Prof. Dr. Beate M. Herbert

Diplom-Psychologin

Professur für Biologische Psychologie & Experimentelle Psychopathologie

Professorship of Biological Psychologie & Experimental Psychopathology

Standort/Location: München/Munich

Kontakt:
Charlotte-Fresenius-Hochschule
Infanteriestrasse 11a
80797 München

Email: beate.herbert@charlotte-fresenius-uni.de

Portrait von Prof. Dr. Beate Herbert

Ein Hauptschwerpunkt meiner Forschung ist die Interaktion körperlicher Reaktionen mit mentalen Funktionen des Erlebens und Verhaltens und deren zugrundeliegenden psychophysiologischen und zentralnervösen Mechanismen („Embodiment“/embodied cognition“) sowie deren Bedeutung für Gesundheit und Krankheit. Ein Schwerpunkt meiner Forschung untersucht die Wahrnehmung und Verarbeitung von physiologischen und körperlichen Rückmeldungen im Gehirn (Interozeption) und deren Relevanz für ‚Bewusstsein‘, die Entwicklung des ‚bodily self‘, ‚emotional awareness‘ und Emotionsverarbeitung sowie Verhaltensregulation. Dies untersuche ich sowohl bei Gesunden als auch bei klinischen Stichproben.
Meine translational orientierten Forschungsschwerpunkte sind verortet in a) wissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen zu psychophysiologischen Mechanismen der Aufrechterhaltung von Gesundheit (v.a. Schwerpunkte: adaptives vs. maladaptives Essverhalten, Ernährung und Übergewicht, Stressverarbeitung, Sport, Regulation von körperlicher Aktivität und Belastung, Emotionsverarbeitung, Wirkmechanismen achtsamkeitsbasierter Verfahren, Entwicklung von Präventionstechniken und Methodenentwicklung zur Erfassung von Körperwahrnehmung und Interozeption) sowie b) in der gesundheitspsychologischen und klinisch-psychologischen Forschung (v.a. Essstörungen, Adipositas, Alexithymie, Angststörungen, sowie Entwicklung von körperbasierten Interventionsverfahren).

Meine Forschung ist empirisch-experimentell ausgerichtet und arbeitet mit psychophysiologischen und neurowissenschaftlichen Verfahren (v.a. peripherphysiologischen Methoden und EEG-Methoden) sowie experimentalpsychologischen Paradigmen. Die Entwicklung von Forschungsmethoden sowie von Präventions- und Interventionstechniken im Labor und im Feld steht ebenfalls im Zentrum.

Methodische Schwerpunkte in allen Forschungsbereichen:
Peripherphysiologische Variablen, EKG und Herzratenvariabilität, Impedanzkardiographie und ableitbare Marker, Elektrogastrographie (EGG), Biofeedback, Interozeptive Methoden, EEG und evozierte Potentiale, funktionelle Bildgebung, transkranielle Magnetstimulation (TMS).

Folgende Forschungsschwerpunkte:

  • Forschungsschwerpunkt Interozeption und Körperwahrnehmung: Psychophysiologische Mechanismen von Interozeption und multisensorischer Integration, Auswirkungen auf kognitive, emotionale und behaviorale Funktionen, Bedeutung für Achtsamkeit.
  • Forschungsschwerpunkt Embodiment/embodied cognition: Bedeutung der Rückmeldung und Wahrnehmung körperlicher Zustände auf Verhaltensregulation, Kognition und Emotion, Emotionsregulation und „Self-Awareness“, Mechanismen achtsamkeitsbasierter Verfahren, Relevanz für spezifische klinische Störungsbilder
  • Forschungsschwerpunkt Alexithymie: Relevanz der Wahrnehmung emotionaler Zustände und ihrer Mechanismen, für Gesundheit, „well-being“ und Psychopathologie
  • Forschungsschwerpunkt Regulation des Essverhaltens
    Psychophysiologische und zentralnervöse Mechanismen der Regulation gesunden und gestörten Essverhaltens, Essstörungen, Adipositas

English version:

A main focus of my research is the interaction of physical reactions with mental functions of experience and behaviour and their underlying psychophysiological and central nervous mechanisms („embodiment“/embodied cognition) as well as their significance for health and disease. One focus of my research examines the perception and processing of physiological and bodily feedback in the brain (interoception) and its relevance for ‚consciousness‘, the development of the ‚bodily self‘, ‚emotional awareness‘ and emotion processing as well as behaviour regulation. This is examined in both healthy individuals and clinical samples.

