Dr. Vanessa Rupprecht

Research

I study neurophysiological mechanisms underlying olfactory sensory perception. My special interest applies to the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapse between mitral cells (MCs) and axonless granule cells (GCs). Both synaptic sites carry pre- as well as postsynaptic structures. When a single granule cell reciprocal spine is provided with glutamatergic input from a mitral cell, a signal produced exclusively in the spine leads to local and fast feedback inhibition back onto the mitral cells. By using combined two photon imaging and uncaging I want to unravel synaptic key players involved in reciprocal synaptic processing to gain a better understanding  about what makes the MC-GC synapse an independent signaling unit.

Methods

Field potential recordings, Whole cell patch clamp, Two-photon calcium imaging, Two -photon glutamate uncaging, Parallel fiber loading with AM dyes, Voltage sensitive dye imaging

Profile

2014 – to date

Postdoc in the lab of Prof V. Egger at the Dept. of Neurophysiology, University of Regensburg, Germany

2012 – 2013

Postdoc in the lab of Prof. M. Beierlein at the Dept. of Neurobiology & Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, USA

2007 – 2012

PhD student in the in the lab of Prof. D. Dietrich at the Dept. of Neurosurgery, Experimental Neurophysiology, University of Bonn, Germany

2006 – 2007

Diploma in Biology in the lab of Prof. G. Uhl at the Dept. of Neuroethology and Behavioural Ecology. Thesis title: Male mate choice in the dwarf spider Oedothorax retusus (Araneae: Linyphiidae, Erigoninae)  

2004 – 2007

Graduate studies in Biology at the University of Bonn with focus on Neurophysiology, Neuroethology and Behavioral Ecology

2001 – 2004

Undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Bonn

Publications

Wagner L., Pannicke T., Rupprecht V., Frommherz I., Volz C., Illes P., Hirrlinger J., Jägle H., Egger V., Haydon P.G., Pfrieger F.W., Grosche A. Suppression of SNARE-dependent exocytosis in retinal glial cells and its effect on ischemia-induced neurodegeneration. GLIA (in press)

Sun Y.-G.*, Rupprecht V.*, Zhou L., Dasgupta R., Seibt F. & Beierlein M. (2016) mGluR1 and mGluR5 synergistically control cholinergic synaptic transmission in the thalamic reticular nucleus. JNeuroscience 36, 7886-7896.
(* denotes equal contribution)

Bywalez W.G., Patirniche D., Rupprecht V., Stemmler M., Herz A. V. M., Pálfi D., Rózsa B. & Egger V. (2015) Local postsynaptic voltage-gated sodium channel activation in dendritic spines of olfactory bulb granule cells. Neuron 85, 590-601.

Erdmann E., Rupprecht V., Matthews E., Kukley M., Schoch S.& Dietrich D. (2012) Depression of Release by mGluR8 Alters Ca2+ Dependence of Release Machinery. Cerebral Cortex 22, 1498‐509