European Neuroscience Institute, Freiburg

The Freiburg team consists of a dynamic group of four young neuroscientists and one team leader. With our scientific focus lying on cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal signalling, our main aim is to understand how molecular, synaptic and cellular properties shape the activity of single neurons and neuronal networks in the mature and developing brain. We attempt to attain this understanding on four levels of research: (1) At the developmental level of a functional sensory system using the zebrafish model system (Lecaudey); (2) At the level of single synapses and neurons in vitro and in vivo (Bartos, Ulbrich); (3) at the level of modulation and structural plasticity (Ulbrich, Pruszak); (4) and the level of computational models (Kumar). Our technical expertise is interdisciplinary including neuroanatomy, molecular biology, in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology, confocal microscopy and live cell imaging as well as computational neuroscience.

Research in Freiburg is supported by a well-established neuroscience structure such as the ‘Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience’ (BCCN), the ‘Clinical Neurocenter’, the ‘Center for Biosystems Analysis’ and ‘Center for applied Biosciences’. Furthermore, recently the ‘Faculty of Applied Sciences’ was founded and has established a new institute for ‘Microsystems Technology and Computer Sciences’. Furthermore, all members of the team are either member of the Excellence initiative ‘Brain Links Brain Tools (BLBT)’ (Bartos, Kumar) or ‘Center for biological signalling studies (bioss)’ (Lecaudey, Ulbrich, Bartos, Pruszak). Finally, several members of this team are supported by the ‘Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine’ (Lecaudey, Pruszak, Ulbrich) with Marlene Bartos as vice-director of the school. Thus, the infrastructure and the basic endowment of the University of Freiburg, provides an ideal basis for excellent collaborations in and outside of Freiburg.