Carolin Kurz, M.D.

JAD profile

Affiliation(s): 

Department of Psychiatry LMU University Hospital

Areas of Interest: 

Neurology, Psychiatry, Biomakers, Aging and Cognition; Dementia; Neurodegeneration; Amyloid; Molecular Biology

Biography & Research: 

After my state examination, I worked at the Department of Neurology at the University of Heidelberg from 2009 to 2012, where I worked on a collaborative project between the Department of Neurology, the Department of Vascular Surgery and the Institute of Pathology on the development of carotid plaques. In 2012, I moved to the Department of Neurology at the Technical University of Munich and worked in Professor Günter Höglinger's research group on atypical Parkinson's syndromes. After the birth of my first child in 08/2015, I moved to the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the LMU Hospital in 08/2016 and joined Professor Perneczky's working group. I completed my specialist examination in neurology in 01/2018 and in psychiatry in 08/2022. In March 2023, I acquired the additional qualification in specialist human genetic counselling. In this context, I initiated several research projects such as AmyClear and PeptiClear, and continued to initiate collaborations with industry partners. After my second parental leave from 03/2019 to 03/2020, I designed and organized several projects in the public health sector, one of which has just been completed. Scientific projects I have designed and conducted include studies of somatic DNA alterations in atherosclerotic carotid lesions and their possible role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Other scientific projects involved the stability of plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease under different pre-analytical conditions and the generation of an optimal sample handling protocol. I also summarized the role of the blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer's disease and identified the clinical features and neuropathological determinants of progressive supranuclear palsy. Other projects included investigating the relationship between subjective cognitive impairment and the risk of dementia and depression, and evaluating the quality and utility of telephone counseling for family caregivers of people with dementia in Germany.