My translationally oriented research focuses on a) psychophysiological mechanisms of health maintenance (in particular: adaptive vs. maladaptive eating behaviour, nutrition and obesity, stress, sports, regulation of physical activity, emotion processing, mechanisms of mindfulness-based procedures, the development of prevention techniques and of methods for assessing body perception and interoception) and b) the relevance of interoception and ‚embodiment‘ for health psychology and clinical psychology research (especially eating disorders, obesity, alexithymia, anxiety disorders, and development of body-based prevention- and intervention techniques).

Relevant methods in all research areas:
Peripheral physiological measures (ECG and heart rate variability, impedance cardiography and derivable markers, electrogastrography/EGG, gastric activity), experimental interoceptive methods, EEG and evoked potentials, as well as functional imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Ongoing research projects:

  • Research focus on interoception and body perception: psychophysiological mechanisms of interoception and multisensory integration, effects on cognitive, emotional and behavioural functions, significance for mindfulness.
  • Research focus on embodiment and embodied cognition: importance of feedback and perception of physical states on behavioural regulation, cognition and emotion, emotion regulation and self-awareness, mechanisms of mindfulness-based methods, relevance for specific clinical disorders.
  • Research focus on alexithymia: relevance of the perception of emotional states and their mechanisms for health, well-being and psychopathology
  • Research focus on the regulation of eating behaviour: Psychophysiological and central nervous mechanisms of the regulation of healthy and disturbed eating behaviour, eating disorders, obesity

Studentische Hilfskräfte

Melody Yankacar

Melody Ezgi Yankacar

Email:
melody.yankacar@charlotte-fresenius-uni.de

Studentische wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, Studierendenvertretung des Semesters, Studentin B.Sc. Psychologie an der CFH, München

Student Research Assistant, Student Representative of the Semester, Student of B.Sc. Psychology at the CFH, Munich

Linda Haag

Linda Haag

Email:
linda.haag@charlotte-fresenius-uni.de

Studentische wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, Studentin B.Sc. Psychologie an der CFH, München

