Research Labs

We study neural and neural crest development, evolution and pathology with focus on patterning mechanisms.

Research in my group focuses on pathogenic mechanisms in Multiple Sclerosis and autoimmune epilepsies such as Rasmussen encephalitis,  Paraneoplastic encephalitis and other antibody-associated encephalitis.

Peroxisomes are lipid-metabolizing organelles, and deficiency in the associated pathways result in severe damage to the nervous system. In particular we are focussing on the very-long chain fatty acid degradation by the peroxisomal ß-oxidation deficient in X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy and ether-lipid deficiency also associated to common neuro-developmental and neurodegenerative disorders. We also explores the molecular mechanisms underlying peroxisomal protein import.

We are interested in the initiation, progression and resolution of inflammatory lesions of the central nervous system, and study these processes in models of neuromyelitis optica, an important human disease.

We are studying nociception and pain in the central nervous system, with a particular focus on the spinal cord.

The Ernst lab interest is at the interface between structure-based medicinal chemistry, neuropharmacology and neuropathophysiology with projects dealing with selected GABA_A receptor subunits and subtypes.

The Harkany Lab at the Medical University of Vienna pursues experimental research on fundamental mechanisms that drive the molecular design of the mammalian brain during fetal and postnatal development, including studies on cellular diversity and intercellular signaling systems. We strive to understand how maternal life-choices during pregnancy -- including drug seeking, diet, and stress -- modify fetal development, potentially impacting the offspring for their life-time. We address these key questions by intersecting molecular, cellular, and circuit neuroscience in invertebrate and vertebrate model systems, and human subjects. The breadth of our methodological repertoire has helped us to resolve some of the most challenging and exciting questions of modern Neuroscience.

Building on computational and experimental neuroscience, we explore how the brain processes affective information - ultimately to understand how neural circuits, genes and experience shape the emotional self.

Our research examines the molecular mechanisms underlying endocannabinoid and neuropeptide signaling systems in hypothalamic and cortical brain circuit formation in health and disease.

We are studying how cortical networks of distinct GABAergic neurons and pyramidal cells cooperate in time to generate cognitive behavior.

We study the dynamics of local field potentials and the spike timing of cortical, hippocampal and subcortical neuronal populations, to understand their contribution to circuit operations and behavior in rodents.

Our lab investigates how neuropeptides shape synaptic circuits on molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral level.

Our main research interest is the unprecedented cellular heterogeneity of the brain, its achievement during development and its conversion into functional circuitry, with a particular focus on how environmental and metabolic factors can influence brain cell composition, identities, and functions.

The Scholze lab works on many aspects of normal an aberrant biochemistry, pharmacology and physiology of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and GABA_A receptors.

Lipids are fascinating molecules and integral to forming the core structure of brain tissue. Our research explores how specific lipids influence innate immunity and the reactivity of various brain cell types, aiming to uncover how dysfunction in lipid metabolism could contribute to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.