka, P.; Engert, V.: Support or stress? How attachment and relationship dynamics associate with acute psychosocial stress in the presence of the romantic partner. Social Science & Medicine 381, 118275 (2025)

Acil, D.; Puhlmann, L. M.; White, L. O.; Vrticka, P.: Caregiver or playmate? Fathers' and mothers' brain responses to ball-play with children. Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience 25 (2), pp. 434 - 453 (2025)

Puhlmann, L. M.; Vrticka, P.; Linz, R.; Valk, S. L.; Papassotiriou, I.; Chrousos, G. P.; Engert, V.; Singer, T.: Serum BDNF increase after 9-month contemplative mental training is associated with decreased cortisol secretion and increased dentate gyrus volume: Evidence from a randomized clinical trial. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 5 (2), 100414 (2025)

Nguyen, T.; Kungl, M. T.; Hoehl, S.; White, L. O.; Vrticka, P.: Visualizing the invisible tie: Linking parent–child neural synchrony to parents' and children's attachment representations. Developmental Science 27 (6), e13504 (2024)

Lashani, E.; Larsen, I. G.; Kanske, P.; Rosendahl, J.; Blasberg, J. U.; Engert, V.: Witnessing their mother's acute and prolonged stress affects executive functioning in children. Communications Psychology 2 (1), 98 (2024)

Gosch, S.; Puhlmann, L. M.; Lauckner, M.; Förster, K.; Kanske, P.; Grosse Wiesmann, C.; Preckel, K.: An fMRI study on alexithymia and affective state recognition in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 19 (1), nsae058 (2024)

Valk, S. L.; Engert, V.; Puhlmann, L. M.; Linz, R.; Caldairou, B.; Bernasconi, A.; Bernasconi, N.; Bernhardt, B. C.; Singer, T.: Differential increase of hippocampal subfield volume after socio-affective mental training relates to reductions in diurnal cortisol. eLife 12, RP87634 (2024)

Gallistl, M.; Kungl, M.; Gabler, S.; Kanske, P.; Vrticka, P.; Engert, V.: Attachment and inter-individual differences in empathy, compassion, and theory of mind abilities. Attachment & Human Development 26 (4), pp. 350 - 365 (2024)

Gallistl, M.; Linz, R.; Puhlmann, L. M.; Singer, T.; Engert, V.: Evidence for differential associations of distinct trait mindfulness facets with acute and chronic stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 166, 107051 (2024)

Wesarg-Menzel, C.; Gallistl, M.; Niconchuk, M.; Engert, V.: Reflections on the study of empathy in a sample of refugees and migrants from arabic-speaking countries with diverse experiences of war-related trauma. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology 19, 100253 (2024)

Hettwer, M.; Dorfschmidt, L.; Puhlmann, L. M.; Jacob, L. M.; Paquola, C.; Bethlehem, R. A. I.; NSPN Consortium; Bullmore, E. T.; Eickhoff, S. B.; Valk, S. L.: Longitudinal variation in resilient psychosocial functioning is associated with ongoing cortical myelination and functional reorganization during adolescence. Nature Communications 15 (1), 6283 (2024)

Schaefer, J. K.; Engert, V.; Valk, S. L.; Singer, T.; Puhlmann, L. M.: Mapping pathways to neuronal atrophy in healthy, mid-aged adults: From chronic stress to systemic inflammation to neurodegeneration? Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health 38, 100781 (2024)

Wesarg-Menzel , C.; Gallistl, M.; Niconchuk, M.; Böckler, A.; O'Malley, B.; Engert, V.: Compassion buffers the association between trauma exposure and PTSD symptom severity: Findings of a cross-sectional study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 165, 107036 (2024)

Wesarg-Menzel, C.; Marheinecke, R.; Staaks, J.; Engert, V.: Associations of diurnal cortisol parameters with cortisol stress reactivity and recovery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 163, 106976 (2024)

Schmidt, B.; Rohleder, N.; Engert, V.: Post-hypnotic safety suggestion improves stress coping with long-lasting effects. Scientific Reports 14 (1), 3548 (2024)

Kungl, M. T.; Gabler, S.; White, L. O.; Spangler, G.; Vrticka, P.: Precursors and effects of self-reported parental reflective functioning: Links to parental attachment representations and behavioral sensitivity. Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2024)

Hoffmann, F.; Linz, R.; Steinbeis, N.; Bauer, M.; Dammering, F.; Lazarides, C.; Klawitter, H.; Bentz, L.; Entringer, S.; Winter, S. M. et al.; Buss, C.; Heim, C.: Children with maltreatment exposure exhibit rumination‐like spontaneous thought patterns: Association with symptoms of depression, subcallosal cingulate cortex thickness, and cortisol levels. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 65 (1), pp. 31 - 41 (2024)

O'Malley, B.; Linz, R.; Engert, V.; Singer, T.: Testing the monitor and acceptance theory: The role of training-induced changes in monitoring- and acceptance-related capacities after attention-based, socio-emotional, or socio-cognitive mental training in reducing cortisol stress reactivity. Stress 27, 2345906 (2024)

Zerban, M.; Puhlmann, L. M.; Lassri, D.; Fonagy, P.; Montague, P. R.; Kiselnikova, N.; Lorenzini, N.; Desatnik, A.; Kalisch, R.; Nolte, T.: What helps the helpers? Resilience and risk factors for general and profession-specific mental health problems in psychotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology 14, 1272199 (2023)

Blasberg, J. U.; Jost, J.; Kanske, P.; Engert, V.: Empathic stress in the mother–child dyad: Multimodal evidence for empathic stress in children observing their mothers during direct stress exposure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 152 (11), pp. 3058 - 3073 (2023)