Jessica Peter

Dr. Jessica Peter is an Associate Professor at the University of Bern's Medical Faculty, where she serves as Head of Research at the University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. Her academic journey includes positions as Group Leader and Senior Researcher at the same institution since 2018, following postdoctoral work at the University Medical Center Freiburg.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Psychology from the University of Freiburg (2011-2014) and a Diploma in Psychology from the University of Bamberg (2006-2011). She completed her habilitation at the University of Bern in 2019.

Dr. Peter's research focuses on cognitive functions in aging, with particular emphasis on memory processes in both healthy adults and clinical populations. Her work integrates multiple methodologies including non-invasive brain stimulation (particularly transcranial direct current stimulation), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), quantitative MRI, real-time fMRI neurofeedback, and blood-based biomarker analysis. Her research group actively investigates how cognitive training and brain stimulation techniques can mitigate age-related cognitive decline and symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on prospective memory in aging populations, the application of brain stimulation techniques to enhance cognitive performance in older adults, and the development of diagnostic tools for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Her work frequently examines how demographic factors like sex, age, and education moderate responses to cognitive interventions.

• COMET career funding for female scientists (2019)
• Winner of Outstanding Scientific Work Award (2015)
• Winner of Outstanding Lectures Award (2012, shared with three colleagues)

Dr. Peter leads a research team comprising several PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, and has successfully secured substantial funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, Empiris Foundation, and other prestigious sources. Her current projects include investigating the role of the prefrontal cortex in remembering and forgetting (SNSF grant 218252), metabolic phenotypes in Huntington's disease (SNSF grant 215269), and cognitive training interventions for Alzheimer's disease. Her research group also contributes to clinical neuroscience initiatives through service on executive committees and graduate school expert panels.

Her laboratory employs advanced neuroimaging techniques at ultra-high field strengths (7T MRI) to investigate brain metabolism, neurotransmitter systems, and structural changes associated with aging and neurodegenerative conditions. The group maintains strong collaborations with Amsterdam UMC for blood-based biomarker analysis and with various clinical departments for patient recruitment and assessment.