Addiction Research

M. Brand
Behavioral AddictionsAffective and cognitive mechanisms of decision making
Group Banner - M. Brand

The research group of Prof. Brand at the ELH focusses on neural correlates of cognitive and affective processes using fMRI. This interdisciplinary team examines neural mechanisms of decision-making and their interactions with control processes and emotions.

One research area focusses on the neurobiological and neuropsychological bases of behavioural addictions, particularly those related to online addictive behaviors.

Brand is speaker of the transregional Research Unit FOR 2974 “Affective and cognitive mechanisms of specific Internet-use disorders”, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG,project number: 411232260). The Research Unit aims to investigate the potential involvement of the theoretically argued (bio) psychological mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of the predominantly online addictive behaviors.

Current projects
  • DFG: FOR 2974: Affective and cognitive mechanisms of specific Internet-use disorders (ACSID) 2020 - 2027, Project number: 411232269, Spokesperson of FOR 2974, within this Research Unit, Prof. Brand is PI of the research project 1, the research project 4, and the coordination project.
  • MERCUR: THINK@Ruhr 2022 - 2026
  • DFG: Involvement of the human cerebellum in reinforcement learning via its connection with the ventral tegmental area 2023 - 2026
Selected Publications
  • Antons, S., Müller, S. M., Thomas, T. A., Schmid, A. M., Kessling, A., Joshi, M., Krikova, K., Kampa, M., Mallon, L., Schmidt, L. D., Klein, L., Dominick, N., Büsche, K., Oelker, A., Brandtner, A., Montag, C., Wölfling, K., Wolf, O. T., Klucken, T., Rumpf, H.-J., Steins-Loeber, S., Stark, R., Müller, A., Diers, M., Wegmann, E., & Brand, M. (2025). Cue-reactivity towards distal cues in specific types of problematic usage of the Internet: Findings from diagnostically validated samples. British Journal of Psychiatry, 1–13. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2025.10379
  • Brand, M., Antons, S., Bőthe, B., Demetrovics, Z., Fineberg, N. A., Jimenez-Murcia, S., King, D. L., Mestre-Bach, G., Moretta, T., Müller, A., Wegmann, E., & Potenza, M. N. (2025). Current advances in behavioral addictions: From fundamental research to clinical practice. American Journal of Psychiatry, 182, 155–163. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240092
  • Brand, M., Müller, A., Wegmann, E., Antons, S., Brandtner, A., Müller, S. M., Stark, R., Steins-Loeber, S., & Potenza, M. N. (2025). Current interpretations of the I-PACE model of behavioral addictions. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 14, 1–17. DOI: 10.1556/2006.2025.00020
  • Müller, S. M., Antons, S., Schmid, A. M., Thomas, T. A., Kessling, A., Joshi, M., Krikova, K., Kampa, M., Mallon, L., Schmidt, L. D., Klein, L., Dominick, N., Büsche, K., Oelker, A., Brandtner, A., Montag, C., Wölfling, K., Wolf, O. T., Diers, M., Klucken, T., Rumpf, H. J., Stark, R., Müller, A., Wegmann, E., Steins-Loeber, S., & Brand, M. (2025). Self-control abilities in specific types of problematic usage of the Internet: Findings from clinically validated samples with neurocognitive tasks. American Journal of Psychiatry, 182, 660–670. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240486
  • Brand, M. (2022). Can internet use become addictive? Science, 376, 798–799. DOI: 10.1126/science.abn4189
  • Trotzke, P., Starcke, K., Pedersen, A., & Brand, M. (2021). Dorsal and ventral striatum activity in individuals with buying-shopping disorder during cue-exposure: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Addiction Biology, 26, e13073. DOI: 10.1111/adb.13073
  • Brand, M., Wegmann, E., Stark, R., Müller, A., Wölfling, K., Robbins, T. W., & Potenza, M. N. (2019). The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond Internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 104, 1–10. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.032
  • Brand, M., Snagowski, J., Laier, C., & Maderwald, S. (2016). Ventral striatum activity when watching preferred pornographic pictures is correlated with symptoms of Internet pornography addiction. NeuroImage, 129, 224–232. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.01.033
  • Brand, M., Young, K. S., Laier, C., Wölfling, K., & Potenza, M. N. (2016). Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet-use disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 252–266. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.033
  • Starcke, K., & Brand, M. (2016). Effects of stress on decisions under uncertainty: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 142, 909–933. DOI: 10.1037/bul0000060
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