Research Interests

Our main scientific interest is to understand the mechanisms underlying in vivo function of neuronal networks. The major research lines include

  1. characterization of the endogenous brain rhythms,
  2. elucidation of the mechanisms underlying processing of sensory signals as well as
  3. processes contributing to aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Techniques

Cellular activity is often associated with an increase in the intracellular calcium concentration. We use this property of neuronal and glial cells for monitoring their function by means of two-photon calcium imaging. In combination with state-of-the art electrophysiological, optical and molecular biological techniques (multi-color two-photon microscopy, expression of genetically-encoded calcium indicators, cell attached and whole-cell patch clamp recordings) this approach allows to study function of multi-cellular networks at single cell or even subcellular resolution.

 

Projects

1) Analyzing morphological and physiological changes in oligodentrocye precursor cells (OPCs) NG2 cells during development and in disease model. 

 This project is funded by the European Union's Framework Program for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 845336, "The role of NG2 cells in the neural network in health and disease", to Friederike Pfeiffer, and is performed in collaboration with the University of Connecticut.

 Corresponding papers:

 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35741083/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34690700/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34073801/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33913208/


2) Mechanisms underlying processing of sensory signals in the olfactory bulb

3) Deciphering the mechanisms governing migration and integration of adult stem cellsUnderstanding microglial function in the aging and diseased brain

4) Understanding the cause of neuronal hyperactivity in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

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