Carina Zoellner, M.Sc.

RUB
FOR2812
People
Carina Zoellner, M.Sc.

carina.zoellner@rub.de +49(0)234-3224631

Ruhr University Bochum
IB 6/177

I started to work in science 2015 during my bachelor's, and got especially interested in neuroscience, helping out in multiple fMRI studies. The functionality of the human memory system was the focus of both my theses, and I am very happy to keep investigating the way memory is represented in the brain.

2025

A Toaster in the Bathroom: Neural Correlates of Semantic Construction During Episodic Memory Recall
Zoellner, C., Heinen, R., Klein, N., Herweg, N. A., Merz, C. J., & Wolf, O. T.
Human Brain Mapping, 46(16)

@article{ZoellnerHeinenKleinEtAl2025, author = {Zoellner, Carina and Heinen, Rebekka and Klein, Nicole and Herweg, Nora A. and Merz, Christian J. and Wolf, Oliver T.}, title = {A Toaster in the Bathroom: Neural Correlates of Semantic Construction During Episodic Memory Recall}, journal = {Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {46}, number = {16}, month = {October}, year = {2025}, doi = {10.1002/hbm.70389}, }

Zoellner, C., Heinen, R., Klein, N., Herweg, N. A., Merz, C. J., & Wolf, O. T.. (2025). A Toaster in the Bathroom: Neural Correlates of Semantic Construction During Episodic Memory Recall. Human Brain Mapping, 46(16). http://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.70389
Cortisol modulates hippocampus activation during semantic substitution in men
Klein, N., Zöllner, C., Otto, T., Wolf, O. T., & Merz, C. J.
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 219, 108049

Cortisol modulates hippocampus activation during semantic substitution in men

@article{KleinZöllnerOttoEtAl2025, author = {Klein, Nicole and Zöllner, Carina and Otto, Tobias and Wolf, Oliver Tobias and Merz, Christian Josef}, title = {Cortisol modulates hippocampus activation during semantic substitution in men}, journal = {Neurobiology of Learning and Memory}, volume = {219}, pages = {108049}, month = {May}, year = {2025}, doi = {10.1016/j.nlm.2025.108049}, }

Klein, N., Zöllner, C., Otto, T., Wolf, O. T., & Merz, C. J. (2025). Cortisol modulates hippocampus activation during semantic substitution in men. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 219, 108049. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2025.108049
Encoding of semantic structure shapes temporal order memory for visual object stimuli
Soldan, H. D., Zoellner, C., Herweg, N. A., Genc, N., Wolf, O. T., & Merz, C. J.

@article{SoldanZoellnerHerwegEtAl2025, author = {Soldan, Henry David and Zoellner, Carina and Herweg, Nora Alicia and Genc, Nurten and Wolf, Oliver Tobias and Merz, Christian Josef}, title = {Encoding of semantic structure shapes temporal order memory for visual object stimuli}, month = {May}, year = {2025}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-6595825/v1}, }

Soldan, H. D., Zoellner, C., Herweg, N. A., Genc, N., Wolf, O. T., & Merz, C. J. (2025). Encoding of semantic structure shapes temporal order memory for visual object stimuli. http://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6595825/v1

2024

Prior exposure to a sensorimotor game in virtual reality does not enhance stress reactivity toward the OpenTSST VR
Pfeifer, L. S., Zoellner, C., Wolf, O. T., Domes, G., & Merz, C. J.
Stress, 27(1)

@article{PfeiferZoellnerWolfEtAl2024, author = {Pfeifer, Lena Sophie and Zoellner, Carina and Wolf, Oliver T. and Domes, Gregor and Merz, Christian J.}, title = {Prior exposure to a sensorimotor game in virtual reality does not enhance stress reactivity toward the OpenTSST VR}, journal = {Stress}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, month = {July }, year = {2024}, doi = {10.1080/10253890.2024.2361237}, }

Pfeifer, L. S., Zoellner, C., Wolf, O. T., Domes, G., & Merz, C. J. (2024). Prior exposure to a sensorimotor game in virtual reality does not enhance stress reactivity toward the OpenTSST VR. Stress, 27(1). http://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2024.2361237
- The influence of cortisol on the balance between episodic memory and semantic information
Klein, N., Zoellner, C., Merz, C. J., Otto, T., & Wolf, O. T.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 160, 106835

@article{KleinZoellnerMerzEtAl2024, author = {Klein, Nicole and Zoellner, Carina and Merz, Christian J. and Otto, Tobias and Wolf, Oliver T.}, title = {- The influence of cortisol on the balance between episodic memory and semantic information}, journal = {Psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {160}, pages = {106835}, month = {February}, year = {2024}, doi = {10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106835}, }

Klein, N., Zoellner, C., Merz, C. J., Otto, T., & Wolf, O. T.. (2024). - The influence of cortisol on the balance between episodic memory and semantic information. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 160, 106835. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106835

2022

Where was the toaster? A systematic investigation of semantic construction in a new virtual episodic memory paradigm
Zoellner, C., Klein, N., Cheng, S., Schubotz, R. I., Axmacher, N., & Wolf, O. T.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 174702182211166

@article{ZoellnerKleinChengEtAl2022, author = {Zoellner, Carina and Klein, Nicole and Cheng, Sen and Schubotz, Ricarda I and Axmacher, Nikolai and Wolf, Oliver T}, title = {Where was the toaster? A systematic investigation of semantic construction in a new virtual episodic memory paradigm}, journal = {Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology}, pages = {174702182211166}, month = {September}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.1177/17470218221116610}, }

Zoellner, C., Klein, N., Cheng, S., Schubotz, R. I., Axmacher, N., & Wolf, O. T.. (2022). Where was the toaster? A systematic investigation of semantic construction in a new virtual episodic memory paradigm. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 174702182211166. http://doi.org/10.1177/17470218221116610
A Model of Semantic Completion in Generative Episodic Memory
Fayyaz, Z., Altamimi, A., Zoellner, C., Klein, N., Wolf, O. T., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L.
Neural Computation, 34(9), 1841–1870

A Model of Semantic Completion in Generative Episodic Memory

@article{FayyazAltamimiZoellnerEtAl2022, author = {Fayyaz, Zahra and Altamimi, Aya and Zoellner, Carina and Klein, Nicole and Wolf, Oliver T. and Cheng, Sen and Wiskott, Laurenz}, title = {A Model of Semantic Completion in Generative Episodic Memory}, journal = {Neural Computation}, volume = {34}, number = {9}, pages = {1841–1870}, month = {August}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.1162/neco_a_01520}, }

Fayyaz, Z., Altamimi, A., Zoellner, C., Klein, N., Wolf, O. T., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L.. (2022). A Model of Semantic Completion in Generative Episodic Memory. Neural Computation, 34(9), 1841–1870. http://doi.org/10.1162/neco_a_01520

About the research unit

The research unit FOR 2812 "Constructing scenarios of the past: A new framework in episodic memory" is a project funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). The research unit studies the cognitive and neuronal mechanisms underlying scenario construction in episodic memory. We employ and integrate approaches from Philosophy, Psychology, and Experimental and Computational Neuroscience.

Contact

Universitätsstr. 150,
44801 Bochum, Germany

Tel: +49 (0)234 32 27996
Fax: +49 (0)234 32 14210