Prof. MD Peter Schönknecht

Research Focus

Neurobiology of hypothalamic dysfunction
Prediction of neurocognitive disorders across lifespan
Neurobiology of pedophilic and non-paraphilic offenders
Multidimentional prevention of recurrence in forensic psychiatry
Psychopathology and philosophy of mind

Curriculum Vitae

Official Position

Medical Director, Academic Saxon State Hospital Arnsdorf b. Dresden and Psychiatric Hospital and Outpatient Clinics Head, Outpatient Department, Prevention and Forensic Psychiatry, University Hospital Leipzig

Institution

Academic Saxon State Hospital Arnsdorf b. Dresden

Medical Faculty University of Leipzig

Business address

Hufelandstr. 15, 01477 Arnsdorf

Academic education and degree(s)

1990-1996	Medicine and Philosophy, Universität Leipzig, Université de Montpellier, St. Barthelomew’s Medical College London
1996	MD in Medicine, School of Medicine, Universität Leipzig
1997	Dr. med. (summa cum laude) Universität Leipzig
1999-2007	Residency anf Fellowship in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Prof. Dr. Ch. Mundt), Department of Neurology (Prof. Dr. Hacke), Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2004	Specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapie
2005	Postdoctoral lecture qualification (venia legendi) and Habilitation in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2013	Professor (apl.) of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universität Leipzig

Professional career

1996-1997	Junior doctor (Arzt im Praktikum), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Park-Krankenhaus Leipzig
1998-2005	Resident, senior resident and supervising psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry and Psycotherapy, Department of Neurology, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2005	Research Fellow, Neuroscience PET Laboratory (Prof. Dr. M. S. Buchsbaum), The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
2005	Clinical Geriatrics in Psychiatry (Fakultative Weiterbildung)
2006-2007	Memory Clinic, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2006	Emergency Medicine (Zusatzbezeichnung)
2008	Forensic Psychiatry (Schwerpunktbezeichnung)
2008-2016	Deputy Department Head, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Leipzig Supervising psychiatrist Affective Disorders Branch (Outpatient), Geriatric Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry
2008	Addiction Medicine (Zusatzbezeichnung Suchtmedizinische Grundversorgung)
2013-2017	Postgraduate qualification Sexual Medicine
Since 2019	Medical Director, Academic Saxon State Hospital Arnsdorf b. Dresden and Physician-in-Chief, Psychiatric Hospital and Outpatient Clinics Head, Outpatient Department, Prevention and Forensic Psychiatry, University Hospital Leipzig

Honors, Awards and Positions

Since 2010	Head Research Group Subcortikal Dysfunction in Mental Disorders Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Leipzig
2010-2016	Steering Commitee Pharma-Cog “Prediction of cognitive properties of new drug candidates for neurodegenerative diseases in early clinical development”
2009-2016	Research Fellow LIFE Study – Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases at the University of Leipzig
2007	Research Fellow and Member, Steering Commitee Interdisziplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE), Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2007	Zertificate Lecturer „Hochschullehrer Baden-Württemberg“
2006	Head HEICUMED Psychiatry im Reformstudiengang Medizin, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
2004	Research Fellow Competence Network Demenzen (BMBF)
2005	Research Prize Alzheimer Forschung Initiative (AFI), 2005
2001	Research Prize World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, 2001
1999	Prize Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung, 1999
1994	Grant University Studies Auslandsstipendium des DAAD, 1994

Current Journal Editorial Positions

Since 2014

GeroPsych – The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry (Associate Editor)

10 most important peer-reviewed papers

(10 out of 124, h-Index [Scopus]: 33)

Leitzke M, Schimpf S, Altrock M, Schönknecht P, Bischoff S, Schubert H, Hoyer D, Bauer R, Olbrich S. Afferent vagal stimulation via gastric electrical stimulation alters sympathetic-vagal balance in domestic pigs - a pilot trial. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2021;35(1) doi: 10.23812/20-527-A (online ahead)

Polyakova M, Beyer F, Mueller K, Sander C, Witte V, Lampe L, Rodrigues F, Riedel-Heller S, Kratzsch J, Hoffmann KT, Villringer A, Schoenknecht P, Schroeter ML. Serum BDNF levels correlate with regional cortical thickness in minor depression: a pilot study. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):14524

Thomas K, Beyer F, Lewe G, Zhang R, Schindler S, Schönknecht P, Stumvoll M, Villringer A, Witte AV. Higher body mass index is linked to altered hypothalamic microstructure. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):17373

Schindler S, Schmidt L, Stroske M, Storch M, Anwander A, Trampel R, Strauß M, Hegerl U, Geyer S, Schönknecht P. Hypothalamus enlargement in mood disorders. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2019;139(1):56-67

Wolff J, Schindler S, Lucas C, Binninger AS, Weinrich L, Schreiber J, Hegerl U, Möller HE, Leitzke M, Geyer S, Schönknecht P. A semi-automated algorithm for hypothalamus volumetry in 3 Tesla magnetic resonance images. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2018;277:45-51

Sabri O, Meyer PM, Gräf S, Hesse S, Wilke S, Becker GA, Rullmann M, Patt M, Luthardt J, Wagenknecht G, Hoepping A, Smits R, Franke A, Sattler B, Tiepolt S, Fischer S, Deuther-Conrad W, Hegerl U, Barthel H, Schönknecht P, Brust P. Cognitive correlates of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mild Alzheimer's dementia. Brain. 2018;141(6):1840-1854

Schindler S, Schreiber J, Bazin PL, Trampel R, Anwander A, Geyer S, Schönknecht P. Intensity standardisation of 7T MR images for intensity-based segmentation of the human hypothalamus. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0173344

Schoenknecht P, Olbrich S, Sander C, Spindler P, Hegerl U. Treatment of acute mania with modafinil monotherapy. Biol Psychiatry. 2010;67(11):e55-57

Sabri O, Becker GA, Meyer PM, Hesse S, Wilke S, Graef S, Patt M, Luthardt J, Wagenknecht G, Hoepping A, Smits R, Franke A, Sattler B, Habermann B, Neuhaus P, Fischer S, Tiepolt S, Deuther-Conrad W, Barthel H, Schönknecht P, Brust P. First-in-human PET quantification study of cerebral α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors using the novel specific radioligand (-)-[(18)F]Flubatine. Neuroimage. 2015;118:199-208

Schönknecht P, Pantel J, Kruse A, Schröder J. Prevalence and natural course of aging-associated cognitive decline in a population-based sample of young-old subjects. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162(11):2071-2077