Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

Wilke, Melanie, Prof. Dr.

Professor of Cognitive Neurology


  • since 2011: Director of the department of Cognitive Neurology and Head of the MR-Research Unit, University Medical Center Göttingen
  • since 2011: Co-Investigator in the "Decision and Awareness" group (DAG) at the German Primate Center (DPZ)
  • 2011-2022: Herman and Lilly Schilling Foundation Professorship (W3)
  • 2008-2010: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Biology, Caltech, Pasadena; Advisor: Prof. R.A. Andersen
  • 2008: Fellows Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research of the National Institutes of Health, USA
  • 2005-2008: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, Bethesda, Advisor: Dr. D.A. Leopold
  • 2001-2005: PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Advisor: Dr. D.A. Leopold
  • 1997-2001: M.A. in Psycholinguistics, Neuropsychology and Neurobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany



Major Research Interests

The long-term goal of our research is to understand how neural activity gives rise to spatial awareness and how distributed information is integrated to guide the selection of movement goals. Furthermore we are dedicated to perform translational research from monkey models of cognitive disorders to human patients. Current research focuses on the question how thalamic nuclei and cortical areas interact during visual perception and decision making. Another line of research is concerned with the neural mechanisms underlying spatial neglect, which is a frequent and severe consequence of brain damage in humans. Specifically, we are investigating pathological and compensatory changes in large-scale brain networks in human stroke patients by means of imaging (DTI, fMRI) and stimulation (tACS, tDCS, TMS) methods. We develop and employ monkey models of spatial neglect to study the underlying neural mechanisms by means of fMRI, electrophysiological recordings, inactivation and stimulation techniques with the goal to develop new therapeutic interventions.



Homepage Department/Research Group
http://www.cognitive-neurology.med.uni-goettingen.de/index.html/



Selected Recent Publications

  • Fixation shifts in a novel “no-report” binocular rivalry paradigm induce saccade-related perceptual switches. Kingir, E, Segawa, R, Hesse, JK, Kagan, I*, Wilke, M*. bioRxiv preprint. 2025. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.09.637085v1
  • Seeing Beyond the Human: Challenges and Advances in Animal Studies of Visual Consciousness. Wilke, M, Kingir, E. Osf preprints. 2025. https://osf.io/preprints/osf/ukmrj_v1
  • Neural and cardiac contributions to perceptual suppression during cycling. Bhonsle, A, Wilke, M. Authorea preprint. 2025. https://www.authorea.com/users/884835/rticles/1263129-neural-and-cardiac-contributions-to-perceptual-suppression-during-cycling
  • Neural correlates of sensorimotor prediction error. Mahdavi, S, Lindner, A*, Schmidt-Samoa, C, Müsch, A, Dechent, P, Wilke, M* (2024). NeuroImage. 120927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120927
  • Effective connectivity and spatial selectivity-dependent fMRI changes elicited by microstimulation of pulvinar and LIP. Kagan, I, Gibson, L, Spanou, E, & Wilke, M (2021). NeuroImage, 240, 118283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118283
  • Aberrant functional connectivity of resting state networks related to misperceptions and intra-individual variability in Parkinson’s disease. Miloserdov, K, Schmidt-Samoa, C, et int., Kagan, I, et int. & Wilke, M (2020). NeuroImage: Clinical, 25, 102076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102076
  • Reach and grasp deficits following damage to the dorsal pulvinar. Wilke, M, Schneider, L, et int., Scherberger, H, Kagan, I, & Bähr, M (2018). Cortex, 99, 135-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2017.11.018
  • Consciousness regained: disentangling mechanisms, brain systems, and behavioral responses. Storm, F, Boly, M, Casali, M, Massimini, M, Olcese, U, Pennartz, CMA, & Wilke, M (2017). Journal of Neuroscience, 37(45), 10882-10893. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1838-17.2017
  • Electrical microstimulation of the pulvinar biases saccade choices and reaction times in a time-dependent manner. Domínguez-Vargas, AU, Schneider, L, Wilke, M*, & Kagan, I (2017). Journal of Neuroscience, 37(8), 2234-2257. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2801-16.2017
  • Transcranial alternating current stimulation modulates spontaneous low frequency fluctuations as measured with fMRI. Cabral-Calderin, Y, Williams, K, Dechent, P, Opitz, A, & Wilke, M (2016). NeuroImage, 141, 88-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.026
  • Functional imaging reveals rapid reorganization of cortical activity after parietal inactivation in monkeys. Wilke, M*, Kagan, I*, & Andersen, RA (2012). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109, 8274-8279 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1119597109
  • Pulvinar inactivation disrupts selection of movement plans. Wilke, M, Turchi, J, Smith, K, Mishkin, M, & Leopold, DA (2010). Journal of Neuroscience, 30, 8650-8659. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6260-09.2010
  • Visibility related modulation of neural responses in visual thalamic nuclei. Wilke, M, Mueller, K-M, & Leopold, DA (2009). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(23), 9465-9470. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0900714106