Bernhard Sabel (1957,

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

) is a German

neuropsychologist Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology focus on how injuries or illnesses of the brai ...

and brain researcher. His more than 40 years of research are documented in over 200 publications, investigating treatment options for

visual impairment Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

s through the activation and rehabilitation of residual vision capabilities. Until September 2023, Sabel headed the Institute of Medical Psychology at

Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg () (Short: ''OVGU'') is a public research university founded in 1993 and is located in Magdeburg, the Capital city of Saxony-Anhalt. The university has about 13,000 students in nine Faculty (division), ...

and now serves as a clinical consultant for the Savir Center in Magdeburg.

Personal life

Bernhard Sabel studied psychology at the

University of Trier The Trier University (), in the German city of Trier, was founded in 1473. Closed in 1798 by order of the then French administration in Trier, the university was re-established in 1970 after a hiatus of some 172 years. The new university camp ...

, the

Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf ( HHU; ), named after German poet Heinrich Heine, is a public university in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which was founded in 1965. It is the successor organization to Düsseldorf's Medical Academy of ...

, and at

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA). In 1984, he earned his doctorate and, following a postdoc at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) in the United States, he became a research fellow at the Institute of Medical Psychology at

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. In 1988, he completed his habilitation under

Ernst Pöppel Ernst Pöppel (born 29 April 1940) is a German psychologist and neuroscientist. He is the father of Dr. David Poeppel. Education and research Pöppel was born in Schwessin, Farther Pomerania. He studied psychology and biology in Freiburg an ...

, and in 1991, he served as a Visiting Neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Since 1992, Sabel held the Chair of Medical Psychology at Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg and retired in September 2023. During this time, he was a visiting professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(USA),

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

(USA), the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

, and

Capital Medical University Capital Medical University (CCMU; ) is a municipal public university in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the City of Beijing, and co-funded by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the National Health Commission, and the Ministry of Educ ...

in Beijing (China). Since 1997, Sabel is the editor of the international scientific journal "Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience" (IOS Press). From 2008 to 2010, he was Vice-President for Research & Technology at Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. In 2019, he was elected Chairman of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV), State Association Saxony-Anhalt. Since 2010, Sabel is a member of the Board of Governors of the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA), and from 2011 to 2023, he served on the board of the "International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation (ISLRR) in various capacities (Exec. Board Member, Secretary, Vice-President), where he was elected in 2023 to be the ISLRR representative at the International Council of Ophthalmology Sabel is married and has three children.

Research achievements

Sabel's research encompasses investigations into brain plasticity and repair, with a specific focus on functional recovery following partial damage to the visual system caused by optic nerve damage,

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a member of a group of genetic disorders called inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) that cause loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visua ...

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred vision, blurred or vision loss, no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no sym ...

, brain injuries,

diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease) is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries and one of the lead causes of sight loss in the wor ...

, or

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. He has published over 250 scientific articles on these topics, many in highly regarded journals. His work has been cited over 13,500 times (H-index 66) and it served as inspiration for a thriller trilogy, for which author Andreas Pflüger received the German Crime Fiction Award in 2018. In 2023, Sabel's investigation into the scope of fake science publishing was recognized by SCIENCE, NATURE and FINANCIAL TIMES.

Research focus

The main areas of focus include the diagnosis and treatment of visually impaired and blind individuals through vision training and non-invasive

electrostimulation Electro-stimulation is stimulation using electricity. It can be used in the context of: * Animal husbandry as part of the artificial insemination Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterin ...

. This stimulates blood circulation in the eye and brain, reactivating inactive ("silent") nerve cells. The result is improved synchronization of brain networks and recovery of visual performance. Specifically, the following topics were emphasized: * Mechanisms of visual plasticity in the

visual cortex The visual cortex of the brain is the area of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information. It is located in the occipital lobe. Sensory input originating from the eyes travels through the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalam ...

. * Predictors of recovery of visual functions. * Development and validation of computer-assisted diagnostic and training procedures for brain-damaged patients. * Development and validation of non-invasive brain stimulation methods using microcurrent treatment and relaxation techniques (eye yoga,

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

) at the SAVIR Center to enhance visual performance after damage to the retina, optic nerve, or brain. Ongoing collaborations with clinical centers in the USA (

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

). A second focus is the investigation of fake publications in science.

Memberships and honors

Memberships

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Psychologie
(DGMP) erman Society for Medical Psychology*

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie The German Society for Psychology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie) is the German national society of psychologists for education and research in psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject mat ...

(DGfP) erman Psychological Society* European Neuroscience Association (ENA) *

International Brain Research Organization The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) is the global federation of neuroscience organizations that aims to promote and support neuroscience around the world. The organization accomplishes this through training, teaching, collaborativ ...

(IBRO) *

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well k ...

