NEW RTG 2824 PROJECT...
We are happy to welcome Dr. Thomas Frank to our RTG 2824 family with the project RP 11 “Non-invasive analysis of the heart – brain axis using a novel Zebrafish model” as a new Principal Investigator. RP 11 is accepted by the DFG (German Research Foundation) and it's funding will start from 01 April 2025 until 31 March 2028. We are pleased that we can accept more doctoral students into the RTG 2824 and supplement our training program with the zebrafish which is an important model for Heart & Brain research.
Dr. Thomas Frank joined the Multiscale Bioimaging excellence cluster (MBExC) Göttingen in January 2023 and took up a MBExC Junior Research Group for Zebrafish Neurobiology located at the European Neuroscience Institute (ENI) Göttingen.
Summary of our new research project: The intricate interplay between the brain and heart significantly impacts physical and mental well-being. Despite its critical role in emotional regulation, autonomic nervous system balance, and decision-making, the molecular and circuit-level mechanisms underlying heart-to-brain signaling remain incompletely understood. We aim to unravel part of this complex inter-organ signaling using larval zebrafish (ZF) as a model. We will capitalize on this model’s optical transparency, rapid cardiovascular development, and the availability of genetic tools to non-invasively record and manipulate neuronal activity in specific neuronal subsets during ongoing behavior. We will combine large-scale imaging and optogenetic approaches to investigate how sensory vagal ganglia sense and encode cardiac output. A comprehensive exploration of the neuronal responses across the entire larval ZF brain will map the networks responsive to heart rate changes and examine the integration of cardiac information with other sensory modalities. Finally, twophoton laser ablation targeting sensory ganglia of the vagus nerve will assess its causal role in conveying heart output information to the brain. This research, addressing molecular, cellular, and circuit levels, promises insights into the vertebrate heart-brain axis with potential implications for human health and disease.