• 2015 Post-graduate education in psychological psychotherapy (CBT) Zentrum für Psychotherapie der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

• 2014 Master of Science in Psychology at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

  • Topic master’s thesis: "Augmenting therapy effects by physical exercise in Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia patients

• 2012 Master of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University (The Netherlands)

• Topic master’s thesis: "Cortical Principles of Affective Categorization – An fMRI Study Using Emotional Scenes"

• 2010 Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Maastricht University (The Netherlands)

  • Topic bachelor’s thesis: "Virtual Reality: Comparing Stroke- and TMS-induced Lesions. The Case of Unilateral Neglect"

Scientific career

since 2017 PhD candidate

Freie Universität Berlin, Division of Clinical Psychological Intervention, Project: "Psychoneuroendocrinological changes in the course of psychological interventions “

2012 - 2014 Student research assistant

Charité Universitätsmedizin Campus Mitte, Project: fMRI study regarding learning behavior and relapse prevention in alcohol addiction

2012 Project participation

Affective Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory University of California, Berkeley, USA, Project: fMRI study investigating cortical categorization mechanisms of affective stimuli

2011 Student research assistant

Maastricht University (The Netherlands), Project: Cortical categorization of face stimuli within the Fusiform Face Area (FFA)

2009 Student research assistant

Maastricht University (The Netherlands), Project: EEG-Study investigating face recognition in FFA

Information on Mr. Laufer's research can be found here.

Peer-reviewed articles

2019

Engel, S., Klusmann, H., Laufer, S., Pfeifer, A., Ditzen, B., van Zuiden, M., Knaevelsrud, C. & Schumacher, S. (2019). Trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder and oxytocin: A meta-analytic investigation of endogenous concentrations and receptor genotype. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 107, 560-601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.003

Engel, S., Laufer, S., Knaevelsrud, C., & Schumacher, S. (2019). The endogenous oxytocin system in depressive disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 101, 138-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.011

Engel, S., Laufer, S., Miller, R., Niemeyer, H. Knaevelsrud, C. & Schumacher, S. (2019). Demographic, sampling- and assay-related confounders of endogenous oxytocin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 54, 100775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100775

Schumacher, S.*, Niemeyer, H.*, Engel, S., Cwik, J.C., Laufer, S., Klusmann, H. & Knaevelsrud, C. (2019). HPA axis regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis focusing on potential moderators. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 100, 35-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.02.005
* shared first authorship

2018

Laufer, S., Engel, S., Knaevelsrud, C., & Schumacher, S. (2018). Cortisol and alpha-amylase assessment in psychotherapeutic intervention studies: A systematic review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 95, 235-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.023