Dr Anne Petzold receives the Du Bois-Reymond Prize

Dr Petzold’s research investigates how internal physiological states shape the activity of neural networks and behaviour. Her studies revealed how the brain evaluates competing needs - including hunger, thirst and social interaction - and prioritises them according to the current physiological state and available opportunities. Using preclinical animal models, she combines cutting-edge in vivo imaging with functional analyses of neural circuits and behaviour. This approach has enabled her to establish causal links between hormones such as leptin, hypothalamic networks and the flexible selection of behavioural responses. The award-winning studies were supported by the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Centre 1451 and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence. Her findings move the field beyond classical, static concepts of homeostasis towards a dynamic, state-dependent framework, opening new perspectives on the neural mechanisms underlying metabolic and psychiatric disorders.

The German Physiological Society presents the Du Bois-Reymond Prize annually to an outstanding early-career scientist. The prize recognises an independent and exceptional body of research in a current field of physiology and is funded by the Erwin Riesch Foundation.