Deutsches Schwindel- und Gleichgewichtszentrum
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Multimodale Bildgebung

WII-2

Multimodal imaging of sensorimotor networks

Principle Investigator:

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Peter zu Eulenburg


Current Research Objectives:

  1. Mapping the human vestibular and oculomotor system with state-of-the-art neuroimaging in health and disease
  2. Fully develop deep-learning based videooculography (VOG) and integrate this evolution of VOG into clinical and research applications
  3. Definition and investigation of the cranial microgravity response (CMR) after long-duration spaceflight and develop countermeasures to protect the human head in Space


Publications on vestibular and oculomotor research from the lab:

  1. Ahmadi, S. A., Raiser, T. M., Ruhl, R. M., Flanagin, V. L. & Zu Eulenburg, P. IE-Map: a novel in-vivo atlas and template of the human inner ear. Sci Rep 11, 3293 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41598-021-82716-0
  2. Baier, B. et al. Insular strokes cause no vestibular deficits. Stroke 44, 2604-2606 (2013). https://doi.org:10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.001816
  3. Baier, B. et al. Posterior insular cortex - a site of vestibular-somatosensory interaction? Brain Behav 3, 519-524 (2013). https://doi.org:10.1002/brb3.155
  4. Baier, B. et al. Insula and sensory insular cortex and somatosensory control in patients with insular stroke. Eur J Pain 18, 1385-1393 (2014). https://doi.org:10.1002/j.1532-2149.2014.501.x
  5. Baier, B., zu Eulenburg, P., Glassl, O. & Dieterich, M. Lesions to the posterior insular cortex cause dysarthria. Eur J Neurol 18, 1429-1431 (2011). https://doi.org:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2011.03473.x
  6. Bailey, D. M., Ainslie, P. N., Petersen, L. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Jumping at a chance to control cerebral blood flow in astronauts. Exp Physiol 106, 1407-1409 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1113/EP089648
  7. Becker-Bense, S. et al. Ventral and dorsal streams processing visual motion perception (FDG-PET study). BMC Neurosci 13, 81 (2012). https://doi.org:10.1186/1471-2202-13-81
  8. Bosmans, J. et al. Is vestibular function related to human hippocampal volume? J Vestib Res 34, 3-13 (2024). https://doi.org:10.3233/VES-230076
  9. Conrad, J., Ertl, M., Oltmanns, M. H. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Prediction contribution of the cranial collateral circulation to the clinical and radiological outcome of ischemic stroke. J Neurol 267, 2013-2021 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00415-020-09798-0
  10. Conrad, J. et al. Global multisensory reorganization after vestibular brain stem stroke. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 7, 1788-1801 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1002/acn3.51161
  11. Conrad, J. et al. Structural reorganization of the cerebral cortex after vestibulo-cerebellar stroke. Neuroimage Clin 30, 102603 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102603
  12. Conrad, J. et al. Reorganization of sensory networks after subcortical vestibular infarcts: A longitudinal symptom-related voxel-based morphometry study. Eur J Neurol 29, 1514-1523 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1111/ene.15263
  13. Conrad, J. et al. White matter volume loss drives cortical reshaping after thalamic infarcts. Neuroimage Clin 33, 102953 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102953
  14. Conrad, J. et al. Disability in cerebellar ataxia syndromes is linked to cortical degeneration. J Neurol 270, 5449-5460 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00415-023-11859-z
  15. Ertl, M. et al. The cortical spatiotemporal correlate of otolith stimulation: Vestibular evoked potentials by body translations. Neuroimage 155, 50-59 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.044
  16. Ertl, M., Zu Eulenburg, P., Woller, M. & Dieterich, M. The role of delta and theta oscillations during ego-motion in healthy adult volunteers. Exp Brain Res 239, 1073-1083 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00221-020-06030-3
  17. Ertl, M. et al. Vestibular mapping of the naturalistic head-centered motion spectrum. J Vestib Res 33, 299-312 (2023). https://doi.org:10.3233/VES-210121
  18. Gernert, J. A. et al. Characterization of Peripapillary Hyperreflective Ovoid Mass-like Structures in a Broad Spectrum of Neurologic Disorders. Ophthalmology 132, 590-597 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.ophtha.2024.12.013
  19. Gesierich, B. et al. Alterations and test-retest reliability of functional connectivity network measures in cerebral small vessel disease. Hum Brain Mapp 41, 2629-2641 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1002/hbm.24967
  20. Huber, J., Flanagin, V. L., Popp, P., Zu Eulenburg, P. & Dieterich, M. Network changes in patients with phobic postural vertigo. Brain Behav 10, e01622 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1002/brb3.1622
  21. Huber, J., Ruehl, M., Flanagin, V. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Delineating neural responses and functional connectivity changes during vestibular and nociceptive stimulation reveal the uniqueness of cortical vestibular processing. Brain Struct Funct 227, 779-791 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00429-021-02394-6
