Katharina Stumpenhorst

Dr. Katharina Stumpenhorst is a neuroscience researcher affiliated with Humboldt University of Berlin, working within Collaborative Research Center 1315 (SFB 1315) focused on Experimental Technologies for Animal Behavior and Training. She collaborates extensively with Prof. York Winter and other researchers on developing innovative behavioral testing methodologies for rodents.

Her research focuses on behavioral neuroscience with specialization in olfactory processing, feeding behavior, and cognitive functions. Key areas include:

• Development of high-throughput home-cage-based behavioral testing systems
• Investigation of neural mechanisms underlying behavioral inhibition and action cancelation
• Analysis of learning set formation and cognitive flexibility in mice
• Exploration of how feeding states modulate olfactory cortex activity

Her publication record shows consistent output in top neuroscience journals with a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated behavioral paradigms. The 2025 Neuron paper represents particularly significant work demonstrating how feeding states affect sensory processing and satiation through cortical mechanisms. Her research bridges technical innovation in behavioral measurement with fundamental neuroscience questions.

Dr. Stumpenhorst has made notable contributions to developing automated systems that reduce experimenter involvement while increasing measurement sensitivity. Her work on the stop signal task reduced training time by 17% while improving baseline inhibition measurements, and her home-cage sorting system prevents cagemate interference during cognitive testing.