(USA)
Deutscher Hochschulverband
(DHV) erman Association of University Professors and Lecturers
International Brain Injury Association
(IBIA)
International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation
(ISLRR)

Awards

* Science Student Competition "JUGEND FORSCHT," Special Prize Rhineland-Palatinate, 1976 * Research Fellow, The Graduate School, Clark University, 1983–1984 * DAAD Fellow, 1982–84 * Fulbright Commission Fellow, 1978–80 * Clark University Exchange Scholar, 1978–80 * Fellowship of the International Society for Eye Research, 1992 * Citation in "Who's Who in the World" 1990–2015 * Citation in "Who's Who in Science and Engineering" 1993–2001 * Maria Saveria Cinquegrani Award from the Innovation Relay Centers (IRC) network of the European Community for the best innovation in Communication and Information Technologies, Florence, 2000 * Leonardo da Vinci Award, The World Organization for the Achievement of Human Potential, Philadelphia, 2005 * Science4life, 10th Business Plan Competition: Frankfurt. 3rd place in the nationwide competition, 2008 * Venture Lounge Berlin; Winner 1st place, 2009 * Award for the most innovative start-up company (flagship of the High-Tech Founders Fund) by the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology Rainer Brüderle (March 2011) * "Hai-ju" Award, Beijing Overseas Talents Program, 2012 * Gusi Peace Prize (Manila, Philippines), 2019

Selected publications

* B.A. Sabel, M.D. Slavin, D.G. Stein: GM1-ganglioside treatment facilitates behavioral recovery from bilateral brain damage. In: Science. Band 225, 1984, S. 340–342, PMID 6740316 * B.A. Sabel, D.G. Stein: ''Pharmacological treatment of central nervous system injury''. In: ''Nature''. Band 323, 1986, S. 340–342, PMID 3762702. * Kasten, E., Wüst, S., Behrens-Baumann, W. and Sabel, B.A. (1998). Computer-based training for the treatment of partial blindness. Nature medicine 4: 1083–1087. doi:10.1038/2079, * D.A. Poggel, E. Kasten, B.A. Sabel: ''Attentional cueing improves vision restoration therapy in patients with visual field loss''. In: ''Neurology''. Band 63, Nr. 11, 2004, S. 2069–2076, PMID 15596752. * B.A. Sabel, P. Henrich-Noack, A. Fedorov, C. Gall: ''Vision restoration after brain and retina damage: The "residual vision activation theory"''. In: ''Progress in Brain Research''. Band 192, 2011, S. 199–262
doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-53355-5.00013-0
* C. Gall, S. Sgorzaly, S. Schmidt, S. Brandt, A. Fedorov, B.A. Sabel,: ''Noninvasive transorbital alternating current stimulation improves subjective visual functioning and vision-related quality of life in optic neuropathy''. In: ''Brain Stimulation''. Band 4, Nr. 4, 2011, S. 175–188
doi:10.1016/j.brs.2011.07.003
* B.A. Sabel, A.B. Fedorov, N. Naue, A. Borrmann, C. Herrmann, C. Gall: ''Non-invasive alternating current stimulation improves vision in optic neuropathy''. In: ''Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience''. Band 29, Nr. 6, 2011, S. 493–505
doi:10.3233/RNN-2011-0624
* Bola, M., Gall, C., Moewes, C., Fedorov, A., Hinrichs, H., Sabel, B.A. (2014). Brain functional connectivity network breakdown and restoration in blindness. Neurology 83 (6): 542-551 doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000672 * M. Bola, B.A. Sabel: ''Dynamic reorganization of brain functional networks during cognition''. In: ''NeuroImage''. Band 114, 2015, S. 398–413
doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.03.057
* Gall, C., Schmidt, S., Schittkowski, M.P., Antal, A., Ambrus, G.G., Paulus, W., Dannhauer, M., Michalik, R., Mante, A., Bola, M., Lux, A., Kropf, S., Brandt, S.A., Sabel, B.A. (2016). Alternating current stimulation for vision restoration after optic nerve damage: a randomized clinical trial. PLoS One 11: e0156134.PMID 27355577 * Wu, Z., Sabel, B.A. Spacetime in the brain: rapid brain network reorganization in visual processing and recovery. ''Sci Rep'' 11, 17940 (2021)
doi:/10.1038/s41598-021-96971-8
(nature.com)
Sabel, B. (2016) Restoring Low Vision, Monograph, 278 pages
(German Translation: “Wieder sehen”, 2018), both published by AMAZON.

References

External links

Publications by Bernhard Sabel at PubMed

Sabel on ResearchGate

Portrait page in the research portal Saxony-Anhalt

Clinical services by Sabel at SAVIR Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabel, Bernhard Living people 1957 births German psychologists University of Trier alumni Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf alumni Clark University alumni