Student Research Assistant, Student of B.Sc. Psychology at the CFH, Munich


  • Herbert, B.M. & Pollatos, O., Klusmann, V. (2021), Interoception and Health: Psychological and Physiological Mechanisms, Special Issue, European Journal of Health Psychology, 27, 127-131. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000064
  • Herbert, B.M. (2021), Interoception and its role for eating, obesity and eating disorders: Empirical findings and conceptual conclusions, European Journal of Health Psychology, 27, 188-205. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000062
  • Kipping, M., Mai-Lippold, S.A., Herbert, B.M., Desdentado, L., Kammer, T., Pollatos, O. (2024). Insights into interoceptive and emotional processing: Lessons from studies on insular HD-tDCS. Psychophysiology, 30 June 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14639
  • Ainley, V., Tsakiris, M., Pollatos, O. Schulz, A. & Herbert, B.M. (2020). Comment on “Zamariola et al (2018), Interoceptive Accuracy Scores are Problematic: Evidence from Simple Bivariate Correlations” – The Empirical Data Base, the Conceptual Reasoning and the Analysis behind this Statement are Misconceived and do not Support the Authors’ Conclusions. Biological Psychology, 152, 107870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107870
  • Datta, N., Bidopia, T., Datta, S., Mittal, G., Herbert, B.M., Marsh, E.J., Fitzsimmons, G.J., Strauman, T.J. & Zucker, N.L. (2021). Internal states and interoception along a spectrum of eating disorders symptomatology. Physiology & Behavior, 230, 113307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113307
  • Schlinkert, C., Herbert B.M., Baumann, N., Koole, S. (2020). Preoccupied with the Body: Mild stress amplifies interoception among ruminators. Cognition & Emotion, 30, 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2020.1746242
  • Van Dyck, Z., Schulz, A., Blechert, J., Herbert, B.M., Lutz, A., & Vögele, C. (2020). Gastric Interoception and gastric myoelectrical activity in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, May 13, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23291
  • Shoji M., Mehling, W., Hautzinger, M., & Herbert, B.M. (2018). Investigating multidimensional interoceptive awareness in a Japanese population: Validation of the MAIA-J. Frontiers Special Issue „Somatic and Body Mind Approaches to Resilience”, Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1885. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01855
  • Pollatos, O., Herbert, B.M., Berberich, G., Zaudig, M., Krauseneck, T. & Tsakiris, M. (2017). Atypical self-focus effects on interoceptive accuracy in anorexia nervosa. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Volume 10, 484. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00484/full
  • Pollatos, O., Herbert, B.M., Mai, S. & Kammer T. (2016). Changes in interoceptive processes by brain stimulation. Philosophical Transactions B., 371: 20160016. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2016.0016
  • Van Dyck, Z., Vögele, C., Blechert, J., Lutz, A., Schulz, A., & Herbert, B.M. (2016). Measuring gastric interoception: Development of a two-stage water load test protocol and application to a healthy population. PlosOne, Sep 22; 11(9): e0163574. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0163574
  • Mai, S., Gramann, K., Herbert, B.M., Friederich, H.C., Warschburger, P., Pollatos, O. (2015). Electrophysiological evidence for an attentional bias in processing body stimuli in bulimia nervosa. Biological Psychology, 108: 105 -14. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030105111500071X?via%3Dihub
  • Bornemann, B., Herbert, B.M., Mehling, W. & Singer, T (2014). Differential changes in self-reported aspects of interoceptive awareness through three months of contemplative training. Frontiers in Psychology: Research Topic Interoception, Contemplative Practice and Health, 6:5: 1505. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01504/full
  • Blechert, J., Naumann, E., Schmitz, J., Herbert, B.M., & Tuschen-Caffier, B. (2014). Startling sweet temptations: Hedonic chocolate deprivation modulates experience, eating behavior, and eyeblink startle. PloS One, Jan 9;9(1):e85679. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0085679
  • Herbert, B.M., Blechert, J., Hautzinger, M., Matthias, E., & Herbert, C. (2013). Intuitive eating is associated with interoceptive sensitivity: Effects on body mass index. Appetite, 26; 70C: 22-30. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666313003085
  • Herbert, B.M., Muth, E., Pollatos, O., & Herbert, C. (2012). Interoception across modalities: On the relationship between cardiac awareness and the sensitivity for gastric functions. PloS One, 7(5):e36646. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-14008-001
  • Herbert, B.M., Herbert, C., Pollatos, O., Weimer, K., Enck, P., Sauer, H. & Zipfel, S. (2012). Effects of short-term food deprivation on interoceptive awareness, feelings, and cardiac autonomic activity. Biological Psychology, 89, 71-79. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301051111002389?via%3Dihub
  • Herbert, B.M. & Pollatos, O. (2012). The body in the mind: On the relationship between interoception and embodiment. Topics in Cognitive Science, 4,692-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01189.x
  • Pollatos, O., Herbert, B.M., Wankner, S., Dietel, A., Wachsmuth C., Henningsen, P., & Sack, M. (2011). Autonomic imbalance is associated with reduced facial recognition in somatoform disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71, 232-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.03.012
  • Pollatos, O., Dietel, A., Herbert, B.M., Wankner, S., Wachsmuth, C., Henningsen, P., & Sack, M. (2011). Blunted autonomic reactivity and increased pain tolerance in somatoform patients. Pain, 152, 2157-2164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21696888/
  • Herbert, C., Pauli, P., & Herbert, B.M. (2011). Self-reference modulates the processing of emotional stimuli in the absence of explicit self-referential appraisal instructions. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN), 6, 653-661. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsq082
  • Herbert, B.M., Pollatos, O., Flor, H., Enck, P. & Schandry, R. (2010). Cardiac awareness and autonomic cardiac reactivity during emotional picture viewing and mental stress. Psychophysiology, 47, 342-352. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00931.x
  • Herbert, B.M., & Pollatos, O., (2008). Interoceptive sensitivity, feelings and behavior regulation. Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie, 19, 125-137. https://doi.org/10.1024/1016-264X.19.3.125
  • Pollatos, O., Herbert, B.M., Schandry, R., & Gramann, K. (2008). Impaired central processing of emotional faces in anorexia nervosa. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 701-708. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18606730/
  • Herbert, B.M., Pollatos, O. & Schandry, R. (2007). Interoceptive sensitivity and emotion processing: An EEG study. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 65, 214-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2007.04.007
  • Beate M Herbert, Olga Pollatos, Verena Klusmann (2020). Interoception and Health: Psychological and Physiological Mechanisms. (Editorial – Special Issue). European Journal of Health Psychology 27: 127-131.
  • Beate M Herbert (2020). Interoception and Its Role for Eating, Obesity, and Eating Disorders: Empirical Findings and Conceptual Conclusions. European Journal of Health Psychology 27: 188-205.