The European Research Council (ERC) is providing 2.5 million euros in funding over five years for the HOTHEAD research project led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg at the Central Institute for Mental Health.

For the first time, the interdisciplinary team aims to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms linking high temperatures to aggressive behavior.

To this end, the team is combining, among other things, brain scans, animal models, real-life data from 400 people, and artificial intelligence to identify different response patterns to heat and test digital interventions.

In the long term, the findings will be incorporated into a digital tool designed to support municipalities in planning heat-resilient living environments, with the research results to be made freely available in accordance with the principles of open science. 

Further information can be found in the Press release.