Research/Areas of Interest
Proper development of neurons - and the networks they form - is important for appropriate brain function. Disturbances in maturation cannot always be compensated and play a role in neurological and psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism. Currently, I am exploring postnatal maturation of neuronal networks, effects of disrupting physiological development, and how to reverse those effects. My focus is on interneurons and the role of early-life glutamate signalling in sculpting functional neuronal networks. I am mainly using (combined) electrophysiological and imaging approaches to read out neural function at the cellular and network level in vitro and in vivo. Having access to a wide array of engineered mouse lines enables rigorous probing of our research hypotheses.
Education
- MD, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Dissertation, Neurophysiology, Charité, Berlin, Germany