Rainer Spanagel


Rainer Spanagel is a German scientist, born June 24, 1961. He is a professor of psychopharmacology at the Central Institute of Mental Health of Heidelberg University, where he is director of the Institute of Psychopharmacology. His main research interest is drug abuse, especially alcohol dependence. His work has been published in multiple publications across prestigious scientific journals.
Based on preclinical findings, he pursues three objectives along with other faculty at the Central Institute of Mental Health:
1) The development of new behavioral therapies, pharmacological interventions, and neuromodulatory approaches in addicted patients.
2) To clarify the neurobiological long-term consequences of drug abuse and binge drinking in adolescents
3) The identification of risk factors for addictive disorders and development of preventive strategies.
General field of study: Psychopharmacology, Addiction Research, Alcohol Abuse

Education

Spanagel completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at the Universities of Tübingen and Munich and his Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from the Max Planck Institute of Neuropharmacology, working under Prof. . In 1989, he obtained his Diploma in Neuropharmacology from the Max Planck Institute of Neuropharmacology. He followed up with his post-doctoral training with Prof. Wolfgang Forth in the Habilitation, Pharmacology & Toxicology Department at the University of Munich in 1996.

Awards and honors

Spanagel is highly accomplished and has received multiple awards and honors: