This interview is with International Journal of Tryptophan Research editorial board member Dr Martin Reuter. International Journal of Tryptophan Research is an open access journal published by Libertas Academica.

Editor in Chief Dr Gilles Guillemin has recently issued a call for papers.

What is the primary focus of your research?

My primary focus of research is on the biological basis of individual differences in behavior - ranging from normal behavior to psychopathology. Thereby I try to combine different research methods: molecular genetics, functional imaging, experimental tests, and self-reports.

What are the most exciting developments arising from current research in your area?

Most people in the population believe that genes refer to somethinc static, inherited by birth that determines your behavior throughout life. However, most of them do not know that our behavior can influence our genes via having an effect on gene expression. Therefore, epigenetics is a field that will bring new insights into the interplay of environment and genes. This means that crucial life events determine whether risk factors for certain traits or diseases become active. New developments in molecular genetics make it possible to investigate epigenetic effects by looking for changes in the methylation of our genes.

Who are your main collaborators? Please describe your work with them.

Oh, there are many. At present I establish a new Center for Neuroeconomics together with colleagues from the medical (Prof. Elger & Dr. Weber) and the economics department at the University of Bonn. Here we try to investigate the neural basis of humnan decision making in economic contexts. Moreover, I cooperate with Prof. Kirsch from the ZI-Mannheim. We are conducting a genetic imaging study investigating the effects of oxytocin on the processing of emotions....there are so many projects - I can not describe all of them.

How did you come to be working in your research area?

I am psychologist. The three main constructs of psychology and therefore for human and animal behavior are cognition, emotion, and motivation. In the past the majority of psychologists have ignored that these three constructs are regulated in the brain. In my eyes it is the greatest adventure to explore the neural and biochemical underpinnings of behavior. I think that it is not satisfactory to just describe behavior or to have skills how to change behavior. The challenge is to understand behavior from the molecule to the overt behavior. Today my main research tool is genetics. As a psychologist I had no training in genetics. I did this autodidactic. My fascination for science was inspired by my former diploma thesis supervisor Prof. Netter.

What do you think about the development of open access publishing? Have you published in an open access journal? What motivated you to do so?

I have just an article under review in an open access journal and I will also choose open access journals in the future. The advantage is that open access journals make science available for all. My motivation to publish in an open access journal increases more and more because some of them have achieved a very good reputation in the scientific field (impact factor).

What articles and/or books have you published recently?

1: The biological basis of anger: associations with the gene coding for DARPP-32 (PPP1R1B) and with amygdala volume. Reuter M, Weber B, Fiebach CJ, Elger C, Montag C. Behav Brain Res. 2009 Sep 14;202(2):179-83. Epub 2009 Apr 1. PMID: 19463699 [PubMed - in process]

2: The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism impacts parahippocampal and amygdala volume in healthy humans: incremental support for a genetic risk factor for depression. Montag C, Weber B, Fliessbach K, Elger C, Reuter M. Psychol Med. 2009 Apr 1:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 19335934 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

3: COMT genetic variation affects fear processing: psychophysiological evidence. Montag C, Buckholtz JW, Hartmann P, Merz M, Burk C, Hennig J, Reuter M. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Aug;122(4):901-9.

4: Genetically determined differences in learning from errors. Klein TA, Neumann J, Reuter M, Hennig J, von Cramon DY, Ullsperger M. Science. 2007 Dec 7;318(5856):1642-5. PMID: 18063800 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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