Publication by Dr Lara Puhlmann Honoured with the 2026 Boxberger Prize

In their randomized controlled study Serum BDNF Increase After 9-Month Contemplative Mental Training Is Associated With Decreased Cortisol Secretion and Increased Dentate Gyrus Volume, the authors investigated how nine months of mental training affected stress-related neurobiological health markers in 332 healthy adults. The programme included regular meditation and other contemplative exercises and was associated with a cumulative increase in serum BDNF concentration, an indirect marker of neural plasticity. This increase was partially mediated by a reduction in long-term cortisol exposure and was associated with increased volume in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The findings point to a potential neuroendocrine mechanism through which mental training may support stress regulation and neural plasticity.

The Boxberger Prize Bad Kissingen is awarded every two years and recognises scientific work in the health sciences, including health psychology, prevention and salutogenesis. With prize money of up to €10,000, it is among the most highly endowed research prizes in this field. Submissions are evaluated by a scientific advisory board chaired by Prof Michael Linden of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The 2026 prize was shared.

We congratulate Dr Lara Puhlmann and her co-authors on receiving the 2026 Boxberger Prize Bad Kissingen!

Puhlmann LMC, Vrtička P, Linz R, et al. 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. 2025;5(2):100414. doi:10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100414.