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Group Leader

Mobirise

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Albrecht Stroh

Head of Research Group “Molecular Imaging and Optogenetics”  
Head of the “Mainz Animal Imaging Center (MAIC)"
Speaker, Initative for Systems Analysis in Neuroscience (ISyN)

Institute of Pathophysiology
University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz
Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 19, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 06131 39-21347
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: albrecht.stroh@unimedizin-mainz.de;

&

Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR) gGmbH
Wallstrasse 7
55122 Mainz, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)6131 89448-77
E-Mail:  albrecht.stroh@lir-mainz.de

Curriculum Vitae

Staff

Mobirise

Roberta Guimaraes Backhaus, PhD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131 39-21386
E-Mail: roberta.guimaraes-backhaus@lir-mainz.de

Lab Manager

Education
Doctorate in Biophysics/Neurosciences, Neurogenesis Laboratory and Neurochemistry Laboratory Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Master degree in Biophysics/Neuroscience, Neurogenesis Laboratory, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 
 Bachelor degree in Biomedicine - Biomedical Centro Universitário Barão de Mauá, CBM, Ribeirao Preto - SP, Brazil  

Mobirise

Dirk Cleppien, PhD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: dirk.cleppien@lir-mainz.de


Head of the MR Unit of the  “Mainz Animal Imaging Center (MAIC)”

Education
Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D.) in Physics at the University of Mainz.
Diploma in Physics at the University of Mainz.

Former scientific positions
RG Translational Imaging, Department of NeuroImaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
Brain Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
RG Medical Physics, Department of Radiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz

Scientific Interests
For brain research magnetic resonance tomography is one of the promising techniques investigating the influence of a cellular network to macroscale. For this, multimodal experimental setups have to be conducted. My research focus is to combine methods of magnetic resonance with other promising techniques like laser spectroscopy creating new insights into the living brain.

Mobirise

Hendrik Backhaus, PhD student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: hendrik.backhaus@lir-mainz.de

Head of the 2-Photon Microscopy Unit of the "Mainz Animal Imaging Center (MAIC)"

Education 
Applied Physics (MSc), Hochschule RheinMain 
Physikalische Technik (BSc), Hochschule RheinMain

Research interests
My main research interest is to determine the impact of distinct cortical processing to individual behavior by combining optical/optogenetic approaches, mainly two-photon and high-speed calcium imaging, with virtual reality systems.
With a background in applied physics I especially focus on the development of new technological methods to achieve promising approaches to unravel the different underlying processes in the brain. 

Post Docs

Mobirise

Felipe Aedo Jury, PhD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: felipeaedo@uni-mainz.de

Education
PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience – Université Lille2, France.
Bachelor in Biology – Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Scientific Interests
The brain is constantly acquiring new information from the environment. This information is often integrated, stored and used to modulated further behavior. I am interested in how information is acquired by the brain and modulated under different conditions in order to govern future behavior. Particularly, my research topics are related in how different brain states modulate communication across distant brain regions in health and disease. To this aim, I use opto-fMRI as experimental tools. These techniques allows to record/stimulate local population neural activity at the same time than the general brain state can be monitored through fMRI, leading to a better understanding in how changes in local neuronal population can affect distant areas of the brain.

Current Projects
1.  Causal probing of slow oscillations in rodent models of Alzheimer´s disease: combining optogenetics with multimodal opto-acousto-magnetic imaging.
2. Making extinction last: role of spontaneous activity in a mesoprefrontal circuitry in long-term extinction memory consolidation.
Mobirise

Jan-Michael Döring, MD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131 39-21386

Mobirise

Ting Fu, PhD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: ting.fu@unimedizin-mainz.de

Education
PhD, molecular biology, at Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg. Thesis:    
In vivo  and in vitro studies on the expression and function of TFF peptides in the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. 
Master of Engineering, biomedical engineering, at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg & Fachhochschule Anhalt.  
Bachelor of Engineering, pharmacy engineering, at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China 

Research Interests
Brain state changes along a continuum, the synchronized so called up-down state and desynchronized so called persistent  state are the two predominant identified modes. Slow oscillations on population level in the brain are associated with up- down state transitions in individual cortical neurons.  
The main aim of my study is to investigate how these two brain states impact spontaneous activity in the cortical microcircuit. Furthermore to explore the brain-state dependence of local excitability and connectivity. Fluorometric Ca2+ recordings of neural activity represent a reliable method of recording slow-wave-associated Ca2+ transients. Combined optogenetic stimulation and optical recordings provide an approach to monitor and initiate slow wave activity, a local and specific interrogation of neuronal circuitry. The ability to individually target multiple neurons concurrently with patterned photostimulation is crucial for generating and manipulating natural patterns of activity in vivo. Now by implementing an all-optical-physiology approach, providing simultaneous two-photon imaging and patterned optogenetic stimulation, I can investigate causal features of the generation of slow oscillation-associated Ca2+ waves in the in vivo mouse brain. 
Mobirise

