Optophysiology Lab

led by Prof. Ilka Diester

Our Research

The ability to move is a fundamental feature of most animals which allows them to actively interact with our environment. We are investigating the underlying neural mechanisms and circuits of this ability. We do so with electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic manipulations combined with behavioral analysis. We look into the local processing of movement preparation and generation in the motor cortex as well as higher order structures, e.g. prefrontal cortex.

The goal is to create a better understanding of how neural subpopulations and pathways within and across brain areas influence motor behavior. In order to address these scientific aims we are constantly working on improving the existing techniques. We currently focus on the design of new optoelectronic probes and targeting strategies. Apart from advancing our basic knowledge about the neural mechanisms of movements, our results might help improving the design of new prosthetic devices and understanding of disorders in which the normal production of movements is disrupted.

Current News

New Article Published in bioRxiv

This study provides mechanistic insights into the interactions between the rostral forelimb area (RFA) and the caudal forelimb area (CFA). Specifically, we provide evidence for a differential impact of RFA on CFA depending on the task phase and the targeted CFA layers.

New Article Published in bioRxiv

Our results resolve long-standing questions about the dynamical structure of cortical activity associated with movement, and illuminate the dynamical perturbation experiments needed to understand how neural circuits throughout the brain generate complex behavior.

Open Positions

IMBIT Opening
Make thinking visible
Research Unit 5159

New work out: It is manifold time!
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35115-6.pdf

It was a pleasure to work with Svenja Melbaum, David Eriksson, Artur Schneider, @DurstewitzLab, @ThomasBrox, and @ilka_diester.
@uni_mainz @UnimedizinMainz @zi_mannheim @BernsteinNeuro
Twitter thread 🧵: [1/9]

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