  22. Luecke, V. N., Buchwieser, L., Zu Eulenburg, P., Marquardt, T. & Drexl, M. Ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials elicited by air-conducted, low-frequency sound. J Vestib Res 30, 235-247 (2020). https://doi.org:10.3233/VES-200712
  23. Oh, S. Y. et al. Auditory induced vestibular (otolithic) processing revealed by an independent component analysis: an fMRI parametric analysis. J Neurol 264, 23-25 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00415-017-8430-2
  24. Oh, S. Y. et al. Longitudinal multi-modal neuroimaging in opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. J Neurol 264, 512-519 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00415-016-8389-4
  25. Oh, S. Y. et al. Simultaneous recording of cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. Neurology 90, e230-e238 (2018). https://doi.org:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004835
  26. Peschke, T. et al. Assessing Stress Induced by Fluid Shifts and Reduced Cerebral Clearance during Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy under Trendelenburg Positioning (UroTreND Study). Methods Protoc 7 (2024). https://doi.org:10.3390/mps7020031
  27. Popp, P. et al. Cortical alterations in phobic postural vertigo - a multimodal imaging approach. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 5, 717-729 (2018). https://doi.org:10.1002/acn3.570
  28. Raiser, T. M. et al. The human corticocortical vestibular network. Neuroimage 223, 117362 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117362
  29. Ruehl, R. M. et al. The human egomotion network. Neuroimage 264, 119715 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119715
  30. Ruehl, R. M., Hinkel, C., Bauermann, T. & Eulenburg, P. Z. Delineating function and connectivity of optokinetic hubs in the cerebellum and the brainstem. Brain Struct Funct 222, 4163-4185 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00429-017-1461-8
  31. Ruehl, R. M., Hoffstaedter, F., Reid, A., Eickhoff, S. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Functional hierarchy of oculomotor and visual motion subnetworks within the human cortical optokinetic system. Brain Struct Funct 224, 567-582 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00429-018-1788-9
  32. Ruehl, R. M., Ophey, L., Ertl, M. & Zu Eulenburg, P. The cingulate oculomotor cortex. Cortex 138, 341-355 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.017
  33. Ruehl, R. M., Stephan, T., Dieterich, M. & Eulenburg, P. Z. Voxel-based morphometry delineates the role of the cerebellar tonsil in physiological upbeat nystagmus. J Neurol 264, 13-15 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00415-017-8421-3
  34. Ruhl, M., Kimmel, R., Ertl, M., Conrad, J. & Zu Eulenburg, P. In Vivo Localization of the Human Velocity Storage Mechanism and Its Core Cerebellar Networks by Means of Galvanic-Vestibular Afternystagmus and fMRI. Cerebellum 22, 194-205 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1007/s12311-022-01374-8
  35. Ruhl, R. M., Bauermann, T., Dieterich, M. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Functional correlate and delineated connectivity pattern of human motion aftereffect responses substantiate a subjacent visual-vestibular interaction. Neuroimage 174, 22-34 (2018). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.02.057
  36. Schoenmaekers, C. et al. Neural correlates of vestibular adaptation in cosmonauts after long duration spaceflight. NPJ Microgravity 11, 71 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41526-025-00528-2
  37. Yiu, Y. H. et al. DeepVOG: Open-source pupil segmentation and gaze estimation in neuroscience using deep learning. J Neurosci Methods 324, 108307 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.05.016
  38. Zhao, J. et al. 3DeepVOG: An Open-Source Framework for Real-Time, Accurate 3D Gaze Tracking with Deep Learning. Digit Biomark 10, 21-31 (2026). https://doi.org:10.1159/000549948
  39. zu Eulenburg, P., Baumgartner, U., Treede, R. D. & Dieterich, M. Interoceptive and multimodal functions of the operculo-insular cortex: tactile, nociceptive and vestibular representations. Neuroimage 83, 75-86 (2013). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.057
  40. Zu Eulenburg, P. et al. Changes in Blood Biomarkers of Brain Injury and Degeneration Following Long-Duration Spaceflight. JAMA Neurol 78, 1525-1527 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.3589
  41. zu Eulenburg, P., Caspers, S., Roski, C. & Eickhoff, S. B. Meta-analytical definition and functional connectivity of the human vestibular cortex. Neuroimage 60, 162-169 (2012). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.12.032
  42. zu Eulenburg, P., Muller-Forell, W. & Dieterich, M. On the recall of vestibular sensations. Brain Struct Funct 218, 255-267 (2013). https://doi.org:10.1007/s00429-012-0399-0
  43. Zu Eulenburg, P., Ruehl, R. M., Runge, P. & Dieterich, M. Ageing-related changes in the cortical processing of otolith information in humans. Eur J Neurosci 46, 2817-2825 (2017). https://doi.org:10.1111/ejn.13755
  44. zu Eulenburg, P., Stoeter, P. & Dieterich, M. Voxel-based morphometry depicts central compensation after vestibular neuritis. Ann Neurol 68, 241-249 (2010). https://doi.org:10.1002/ana.22063

