Bio
 

Professor Volker A. Coenen

• Since 2013 Full Professor (W3) and Medical Director of the Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Freiburg University, Germany.
• 2008 – 2012 Professor (W2) and head of the division of Stereotaxy and MR-based OR techniques at Bonn University, Germany.
• 2007 - 2008 Fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
• 2005 Consultant Neurosurgeon.
• 1999- 2005 Resident neurosurgeon, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Technology (RWTH) Aachen, Germany.
• 1998    Graduation from medical school at the University of Technology (RWTH) Aachen, Germany.

The main interest of Dr. Coenen's scientific group is the application of the deep brain stimulation (DBS) technology for various indications (Movement disorders, predom. Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremor and epilepsies). One of his main focuses is the treatment refractory depression (MD). He researches the application of neuromodulation of the reward system to treat psychiatric diseases. In the laboratory his group works towards the identification of the depression circuitry in the rat, sheep, primate and in the human primate in a translational and reverse translational approach. A main focus is the anatomical and functional description of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). His research is geared towards the development of new and more efficacious target regions for DBS using the DTI technology an application that he has pioneered. His current works aims at the development of closed loop neuromodulation systems with neurochemical feedback. He spearheads the initiative to stimulate the medial forebrain bundle (slMFB, human) in depression and OCD. Dr. Coenen has published more than 175 peer reviewed articles.

Keywords: neuroanatomy, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), deep brain stimulation (DBS), medial forebrain bundle (mfb, rodent; MFB, human), reward circuitry, subthalamic nuclei, networks, subcortical projection pathways, affect, emotion