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Hi! I would like to give you a brief introduction into what we do in the laboratory.
We are absolutely fascinated with the brain and the complexity of the brain, with its eighty billion neurons and its intricate connectivity.
We are trying to study the brain at several different levels
ranging from the study of single neurons and its input/output properties to the study of
circuits, where several neurons are aggregated into recurrent motives.
Secondly, we are interested in mechanisms of CNS disorders, and we are absolutely
convinced that CNS disorders can only be understood at the circuit level
So we are applying all these techniques the study of epilepsy, one of the most common CNS disorders.
We've assembled a great team
to address these questions at all these levels, so I would like to take you on a tour through the lab.
My area of interest is in
investigating how neurons
transform synaptic input into an appropriate
output and more specifically into how their dendrites, their side of input actually act as
Computational units. To tackle these questions, we use some sophisticated
electrophysiological and imaging techniques that employ two-photon pulsed lasers.
We firstly patch onto cells, fill the cells with a fluorescent Dye, and then we can actually stimulate
individual synapses using two photon uncaging of glutamate.
In our lab, we're interested in how the Hippocampus computes information.
Therefore, we investigate networks
And network patterns in vivo. To do so, we perform two photon calcium imaging in neuronal samples
This allows us to gain deeper insights how different states of brain activity are correlated to behavior
Having all these different techniques in mind which we perform here in the lab, one can think of an implementation in medical research.
Epilepsy is a severe disorder
which finally causes seizures in patients. It is our interest to
Investigate these seizures on a network level and for this purpose, we are using
electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches
We can investigate
how different antiepileptic drugs act on a network level in the brain and we want to know
why different antiepileptic drugs work in some patients and why some patients do show a pharmacoresistance.
You