Publications with regard to Human Spaceflight from the lab:

  1. Tang, G. et al. Longitudinal brain-age predictions comprising long-duration spaceflight missions. NPJ Microgravity 12 (2026). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41526-026-00575-3
  2. Tang, G. et al. Physiological cerebrospinal fluid interactions between brain and eye structures are altered after long-duration spaceflight. Exp Physiol (2026). https://doi.org:10.1113/EP093112
  3. Zu Eulenburg, P., Petersen, L. & Bailey, D. M. Watching the eye with Mars in sight. Exp Physiol (2025). https://doi.org:10.1113/EP092974
  4. Tang, G. et al. MReye-Seg: development and validation of an automated MRI pipeline for standardised ocular and orbital morphometrics. Eye (Lond) 39, 3294-3305 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41433-025-04044-1
  5. Schoenmaekers, C. et al. Neural correlates of vestibular adaptation in cosmonauts after long duration spaceflight. NPJ Microgravity 11, 71 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41526-025-00528-2
  6. Nimpal, M., Winter, P., Schnell, S. & Zu Eulenburg, P. The immediate functional and structural consequences of head-down tilt on the cranial venous vasculature and brain temperature. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab, 271678X251400470 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1177/0271678X251400470
  7. Seidler, R. D., Mao, X. W., Tays, G. D., Wang, T. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Effects of spaceflight on the brain. Lancet Neurol 23, 826-835 (2024). https://doi.org:10.1016/S1474-4422(24)00224-2
  8. Peschke, T. et al. Assessing Stress Induced by Fluid Shifts and Reduced Cerebral Clearance during Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy under Trendelenburg Positioning (UroTreND Study). Methods Protoc 7 (2024). https://doi.org:10.3390/mps7020031
  9. Bosmans, J. et al. Is vestibular function related to human hippocampal volume? J Vestib Res 34, 3-13 (2024). https://doi.org:10.3233/VES-230076
  10. Stern, C., Yucel, Y. H., Zu Eulenburg, P., Pavy-Le Traon, A. & Petersen, L. G. Eye-brain axis in microgravity and its implications for Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome. NPJ Microgravity 9, 56 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41526-023-00300-4
  11. Stahn, A. C. et al. Paving the way to better understand the effects of prolonged spaceflight on operational performance and its neural bases. NPJ Microgravity 9, 59 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1038/s41526-023-00295-y
  12. Jillings, S. et al. Prolonged microgravity induces reversible and persistent changes on human cerebral connectivity. Commun Biol 6, 46 (2023). https://doi.org:10.1038/s42003-022-04382-w
  13. Zu Eulenburg, P. Blood Biomarkers May Have Found a New Frontier in Spaceflight-Reply. JAMA Neurol 79, 632-633 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0673
  14. Seidler, R. D. et al. Future research directions to identify risks and mitigation strategies for neurostructural, ocular, and behavioral changes induced by human spaceflight: A NASA-ESA expert group consensus report. Front Neural Circuits 16, 876789 (2022). https://doi.org:10.3389/fncir.2022.876789
  15. Ruehl, R. M. et al. The human egomotion network. Neuroimage 264, 119715 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119715
