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Esther Kuehn (academic)

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Esther Kuehn (Kühn)
Born
Germany
NationalityGerman
Alma materUniversity of Münster, University of Otago, & Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsHuman Neuroimaging & Ultra-High Field MRI
InstitutionsUniversity of Tübingen
Thesis Open Body Maps - Primary somatosensory cortex activity during touch observation described with 7 Tesla fMRI  (2013)
Websitehttps://www.estherkuehn-science.org/

Esther Kuehn (Kühn) is a German neuroscientist who investigates human cortex function and dysfunction using MR-based neuroimaging techniques. She currently holds the position of Professor (W2) for Translational Imaging of Cortical Microstructure. She is affiliated with the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH) at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

Education

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Kühn completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Münster in Germany, where she earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biology in 2006. She pursued graduate studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand, earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Neuroscience. In 2009, she was awarded a PhD Fellowship by the International Max Planck Research School Neuroscience of Communication (IMPRS NeuroCom) at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, where she earned her doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2013. Her doctoral thesis[1] titled ‘Open Body Maps - Primary somatosensory cortex activity during touch observation described with 7 Tesla fMRI‘ was awarded with summa cum laude.

Research Interests

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Prof. Kühn’s research is at the cutting edge of using ultra-high field MRI to explore the brain’s mesoscale architecture and how it connects to human behavior, health, and mental resilience. Her primary tools include ultra-high-field MRI (up to 9.4 Tesla) and 3D cortical modeling, which allows her to study brain anatomy with exceptional precision. Her work on cortical microstructure and functional maps aims to reveal how these systems adapt or degenerate in aging and mental health conditions. Her work combines structural and functional MRI with computational modeling to provide detailed insights into cortical columns, cortical layers, structural boundaries, and the precise organization of functional maps and their relation to human behavior. Her key research interests include:

  • Functional and Structural MRI Modeling of Cortical Architecture: Prof. Kühn uses advanced MRI modeling techniques to map fine-scale brain features, including cortical layers, columns, and structural boundaries. These imaging advancements have improved our understanding of the brain's intricate architecture, particularly in how sensory and motor regions are organized to support various behaviors. Her studies, such as the Cerebral Cortex paper[2] on body topography in sensory and motor cortices, have been instrumental in elucidating how functional maps are organized at the mesoscale level to support cognition and perception.
  • Models of Dysfunctional Cortical Architecture: Kühn’s development of 3D brain models has advanced research into brain dys-/function in mental health and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as methods for precision medicine. Kühn develops computational models that capture dysfunctional structural and functional cortex architectures to investigate healthy aging, motor and sensory dysfunction, neurodegenerative diseases, and neurological disorders. Recent manuscripts on de-differentiated topographic maps[3] and layer-specific vulnerabilities[4][5] investigate age-related and disease-related changes in cortical map integrity, providing insights into motor and sensory dysfunctions that often accompany neurodegeneration.
  • Neuronal Mechanisms of Body Memories and Mental Health: Another facet of Kühn’s research examines how the brain encodes and retains physical experiences (termed “body memories”) and how these memories relate to mental health. She integrates real-life data collected through her mobile application “Somascape,” with MRI and fMRI neuroimaging data to assess how personal experiences and emotional states interact with brain function, potentially influencing conditions like anxiety and depression[6]. This line of research is significant for understanding plasticity in sensory and motor regions and the hippocampus, which has implications for therapeutic strategies.

Through her pioneering use of ultra-high field MRI and computational models, Prof. Kühn has advanced the neuroscience community’s understanding of cortical architecture and its role in behavior, aging, and mental health.

Additional Notable Publications

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A summary of the scientific contributions from Prof. Kühn’s notable publications include:

  • Visually-Driven Maps in Area 3b[7]: This study examines the primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b), providing insights into how visual stimuli influence sensory map formation. Kühn and her colleagues demonstrated that visual stimuli can drive responses in area 3b, indicating that sensory maps in this region are more flexible and can be influenced by multisensory integration, which has implications for understanding sensory perception and processing in the brain.
  • Modelling the Human Cortex in Three Dimensions[8]: This paper emphasized the importance of 3D cortical modeling, advocating for a comprehensive approach to studying the brain by considering cortical depth and surface-based organization. Kühn’s review highlighted how 3D models can reveal new dimensions of brain function, particularly in cognitive processes and mental health research, providing a more nuanced perspective on cortical structure and its functional implications.
  • Topographical layer imaging as a tool to track neurodegenerative disease spread in M1[9]: Kühn introduced a method for imaging specific cortical layers to track the spread of neurodegenerative diseases, specifically within the primary motor cortex (M1). By focusing on layer-specific changes, her approach allows researchers to identify early signs of neurodegeneration, offering a potential diagnostic tool for tracking diseases like ALS and Parkinson’s from their onset.
  • Cortical sensory aging is layer-specific[10]: This study combines data from younger adults, older adults, and a patient with congenital arm loss with data from younger, older, and senescent mice to introduce a new model on age-related changes in sensory maps at the layer-specific level. Kühn’s model provides a detailed framework for understanding how sensory regions are affected by aging in different species, offering insights into potential interventions that could mitigate sensory degradation in elderly populations.

These studies have contributed substantially to understanding the brain's layered structure, its role in health and disease, and how it adapts or declines with aging and neurodegeneration.

Career

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After completing her doctoral studies, Kühn pursued postdoctoral research at the University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom and started her independent research with a postdoctoral fellowship at the DZNE Magdeburg in Germany. Her research on the layer-specific and topographic architecture of the human sensorimotor cortex led to several high-impact publications and established her as a talented researcher in the field of neuroscience and human neuroimaging.

