Research

Neurodevelopmental epileptogenic lesions

  • Focal cortical malformations or epilepsy associated tumors, such as gangliogliomas.
  • Focal Cortical Dysplasias characterized by defects in cortial organization and architecture, aberrant proliferation and differentiation as well as intractable epilepsy and mental retardation.
  • Gangliogliomas are the most common epilepsy associated tumors in pharmacoresistant patients with focal epilepsies, composed of dysplastic neurons and proliferative, neoplastic glial cells.
  • Use of in-vivo models and human organotypic slice cultures to unravel basic principles of ontology and epileptogenesis as well as development of new treatment concepts.

 

Acquired insult induced epilepsies including limbic encephalitis

  • In many patients with focal epilepsies, the cause of epilepsy is still enigmatic.
  • Limbic encephalitis (LE) has been diagnosed in a significantly increased number of mainly adult patients.
  • LE present frequently with sudden onset of temporal lobe epilepsy accompanied by a serious impairment of their episodic memory.
  • The syndromes are characterized by auto-antibodies against neuronal antigens, onconeural auto-antibodies and anti-GAD65.
  • Analyze the spectrum of auto-antibodies in distinct LE-patient cohorts.
  • Research interests in novel auto-antibodies in LE.
  • Study role of distinct inflammatory components including cytotoxic T-cells.

 

Synapto- and Channelopathies in epileptogenesis and innovative therapeutic strategies

  • Transcriptional channelopathy of T-type Ca2+ channel subunit CaV3.2
  • Identify the molecular signaling cascades involved in CaV3.2 transcriptional regulation.
  • Study the role of zinc for of T-type Ca2+ channelopathies in epilepsy.
  • Understand the role of distinct transcription factors including EGRs, MTFs orchestrating Ca2+ channelopathies in epilepsy
  • Develop new strategies for pharmacological intervention in TLE pathogenesis, including the design of gene/pathway-specific drugs.
  • Apply CRISPRa/i as well as ASOs targeting distinct epileptologenesis-relevant molecules in in-vivo models and human organotypic slice cultures.