Dr Georg Northoff

We are very pleased that Dr George Northoff has agreed to be on the Advisory Board of The Neuropsychotherapist.

Georg Northoff, MD, PhD, is EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health and holds a Canada Research Chair for Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).

He completed his initial training in medicine/psychiatry and philosophy in Germany. Dr. Northoff’s previous academic positions included Professorships at the University of Magdeburg, Germany, and Harvard University, U.S.A. With over 100 scientific publications, his current focus is predominantly on the self – having developed the concept of cortical midline structures. Experimental research within his unit focuses on the functional and biochemical mechanisms underlying our sense of self in both healthy subjects and psychiatric patients.

In addition to neuroimaging, he also focuses on neuroethical issues. Early on, he investigated issues related to personal identity in patients with deep brain stimulation and brain tissue transplantation. Another neuroethical focus is on the impact of emotions and empathy in the decision making involved in informed consent, which is of particular relevance regarding psychiatric patients.

Finally, these issues converge nicely with his deep standing interest in the discipline of neurophilosophy. He is considered one of the main founders from the European-continental side, as is illustrated by several papers and books including “Philosophy of the Brain” (2004). His latest book about the self is aimed at a general audience in which he frames the latest neuroscientific results and neurophilosophical reflections into the framework of a mystery novel.

You can find out more about Dr Northoff at www.theroyal.ca/northoff/

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