Expertise and current research performed: The laboratory of Prof. Luhmann is studying the physiology, plasticity and pathophysiology of the immature cerebral cortex of mice and rats. Different in vitro electrophysiological techniques (16-channel extracellular probes, 60-ch planar electrodes, intracellular microeelctrodes, patch-clamp) in combination with anatomical (intracellular labelling, double-staining, 3D-reconstructions and morphometry) and molecularbiological (single cell rtPCR and electroporation) techniques are used. Recently fast confocal imaging in organotypic and acute cortical slices has been successfully established. The lab is currently studying large-scale network interactions in perinatal mouse cerebral cortex and the formation of early function networks. The role of certain patterns of electrical activity in the expression of early genes and in the induction of apoptosis is investigated in acute and organotypic neocortical slices using PCR, TUNEL, caspase-3 staining etc. After 3 years engineering work, the group succeeded in constructing their own telemetric recording system which is now successfully used to record field potentials from freely moving rats.

Facilities/Equipment: the laboratory is equipped with: 1 confocal setup with Nipkow disk imaging mechanism combined with patch-clamp electrophysiology; 4 in vitro patch-clamp setups with infrared DIC optic and 4 in vitro setups for multi-extracellular recordings; 1 in vivo setup for recording from freely moving rodents in combination with computerized behavioral recording and analysis; histology, molecularbiology and cell culture unit

Personnel involved in the project

Principal investigator: Heiko J. Luhmann (M). PhD, Professor of Physiology, Head of the Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. He has a background in in vivo electrophysiology of cat visual cortex and is currently installing a telemetric system for extracellular recordings from freely moving rats.Past positions: Postdoc at Dept. Neurology Stanford Medical School (1987-1990) and at Univ. Cologne (Germany) (1990-1995), Assistant Professor (C2) Charité Univ. Berlin (1995), Associated Professor (C3) Univ. of Duesseldorf (Germany) (1995-2002), Full Professor Univ. Mainz (Germany) (since 2002). Research interests are: physiology, pathophysiology and plasticity of developing cerebral cortex reactive synaptogenesis in epileptic and postischemic tissue, development of the central nervous systems, neuronal migration modulation and migration defaults. Morphology and cell culture expertises.

Werner Kilb (M). PhD, Reserach assistant at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: inhibition and chloride regulation in developing cerebral cortex. Juergen Bergeler (M). Dr.-Ing. (electronic engineer) Reserach assistant at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: telemetric recording systems for electrophysiological recordings from freely moving rodents. Nicolas Heck (M). Postdoc at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: apoptosis and neuronal migration in developing cerebral cortex of rodents. Antje Golbs (F). PhD student at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: apoptosis and neuronal migration in developing cerebral cortex of rodents. Damien Lapray (M). PhD student at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: electrophysiological and behavioral analyses of freely moving rodents. Therese Riedemann (F). Diploma student at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: electrophysiological analysis of neocortical migrating neurons in vitro. Sabine Rickheim-Lowak (F). Technician at Dept. of Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Mainz. Research interests are: cell culture, molecularbiology

One PhD student will be appointed:

Recent relevant publications/patents

1.        Dupont, E., Hanganu, I.L., Kilb, W., Hirsch, S., Luhmann, H.J. (2005) Rapid developmental switch in the mechanisms driving early cortical columnar networks. Nature (in press).

2.       Reiprich, P., Kilb, W. & Luhmann, H.J. (2005) Neonatal NMDA receptor blockade disturbs neuronal migration in rat somatosensory cortex in vivo. Cerebral Cortex 15: 349-358.

3.        Karl, C., Couillard-Despres, S., Prang, P., Munding, M., Kilb, W., Brigadski, T., Plötz, S., Mages, W., Luhmann, H.J., Winkler, J., Bogdahn, U. & Aigner, L. (2005) Neuronal precursor-specific activity of a human doublecortin regulatory sequence. J. Neurochem. 92: 264-282.

4.        Kilb, W., Hartmann, D., Saftig, P. & Luhmann, H.J. (2004) Altered morphological and electrophysiological properties of Cajal-Retzius cells in cerebral cortex of embryonic Presenilin-1 knockout mice. Eur. J. Neurosci. 20: 2749-2756.

5.        Staiger, J.F., Flagmeyer, I. Schubert, D., Zilles, K., Kötter, R. & Luhmann, H.J. (2004) Functional diversity of layer IV spiny neurons in rat somatosensory cortex: quantitative morphology of electrophysiologically characterized and biocytin labeled cells. Cerebral Cortex 14: 690-701.