Inga D. Neumann: Molecular underpinnings of the brain oxytocin system and its involvement in socio-emotional behaviour: More than a love story

Professor Inga Neumann stands at the forefront of neuropeptide research, bringing over three decades of expertise to her role as Chair of the Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. Her journey in science began in East Germany at the Karl-Marx-University in Leipzig (now the University of Leipzig), where she earned both her diploma in biology and her PhD. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, her career path led her through a postdoctoral position at the University of Calgary in Canada and seven enriching years at the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich before assuming her current position at Regensburg in 2001. As the first woman to be appointed full professor at the Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, she has shaped the University's neuroscience landscape by establishing and directing the Elite Masters Programme in Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience. Currently, she heads the Graduate School “Neurobiology of Socio-Emotional Dysfunctions,” a prestigious program funded by the German Research Foundation since 2017. The heart of her research lies in understanding how neuropeptides, particularly oxytocin, vasopressin, and CRF, orchestrate stress responses and social behaviours. Her work spans multiple levels of analysis – from molecular mechanisms and epigenetics to neural circuits and behaviour – primarily using rodent models to unlock the mysteries of the social brain. In this Genomic Press Interview, Professor Neumann shares her reflections on a life dedicated to unravelling the intricate relationships between brain chemistry and behaviour, offering insights into both her scientific journey and personal philosophy.