Kühn transitioned to an independent research position as a Group Leader at the Otto-von-Guericke Universität Magdeburg. She established her research group studying cortical microstructure in health and disease, leading innovative studies that shed light on the mechanisms underlying cortical aging and neurodegeneration. She also founded and established the Brain In Depth (BID) Conference at this time, which brings together international experts in basic and applied ultra-high field MRI. In 2020, Kühn was awarded the prestigious ERC Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) to research the neuronal mechanisms that underlie human body memories in health and disease.

In 2022, Kühn was appointed Associate Professor (W2) at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, where she is involved in academic administration and serves on various committees aimed at advancing scientific discovery and education in neuroscience. Her research group in Tübingen investigates basic mechanisms of sensorimotor function and dysfunction in relation to behavioral phenotypes and the relationship between functional and structural alterations in the cortex and neurodegenerative, neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Prof. Kühn is actively engaged in the academic community as a member of:

  • Elected member of the Strategy Board of the Research Focus “Neurosciences” Neuroscience Tübingen - Since 2024
  • Founding member of the Research Platform Human Neuroimaging at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH) Tübingen - 2023
  • Founding member of the Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) - 2022
  • Board Member of Otto Hahn Research Group Evaluation - 2022
  • Board Member of Vidi Grant des NWO Talent Scheme - 2022
  • Steering Committee Member of Center for Mental Health, Jena, Halle, Magdeburg - 2022

Organisation of Scientific Conferences & Symposia:

  • Deficits in tactile perception and their clinical implications, Symposium (Psychologie und Gehirn, PuG) - 2023
  • FAIR data management and data sharing in neuroscience, Symposium, Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society (NWG) - 2019
  • Changing Matters - Intrinsic Plasticity in Health and Disease, Symposium (CBBS Science Conference BrainPlast, Magdeburg) - 2019
  • Quality Control of Neuroimaging Data, Workshop (Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Rome) - 2019
  • Brain in Depth (BID) Conference, self-founded conference on ultra-high field imaging (alternatingly organised at Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, DZNE Magdeburg, and University of Tübingen) - since 2017
  • White Matter Plasticity, Symposium (CBBS Science Conference BrainPlast, Magdeburg) - 2017

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Kühn, Esther (2013). Open body maps: primary somatosensory cortex activity during touch observation described with 7 Tesla fMRI.
  2. ^ Kuehn, Esther; Dinse, Juliane; Jakobsen, Estrid; Long, Xiangyu; Schäfer, Andreas; Bazin, Pierre-Louis; Villringer, Arno; Sereno, Martin I.; Margulies, Daniel S. (2017-07-01). "Body Topography Parcellates Human Sensory and Motor Cortex". Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y.: 1991). 27 (7): 3790–3805. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhx026. ISSN 1460-2199. PMC 6248394. PMID 28184419.
  3. ^ Liu, Peng; Chrysidou, Anastasia; Doehler, Juliane; Hebart, Martin N.; Wolbers, Thomas; Kuehn, Esther (2021-05-18). "The organizational principles of de-differentiated topographic maps in somatosensory cortex". eLife. 10: e60090. doi:10.7554/eLife.60090. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 8186903. PMID 34003108.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  4. ^ Northall, Alicia; Doehler, Juliane; Weber, Miriam; Vielhaber, Stefan; Schreiber, Stefanie; Kuehn, Esther (August 2023). "Layer-specific vulnerability is a mechanism of topographic map aging". Neurobiology of Aging. 128: 17–32. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.04.002. ISSN 1558-1497. PMID 37141729.
  5. ^ a b Northall, Alicia; Doehler, Juliane; Weber, Miriam; Tellez, Igor; Petri, Susanne; Prudlo, Johannes; Vielhaber, Stefan; Schreiber, Stefanie; Kuehn, Esther (2024-03-01). "Multimodal layer modelling reveals in vivo pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis". Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 147 (3): 1087–1099. doi:10.1093/brain/awad351. ISSN 1460-2156. PMC 10907094. PMID 37815224.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
  6. ^ Gentsch, Antje; Kuehn, Esther (2022-05-03). "Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories: The Impact of Past Bodily Experiences on Mental Health". Brain Sciences. 12 (5): 594. doi:10.3390/brainsci12050594. ISSN 2076-3425. PMC 9138975. PMID 35624981.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  7. ^ Kuehn, Esther; Haggard, Patrick; Villringer, Arno; Pleger, Burkhard; Sereno, Martin I. (2018-01-31). "Visually-Driven Maps in Area 3b". The Journal of Neuroscience: The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 38 (5): 1295–1310. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0491-17.2017. ISSN 1529-2401. PMC 6596270. PMID 29301873.
  8. ^ Kuehn, Esther; Sereno, Martin I. (December 2018). "Modelling the Human Cortex in Three Dimensions". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 22 (12): 1073–1075. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2018.08.010. ISSN 1879-307X. PMID 30236490.
  9. ^ Schreiber, Stefanie; Northall, Alicia; Weber, Miriam; Vielhaber, Stefan; Kuehn, Esther (January 2021). "Topographical layer imaging as a tool to track neurodegenerative disease spread in M1". Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. 22 (1): 68–69. doi:10.1038/s41583-020-00404-w. ISSN 1471-0048. PMID 33154581.
  10. ^ Liu, Peng; Doehler, Juliane; Henschke, Julia U.; Northall, Alicia; Serian, Angela; Loaiza-Carvajal, Laura C.; Budinger, Eike; Schwarzkopf, Dietrich S.; Speck, Oliver (2024-07-15), Cortical sensory aging is layer-specific, doi:10.1101/2023.12.01.567841, retrieved 2024-10-25
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