Research

The human brain is the most complex structure known by men. Many millions of neurons are connected to each other by billions of synapses and transmit information. How are these connections established? And how does the brain decipher the enormous flood of information, thereby generating highly coordinated processes that enable us to think, communicate and act? We study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of communication between brain cells such as neurons and glial cells to approach the answers to these questions.

Functions of Glial Cells

Besides neurons, glial cells are the main constituents of the nervous system. They fulfil manifold functions such as the supply of neurons with nutrients, the regulation of the extracellular ion millieu, the modulation of synaptic transmission and neurovascular coupling. We study interactions between neurons and glial cells such as astrocytes to unravel how glial cells affect neuronal performance. We use calcium and cAMP imaging as well as immunohistology.

Information processing in the olfactory bulb

Odour information is detected by sensory neurons, the olfactory receptor neurons, in tha nasal cavity and transmitted in the form of action potentials into the brain. The first relais station of odour information processing in the brain is the olfactory bulb. Here, odour information is translated into a code of activity and transmitted to the cortex where odour perception takes place. We are interested in the modulatory action of purinergic signalling, i.e. ATP, ADP, adenosine and their respective receptors, on neuronal performance such as excitability and synaptic transmission. We employ patch-clamp recordings and calcium imaging.

Neuroinflammation

In Collaboration with Manuel Friese and Christine Gee (Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg) we investigate how neuroinflammation affects neurons and glial cells in an animal model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelits (EAE). Another disease we are interested in is cerebral malaria, which we study together with Thomas Jacobs (Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg). In particular, we are interested in astrocytes, neuromodulation by adenosine, as well as in cAMP signaling in the context of neuroinflammation. The projects are part of the collaborative research center SFB 1328 "Adenine Nucleotides in Immunity and Inflammation".