Wei Fan, PhD

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: wei.fan@lir-mainz.de

Education
PhD, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Master’s of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan 
Research assistant, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 
Bachelor’s of Science, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China 

Former scientific positions
Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany 

PhD Students

Mobirise

Saleh Altahini, PhD student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: saleh.altahini@lir-mainz.de



Mobirise

Elena Andres, PhD Student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131 39-21386
E-Mail: elandres@uni-mainz.de

Education
Brain and Behavioral Sciences (M.Sc.), Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Biomedical Sciences (B.Sc.), Philipps University of Marburg

Research Interests
The ability to extinguish fear protects against the development of exaggerated and generalized fears.  The aim of my project is to develop an extinction model in rodents that leads to better understanding of the role played by the dopamine system in memory consolidation after fear reduction. More precisely, I investigate the consolidation-related fMRI signatures and their influence on long-term reduction of fear. Furthermore, I focus on the role of spontaneous neural activity in the IL and its modulation by dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area. 
Mobirise

Merve Ilhan, PhD student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131 39-21386
E-Mail: Merve.Ilhan@lir-mainz.de

Education
I studied psychology at the University of Mainz. For my master thesis I conducted a study on dopaminergic enhancement of extinction memory consolidation at the Neuroimaging Center in Mainz.

Research Interests
Currently I am working on a translational project. I am interested in exploring the neural basis of slow wave resting-state fMRI connectivity networks in humans and their possible linkage to resilience as well as neurodegenerative diseases.
Mobirise

Nicolas Ruffini, PhD student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: nicolas.ruffini@lir-mainz.de

Education
Bioinformatics (M.Sc.), Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz
Biology (B.Sc.), Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz 

Research Interests 

Calcium Imaging Analysis enables researchers to track the activity of hundreds and thousands of neurons within the brains of living animals. However, analyzing this huge amount of data raises some difficulties. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer ITWM, I aim to improve and accelerate the analysis of calcium imaging data, starting with the automatic identification of neurons in the generated image files using deep learning. By optimizing and simplifying the application through user-friendly interfaces of the entire analysis pipeline, the effort and time required for Calcium Imaging Analyses can be drastically reduced and will also be less dependent on personal decisions.

Additionally, I aim to improve and standardize the analysis of calcium imaging data by creating a novel analysis pipeline. This analysis includes creation of networks, showing the activity and connectivity of neurons, heatmaps for the correlation and coverage of peaks between neurons and many other steps.

Both projects are part of the Initiative of System Analysis in Neurosciences ISyN, which aims to enhance and connect the manifold analyses of neurobiological data of different working groups at the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz.
Mobirise

Anna Wierczeiko, PhD student

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21368 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386
E-Mail: Anna Wierczeiko@lir-mainz.de

Education
Bioinformatics (M.Sc.), Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz
Biology (B.Sc.), Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz 

Research Interests

Calcium Imaging Analysis enables researchers to track the activity of hundreds and thousands of neurons within the brains of living animals. However, analyzing this huge amount of data raises some difficulties. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer ITWM, I aim to improve and accelerate the analysis of calcium imaging data, starting with the automatic identification of neurons in the generated image files using deep learning. By optimizing and simplifying the application through user-friendly interfaces of the entire analysis pipeline, the effort and time required for Calcium Imaging Analyses can be drastically reduced and will also be less dependent on personal decisions.

Additionally, I aim to improve and standardize the analysis of calcium imaging data by creating a novel analysis pipeline. This analysis includes creation of networks, showing the activity and connectivity of neurons, heatmaps for the correlation and coverage of peaks between neurons and many other steps.

Both projects are part of the Initiative of System Analysis in Neurosciences ISyN, which aims to enhance and connect the manifold analyses of neurobiological data of different working groups at the Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz.

Bachelor- / Masterstudents

Biological Technical Assistant (BTA)

Mobirise

Nuse Afahaene

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351
FAX: +49 (0) 6131 39-21386
E-Mail: nuse.afahaene@lir-mainz.de

Research Assistant

Mobirise

Katja Rohde

Tel.: +49 (0) 6131-39-21351 
FAX: +49 (0) 6131-39-21386

Alumni

Eduardo Rosales, PhD

Hirofumi Watari, PhD

Andrea Kronfeld

Gautam Pramanik, PhD Student 

Miriam Schwalm PhD

Georg Passhuber, PhD

Isabelle Arnoux, PhD

Michaela Moisch

Nico Bürger

Consuelo Fois

Pierre-Hugues Prouvot

Paul Kaplick