Stephanie Kullmann

Current Position:

Professor, University of Tübingen
Deputy head of Metabolic Neuroimaging at the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM)

Stephanie Kullmann – Helmholtz Center Munich
Stephanie Kullmann – University Hospital of Tübingen

Research Interests:

My research interests are focused on neurobiological mechanisms related to obesity and diabetes in humans. I use modern neuroimaging methods, especially functional magnetic resonance imaging, and measures of peripheral metabolism. In particular, I am interested in assessing brain insulin action by means of intranasal insulin application to investigate the metabolic and cognitive consequences of brain insulin resistance.

Current projects:

Impact of High Caloric Diet
Brain Insulin Resistance
Brain Insulin Resistance with Aging

Selected Publications:

Publications (through pubmed)

Mack, I., Kullmann, S., Le Morvan de Sequeira, C., Klos, B., Zipfel, S., Birkenfeld, A., & Erschens, R. (2026). Beyond weight loss: Integrating GLP-1 RA therapies into psychological and behavioral care for obesity and binge eating disorder. Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-026-10047-4T

Wagner, R., Kullmann, S., Hummel, J., Prystupa, K., Hosenfeld, E., Veit, R., Birkenfeld, A. L., Häring, H.-U., Preissl, H., Fritsche, A., Peter, A., & Heni, M. (2026). Postprandial Glucagon Action in the Human Brain. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism.
https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.70801

Hummel, J., Zhao, S., Sobotta, S., Veit, R., Sandforth, L., Birkenfeld, A. L., Fritsche, A., Wagner, R., Peter, A., Preissl, H., Heni, M., & Kullmann, S. (2026). The interplay of central insulin and menstrual cycle on functional brain networks and neural food cue reactivity in women. Communications Biology, 9(1), 76.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09341-9

Kullmann, S., Singh, A., Sehgal, R., Eichelmann, F., Sandforth, L., Wilms, B., Jähnert, M., Peter, A., Meyhöfer, S., Walther, D., Preissl, H., Häring, H.-U., Schulze, M. B., Heni, M., Birkenfeld, A. L., Schürmann, A., & Ouni, M. (2025). Circulating epigenetic signatures classifying brain insulin resistance in humans. Science Translational Medicine, 17(810), eadv7834.
https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adv7834

Zhao, S., Semeia, L., Veit, R., Moser, J., Preissl, H., & Kullmann, S. (2025). Structural and Functional Brain Changes in Children and Adolescents With Obesity. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 26(12), e70001.
https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.70001

Quillian, J., Attuquayefio, T., Sung, J., Canna, A., Ko, T., Davis, X., Maciejewski, K., Li, F., Santoro, N., Pierpont, B., Kullmann, S., Preissl, H., Morys, F., Dagher, A., Caprio, S., & Small, D. M. Neurocognition in youth with versus without prediabetes (2025.06.23.25330130). medRxiv: The Preprint Server for Health Sciences.
https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.23.25330130

Chen, W., Kullmann, S., & Rhea, E. M. (2026). Expanding the understanding of insulin resistance in brain and periphery. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism: TEM, 37(1), 17–30.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2025.04.010

Ester-Nacke, T., Veit, R., Thomanek, J., Book, M., Tamble, L., Beermann, M., Löffler, D., Salvador, R., Ruffini, G., Heni, M., Birkenfeld, A. L., Plewnia, C., Preissl, H., & Kullmann, S. (2025). Repeated net-tDCS of the hypothalamus appetite-control network enhances inhibitory control and decreases sweet food intake in persons with overweight or obesity. Brain Stimulation, 18(3), 863–874.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2025.04.013

Chakravartti, S. P., Jann, K., Veit, R., Liu, H., Yunker, A. G., Angelo, B., Monterosso, J. R., Xiang, A. H., Kullmann, S., & Page, K. A. (2025). Non-caloric sweetener effects on brain appetite regulation in individuals across varying body weights. Nature Metabolism, 7(3), 574–585.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01227-8

Semeia, L., Veit, R., Zhao, S., Luo, S., Angelo, B., Birkenfeld, A. L., Preissl, H., Xiang, A. H., Kullmann, S., & Page, K. A. (2025). Influence of insulin sensitivity on food cue evoked functional brain connectivity in children. NeuroImage, 310, 121154.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121154

Hege MA, Veit R, Krumsiek J, Kullmann S, Heni M, Rogers PJ, Brunstrom JM, Fritsche A, Preissl H. Eating less or more – Mindset induced changes in neural correlates of pre-meal planning. Appetite. 2018 Jun 1;125:492-501.

Kullmann S, Veit R, Peter A, Pohmann R, Scheffler K, Häring HU, Fritsche A, Preissl H, Heni M. Dose dependent effects of intranasal insulin on resting-state brain activity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Oct 31.

Kullmann S, Heni M, Veit R, Scheffler K, Machann J, Häring HU, Fritsche A, Preissl H. Intranasal insulin enhances brain functional connectivity mediating the relationship between adiposity and subjective feeling of hunger, Sci Rep. 2017 May 9;7(1):1627.

Kullmann S, Fritsche A, Wagner R, Schwab S, Häring HU, Preissl H, Heni M. Hypothalamic insulin responsiveness is associated with pancreatic insulin secretion in humans. Physiol Behav. 2017 Mar 24. pii: S0031-9384(16)31226-4.

Heni M, Kullmann S, Ahlqvist E, Wagner R, Machicao F, Staiger H, Häring HU, Almgren P, Groop LC, Small DM, Fritsche A, Preissl H. Interaction between the obesity-risk gene FTO and the dopamine D2 receptor gene ANKK1/TaqIA on insulin sensitivity. Diabetologia. 2016 Dec;59(12):2622-2631.

Kullmann S, Heni M, Hallschmid M, Fritsche A, Preissl H, Häring HU. Brain Insulin Resistance at the Crossroads of Metabolic and Cognitive Disorders in Humans. Physiol Rev. 2016 Oct;96(4):1169-209. Review.

Kullmann S, Callaghan MF, Heni M, Weiskopf N, Scheffler K, Häring HU, Fritsche A, Veit R, Preissl H. Specific white matter tissue microstructure changes associated with obesity. Neuroimage. 2016 Jan 15;125:36-44.