Overview
Research focus
- Cognitive aging, cognitive health, and dementia
- Risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia
- Lifestyle interventions for brain health
- Social relationships and health
- Assessment of cognitive abilities
Current projects
- Regional Implementation of a Program to Promote Brain Health (since 2024)
- Identifying disease-moderating factors: a longitudinal study over up to 8 years (since 2024)
Memberships and functions
- Associate Editor of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Member of the German Psychological Society (DGPs)
- Member of the German Network for Health Services Research (DNVF)
- Member of the Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART)
Curriculum Vitae
| Professional experience | |
|---|---|
| Since 2022 | Postdoctoral researcher in the Interventional Health Care Research Group, Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) |
| 2020 – 2022 | Scientific advisor (Methodology), Federal Institute for Quality and Transparency in Health Care (IQTIG) |
| 2019 – 2020 | Analyst at a German-American research & analytics company |
| 2017 – 2019 | Scientist in the PROCOME research group, Karolinska Institute Stockholm |
| 2014 – 2019 | Doctoral student and lecturer in the Personality and Diagnostics Working Group, Philipps University Marburg |
| 2013 | Visiting researcher in the Cognitive Psychology Working Group, Université de Montréal |
| 2012 | Visiting researcher in the Cognitive Psychology Working Group, Ghent University |
| Academic education | |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat., “summa cum laude”) in Psychological Diagnostics and Psychometrics, Department of Psychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Supervision: Prof. Lothar Schmidt-Atzert |
| 2014 | Master of Science in Psychology (“with distinction”), RWTH Aachen |
Prizes & Awards
| Prizes and awards | |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Best Paper Award for „What influences life expectancy in dementia? Social support as an emerging protective factor” (Breuer Foundation, 2024) |
| 2024 | Early Career Research Award (Alzheimer Research Initiative) |
| 2023 | Admission to Excellence in Science-Program (DZNE) |
| 2018 – 2019 | PhD scholarship (Marburg University Research Academy) |
| 2015 | Awarded the Springorum Commemorative Medal (top 10% of students, RWTH Aachen University) |
| 2014 | IDEA League scholarship (RWTH Aachen & ETH Zurich) |
Key Publications
- Blotenberg, I., Boekholt, M., Michalowsky, B., Platen, M., Rodriguez, F., Teipel, S., Hoffmann, W., & Thyrian, J.R. (2024). What influences life expectancy in people with dementia? Social support as an emerging protective factor. Age and Ageing, 53, afae044 (online first). doi: 10.1093/ageing/afae044
It was shown for the first time that support from the social environment influences the life expectancy of people with dementia – beyond clinical factors.
- Blotenberg, I., Hoffmann, W., & Thyrian, J.R. (2023). Dementia in Germany: epidemiology and prevention potential. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. 120, 470-476. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2023.0100
With the consistent implementation of prevention measures, a significant reduction in the number of dementia cases in Germany would be possible.
- Blotenberg, I., & Schmidt-Atzert, L. (2019). Towards a process model of sustained attention tests. Journal of Intelligence, 7, 3. doi: 10.3390/jintelligence7010003
Based on theoretical assumptions, a model of the cognitive processes involved in concentration tests was proposed and experimentally validated.
- Michalowsky, B., Blotenberg, I., Platen, M., Teipel, S., Kilimann, I., Portocolone, E., … & Hoffmann, W. (2024). Long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of collaborative dementia care: A post-hoc analysis of a general practitioner-based randomized controlled trial. JAMA Network Open, 7, e2419282. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19282
Collaborative Dementia Care Management improved patient-, caregiver-, and health system-related outcomes over a three-year period.
- Zülke, A., Pabst, A., Luppa, M., Roehr, S., Seidling, H., Oey, A., Cardona, M.I., Blotenberg, I., … & Riedel‐Heller, S. G. (2024). A multidomain intervention against cognitive decline in an at‐risk‐population in Germany: Results from the cluster‐randomized AgeWell. de trial. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 20, 615-628. doi: 10.1002/alz.13486
A multi-site German multimodal dementia prevention study showed no positive effects on cognition, but did show improvements in quality of life in the intervention group.
All Publications
