Funding/Support
We are grateful to our funders.
Neuronal diversity in health and disease
Research
People
News
Our main research interest lies in understanding the role of various types of neurons in cortical and subcortical meso- and microcircuits.
Using state-of-art techniques such as Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)-assisted circuit mapping, electrophysiological methods, immunohistochemistry and anatomical
reconstructions we aim to investigate the balance between excitation and inhibition,
and the cause and mechanisms of neuronal hyperexcitability in disease.
Research
Our lab has studied the properties of various types of neurons and synapses in the subiculum, the prefrontal cortex and the lateral habenula.
These diverse brain regions are known to be linked to multiple diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression and temporal lobe epilepsy.
We have focussed on how different populations of neurons communicate with each other, both locally and via long-range connections. By using optogenetics, electrophysiology and anatomical methods we aim to characterize and manipulate specific subpopulations of neurons and their connections to redefine the neuronal wiring diagram.
We have also examined how neurons and synapses are regulated by neuromodulators, and how pharmacological compounds interact with synaptic receptors expressed in subsets of
excitatory and inhibitory neurons.
More recently, we have also started to utilize brain organoids and assembloids to thoroughly characterize the neuronal diversity within organoids at various different time-points.