TO TOP


Prof. Dr. Martin Diers

Research Section Clinical and Experimental Behavioral Medicine
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
Faculty of Medicine
LWL University Hospital Bochum
Alexandrinenstrasse 1-3
44791 Bochum

Phone: +49 (0)234 5077-3175
Email: martin.diers@ruhr-uni-bochum.de


Homepage
orcid.org/0000-0002-3257-7299
Prof. Dr. Martin Diers
Prof. Dr. Martin Diers
Research Interests

My scientific interests are the psychobiological mechanisms of chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes as chronic back pain and fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain as phantom limb pain. The research questions are in a variety of areas as physiology of pain and endogenous pain inhibition, attention effects, and the treatment of pain. My treatment approaches are behavioral trainings but also experimental techniques like body illusion. Of interest is the mirror box illusion, the rubber hand illusion or visual real-time-video-feedback. For the implementation of these illusions, virtual reality and augmented reality are used. For the investigation of these phenomenon, behavioral experiments but also techniques as electroencephalography and (functional) magnetic resonance imaging are relevant.

Mosch, B., Hagena, V., Herpertz, S., Ruttorf, M., & Diers, M. (2023). Neural correlates of control over pain in fibromyalgia patients. NeuroImage. Clinical, 37, 103355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103355

Diers, M., Krumm, B., Fuchs, X., Bekrater-Bodmann, R., Milde, C., Trojan, J., Foell, J., Becker, S., Rümenapf, G., & Flor, H. (2022). The Prevalence and Characteristics of Phantom Limb Pain and Non-Painful Phantom Phenomena in a Nationwide Survey of 3,374 Unilateral Limb Amputees. The Journal of Pain, 23(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.09.003

Cordier, L., Ullrich, E. M., Herpertz, S., Zieglgänsberger, W., Trojan, J., & Diers, M. (2021). Differential effects of visually induced analgesia and attention depending on the pain stimulation site. European Journal of Pain (London, England), 25(2), 375–384. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1676

Cordier, L., Fuchs, X., Herpertz, S., Trojan, J., & Diers, M. (2020). Synchronous Stimulation With Light and Heat Induces Body Ownership and Reduces Pain Perception. The Journal of Pain, 21(5-6), 700–707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2019.10.009

Trojan, J., Fuchs, X., Speth, S.‑L., & Diers, M. (2018). The rubber hand illusion induced by visual-thermal stimulation. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 12417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29860-2

Löffler, A., Trojan, J., Zieglgänsberger, W., & Diers, M. (2017). Visually induced analgesia during massage treatment in chronic back pain patients. European Journal of Pain (London, England), 21(10), 1623–1631. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1066

Foell, J., Bekrater-Bodmann, R., Diers, M., & Flor, H. (2014). Mirror therapy for phantom limb pain: Brain changes and the role of body representation. European Journal of Pain (London, England), 18(5), 729–739. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00433.x

Diers, M., Zieglgänsberger, W., Trojan, J., Drevensek, A. M., Erhardt-Raum, G., & Flor, H. (2013). Site-specific visual feedback reduces pain perception. Pain, 154(6), 890–896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2013.02.022 

Flor, H., Diers, M., & Andoh, J. (2013). The neural basis of phantom limb pain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(7), 307–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2013.04.007

Diers, M., Christmann, C., Koeppe, C., Ruf, M., & Flor, H. (2010). Mirrored, imagined and executed movements differentially activate sensorimotor cortex in amputees with and without phantom limb pain. Pain, 149(2), 296–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2010.02.020