Nov 27, 2024
Julia Ditzer's Summer Research Stay at UCLA
Thanks to the support of the Society of Friends and Sponsors of TU Dresden, Julia Ditzer, doctoral student at the Chair of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at TU Dresden under the direction of Prof. Dr. Anna-Lena Zietlow, was able to complete a research stay at the renowned University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from June 15 to August 21, 2024. During her stay, she worked in the Brain and Body Lab (BaBLab) of Prof. Dr. Bridget Callaghan at the Department of Psychology. This stay marks an important step towards establishing a long-term cooperation between the professorships of Prof. Dr. Anna-Lena Zietlow and Prof. Dr. Bridget Callaghan.
During her stay, Julia Ditzer worked on a project investigating the relationship between the gut microbiome of children and adolescents and the cortical thickness of the insula, an area of the brain that plays a key role in interoception - the perception of internal body states.
The BaBLab specializes in researching how early life experiences influence the complex interactions between the brain and body and thus contribute to mental and physical health. During her research stay, Julia Ditzer was not only able to deepen her knowledge of these complex biological processes, but also expand her methodological and statistical skills. These newly acquired skills will not only be of central importance for the ongoing cooperation project, but also for her dissertation.
The intensive networking with international peers, who opened up new perspectives and innovative methods for her, was also particularly valuable. The stay made it possible to strengthen the scientific connection between the Chair of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at TU Dresden and UCLA and to lay the foundations for long-term collaboration.