Kira Flinkenflügel, M.Sc.
PhD student
flinkenf@uni-muenster.de 
+49 (0)251 83-51850

Projects: FOR2107

  • CV

    Research Profiles

    X x.com/kflinkenflue
    Open Science Framework osf.io/xpmeb
    ORCID id orcid.org/0000-0001-7738-5429
    Research Gate www.researchgate.net/profile/Kira-Flinkenfluegel

    Academic Career

    05/2022 present PhD-student in psychology at the Institute for Translational Psychiatry, University of Münster, Germany, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. Udo Dannlowski
    10/2020 04/2022 Master of science psychology (Ø 1.0) at the University of Osnabrück, Germany (Focus on Clinical Psychology)
    10/2018 09/2020 Bachelor of science psychology (Ø 1.2) at the University of Osnabrück, Germany
    08/2007 06/2015 A-levels (Ø 1.2) at the Gymasium Remigianum, Borken, Germany

    Clinical Work and Training

    04/2024 present Out-patient psychotherapy Institute for Psychological Psychotherapy Training (IPP), Münster, Germany
    01/2024 04/2024 Out-patient Group Therapy (PT2) Procrastination Ambulance, Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic (PTA), University of Münster, Germany
    01/2023 12/2023 In-patient psychotherapy (PT1) at the University Hospital Münster, Germany, day clinic, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. Udo Dannlowski

    Awards, scholarships, and competitive funds

    2025 Travel Grant Santander Mobility Fund, University of Münster For the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP), Toronto, Canada (500€)
    2025 Paper of the Month Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung “Associations between white matter microstructure and cognitive decline in major depressive disorder versus controls in Germany: a prospective case-control cohort study”
    2024 Travel Grant Santander Mobility Fund, University of Münster For the Deutscher Psychotherapie Kongress (DPK), Berlin, Germany (500€)
    2024 Travel Fellowship Award 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP), Austin, Texas, USA (1800€)
    2023 Invited Speaker “New Findings” Symposium, Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona, Spain
    2023 Travel Grant Santander Mobility Fund, University of Münster For the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, Seoul, South Korea (500€)
    2023 Congress Travel Scholarship ECNP Workshop for Early Career Scientists in Europe, Nice, France
    2020 – 2022 Deutschlandstipendium Scholarship for academic excellence, University of Osnabrück, Germany
    2019 Niedersachsenstipendium Merit-based scholarship of Lower Saxony, University of Osnabrück, Germany

  • Research

    Research Interests

    • Affective disorders (especially Depression)
    • Cognitive deficits
    • Diffusion-weighted imaging (TBSS, Connectomics) 
    • Risk and protective factors
    • Disease trajectories of mental disorders
    • Interventions (CBT, physical activity) 

     

    Research projects:

    • SFB/TRR 393: Trajektorien affektiver Erkrankungen: Kognitiv-emotionale Mechanismen von Symptomänderungen (since 2025) 
    • FOR 2107:  Neurobiologie affektiver Störungen - Eine translationale Perspektive auf Gehirnstruktur und -funktion (2022-2025)

  • Publications

    Notable publications

    Peer-Reviewed Publications

    *Indicates equal contribution

    First-authored

    Flinkenflügel, K.*, Borgers, T.*, Klug, M., Mummendey, M. M., Leehr, E. J., Meinert, S… & Redlich, R. (2025). Longitudinal associations between white matter integrity, early life adversities, and treatment response following cognitive-behavioral therapy in depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 50(6), 1000–1007. doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02070-x

    Flinkenflügel, K.*, Meinert, S.*, Hirtsiefer, C., Grotegerd, D., Gruber, M., Goltermann, J., Winter, N. R., Stein, F., Brosch, K., Leehr, E. J., Böhnlein, J., Dohm, K., Bauer, J., Redlich, R., Hahn, T., Repple, J., Opel, N., Nitsch, R., Jamalabadi, H., … Dannlowski, U. (2024). Associations between white matter microstructure and cognitive decline in major depressive disorder versus controls in Germany: A prospective case-control cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 11(11), 899–909. doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(24)00291-8

    Flinkenflügel, K.*, Gruber, M.*, Meinert, S., Thiel, K., Winter, A., Goltermann, J., Usemann, P., Brosch, K., Stein, F., Thomas-Odenthal, F., Wroblewski, A., Pfarr, J.-K., David, F. S., Beins, E. C., Grotegerd, D., Hahn, T., Leehr, E. J., Dohm, K., Bauer, J., … Dannlowski, U. (2024). The interplay between polygenic score for tumor necrosis factor-α, brain structural connectivity, and processing speed in major depression. Molecular Psychiatry, 29(10), 3151–3159. doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02577-7

    Flinkenflügel, K., Meinert, S., Thiel, K., Winter, A., Goltermann, J., Strathausen, L., Brosch, K., Stein, F., Thomas-Odenthal, F., Evermann, U., Wroblewski, A., Usemann, P., Pfarr, J.-K., Grotegerd, D., Hahn, T., Leehr, E. J., Dohm, K., Bauer, J., Jamalabadi, H., …  Dannlowski, U. (2023). Negative Stressful Life Events and Social Support Are Associated With White Matter Integrity in Depressed Patients and Healthy Control Participants: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. Biological Psychiatry, 94(8), 650–660. doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.03.022