Thomas G. Oertner

Curriculum vitae

1987: Abitur at the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Gymnasium, Konstanz
1996: Diploma in Biology at the Albert Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg
1992-93: Year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland

1997-99: PhD thesis in Alexander Borst's lab at the Friedrich-Miescher-Laboratory in Tübingen (Max Planck Society). I investigated calcium signaling in visual interneurons of the blowfly and in  isolated neurons of the locust. To see a movie of a spreading calcium signal in a fly VS-cell, click here. During my PhD, I was a member of the "Graduiertenkolleg Neurobiologie Tübingen".

2000-03: Postdoc in Karel Svoboda's lab in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. To investigate release probabilities and response amplitudes at single synapses, I measured postsynaptic calcium transients in single spines by two-photon laser-scanning microscopy. Experience the beautiful spatial and temporal resolution of this technique in a movie of postsynaptic calcium signals. This project was supported by the Swartz Foundation. Historic pictures of the Cold Spring Harbor Climbing Club have been archived by Emiliano Rial-Verde.

In summer 2003 I joined the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel which is part of the Novartis Research Foundation. We try to find out how the strength of individual synapses in the brain is regulated. To stimulate individual cells in intact tissue, we use the light-gated ion channel Channelrhodopsin-2 and two-photon glutamate uncaging. For more details about our research, check out our official web page.

Since 2005, I have been on the faculty of the summer 'Neurobiology' course at the MBL in Woods Hole, MA. Here is an animation that Mark Terasaki developed during the 2008 course to demonstrate how scattering of light in tissue can help you to detect photons. I highly recommend the Woods Hole courses! (fried squid - mmm!)

A longstanding interest of mine is to understand how voltage- and ligand-gated channels in dendritic spines work together to generate calcium transients. These tiny calcium transients can tune the brain by inducing long-lasting changes in synaptic strength. We have incorporated our knowledge about this process in a biophysical model of a spine.

Here are some pictures of the lab members in 2004, 2007 and 2008 (click to enlage), and here is our model of consciousness.

Publications:

1. J. Krol, V. Busskamp, I. Markievicz, M. B. Stadler, S. Ribi, J. Richter, J. Duebel, S. Bicker, H.J. Fehling, D. Schubeler, T. G. Oertner, G. Schratt, M. Bibel, B. Roska, W. Filipowicz (2010) Characterization of microRNAs induced by light adaptation in mouse retina reveals rapid turnover as a common property of neuronal microRNAs. Cell, accepted
2. P. Schoenenberger, D. Gerosa, T. G. Oertner (2009) Temporal control of immediate early gene induction by light. PLoS ONE 4(12): e8185. | doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008185 PDF
3. N. Holbro, A. Grunditz, T. G. Oertner (2009) Differential distribution of endoplasmic reticulum controls metabotropic signaling and plasticity at hippocampal synapses.
   PNAS 106: 15055-15060. PDF S.I.
4. T. G. Oertner (2009) How do synapses measure milliseconds? Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, April 2009, Volume 3, Article 7. PDF
5. A. Grunditz, N. Holbro, L. Tian, Y. Zuo, T. G. Oertner (2008) Spine neck plasticity controls postsynaptic calcium signals through electrical compartmentalization. Journal of Neuroscience 28(50): 13457-66. PDF S1 S2 S3 S4 NEURON model
6. Y-P. Zhang, N. Holbro, T. G. Oertner (2008) Optical induction of plasticity at single synapses reveals input-specific accumulation of aCaMKII. PNAS 105(33): 12039-44. PDF S.I.
7. P. Schoenenberger, A. Grunditz, T. Rose, T. G. Oertner (2008) Optimizing the spatial resolution of Channelrhodopsin activation. Brain Cell Biology 36(1-4): 119-27 PDF
8. Y-P. Zhang, T. G. Oertner (2007) Optical induction of synaptic plasticity using a light-sensitive channel. Nature Methods 4(2): 139-141. PDF
9. R. Vigot, S. Barbieri, H. Bräuner-Osborne, R. Turecek, R. Shigemoto, YP. Zhang, R. Lujan, L.H. Jacobson, B. Biermann, JM. Fritschy, CM. Vacher, M. Müller, G. Sansig, N. Guetg, J.F. Cryan, K. Kaupmann, M. Gassmann M, T.G. Oertner, B. Bettler (2006) Differential compartmentalization and distinct functions of GABA(B) receptor variants. Neuron 50(4): 589-601. PDF
10. T. G. Oertner (2006) The bright side of life. (Book review) Nature 440, 280-280. PDF
11. T. G. Oertner, A. Matus (2004) Calcium regulation of actin dynamics in dendritic spines. (Review) Cell Calcium 37(5): 477-482. PDF
12. I. Brunig, S. Kaech, H. Brinkhaus, T.G. Oertner, A. Matus (2004) Influx of extracellular calcium regulates actin-dependent morphological plasticity in dendritic spines. Neuropharmacology 47(5): 669-676. PDF
13. R. Yasuda, E. A. Nimchinsky, V. Scheuss, T. A. Pologruto, T. G. Oertner, B. L. Sabatini, K. Svoboda (2004) Imaging calcium dynamics in small neuronal compartments. Science STKE Vol. 2004 (219), pl5. PDF
14. E. A. Nimchinsky, R. Yasuda, T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2004) The number of glutamate receptors opened by synaptic stimulation in single hippocampal spines. Journal of Neuroscience 24: 2054-2064. PDF
15. T. G. Oertner (2002) Functional imaging of single synapses in brain slices. Experimental Physiology 87.6, 733-736. PDF
16. T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2002) Subliminal messages in hippocampal pyramidal cells. (Perspectives) Journal of Physiology 543(2): 397. PDF.
17. T. G. Oertner, B. L. Sabatini, E. A. Nimchinsky, K. Svoboda (2002) Facilitation at single synapses probed with optical quantal analysis. Nature Neuroscience 5 (7): 657-664. PDF
    for reviews of this article, see:
    J. C. Lopez (2002) From single lane to superhighway. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 3, 588.
    C. E. Jahr (2002) Drooling and stuttering, or do synapses whisper? TRENDS in Neurosciences, Nov. 2002.
18. B. L. Sabatini, T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2002) The life cycle of Ca2+ ions in dendritic spines. Neuron 33: 439-452. PDF
19. T. G. Oertner, T. M. Brotz, A. Borst (2001) Mechanisms of dendritic calcium signaling in fly neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 85 (1): 439-447. PDF
20. T. G. Oertner (2000) Mechanismen dendritischer Kalziumdynamik: Eine in-vitro-Studie an Insektenneuronen. (Dissertation) Medien Verlag Köhler, Tübingen, ISBN 3-932694-66-X
21. T. G. Oertner, S. Single, A. Borst (1999) Separation of voltage- and ligand-gated calcium influx in locust neurons by optical imaging. Neuroscience Letters 274 (2): 95-98. PDF