The International Research Training Group on ‘Brain–Behavior Relationship of Normal and Disturbed Emotions in Schizophrenia and Autism’ as an Example of German–American Cooperation in Doctoral Training

Abstract

The International Research Training Group ‘Brain–Behavior Relationship of Normal and Disturbed Emotions in Schizophrenia and Autism’ (IRTG 1328), funded by the German Research Council (DFG), is a German–American cooperation. Its major aims are interdisciplinary and international scientific cooperation and the support of young scientists with aspirations to cutting edge research careers. The IRTG offers a study program that structures an internationally collaborative doctoral process. The participants in the IRTG apply advanced brain imaging techniques, including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG), receptor distribution, and microstructural, architectonic brain mapping to study the neurobiological basis of emotion processing in schizophrenia and autism.