  16. Doroshin, A. et al. Brain Connectometry Changes in Space Travelers After Long-Duration Spaceflight. Front Neural Circuits 16, 815838 (2022). https://doi.org:10.3389/fncir.2022.815838
  17. Conrad, J. et al. White matter volume loss drives cortical reshaping after thalamic infarcts. Neuroimage Clin 33, 102953 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102953
  18. Barisano, G. et al. The effect of prolonged spaceflight on cerebrospinal fluid and perivascular spaces of astronauts and cosmonauts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119, e2120439119 (2022). https://doi.org:10.1073/pnas.2120439119
  19. Zu Eulenburg, P. et al. Changes in Blood Biomarkers of Brain Injury and Degeneration Following Long-Duration Spaceflight. JAMA Neurol 78, 1525-1527 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.3589
  20. Zu Eulenburg, P. et al. Changes in Blood Biomarkers of Brain Injury and Degeneration Following Long-Duration Spaceflight. JAMA Neurol. 78, 1525-1527 (2021).
  21. Bailey, D. M., Ainslie, P. N., Petersen, L. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Jumping at a chance to control cerebral blood flow in astronauts. Exp Physiol 106, 1407-1409 (2021). https://doi.org:10.1113/EP089648
  22. Wostyn, P. et al. The Possible Role of Elastic Properties of the Brain and Optic Nerve Sheath in the Development of Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 41, E14-E15 (2020). https://doi.org:10.3174/ajnr.A6430
  23. Jillings, S. et al. Macro- and microstructural changes in cosmonauts' brains after long-duration spaceflight. Sci Adv 6 (2020). https://doi.org:10.1126/sciadv.aaz9488
  24. Zu Eulenburg, P., Van Ombergen, A., Tomilovskaya, E. & Wuyts, F. L. Reply to Ludwig et al.: A potential mechanism for intracranial cerebrospinal fluid accumulation during long-duration spaceflight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116, 20265-20266 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1073/pnas.1913041116
  25. Van Ombergen, A., Jillings, S., Tomilovskaya, E., Wuyts, F. L. & Zu Eulenburg, P. Reply to Wostyn et al.: Investigating the spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome and the human brain in lockstep. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116, 15772-15773 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1073/pnas.1909828116
  26. Van Ombergen, A. et al. Brain ventricular volume changes induced by long-duration spaceflight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116, 10531-10536 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1073/pnas.1820354116
  27. Van Ombergen, A. et al. Brain Tissue-Volume Changes in Cosmonauts. N Engl J Med 379, 1678-1680 (2018). https://doi.org:10.1056/NEJMc1809011


Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=yAx5MsgAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao

Orcid researcher ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3729-4570

Membership:


Team:

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Peter zu Eulenburg

  • PD Dr. med. Maxine Ria Rühl

  • Dr. med. Franziska Thiessen
  • Ge Tang
  • Vinciane Allicar
  • Katrin Wientzek
  • Mehul Nimpal
  • Jaden Mann Bryant

  • Ananya Ananth Rao

  • Theresa Velten
  • Marina Gripshi