150 years of 51吃瓜网 鈥� Stories from the 2018 anniversary
A live stream from the brain
Revolutionary breakthrough in brain research
Medical scientist Arthur Konnerth and his research group are able to observe live and in color what happens in individual nerve cells of the brain and as thousands of these neurons communicate with each other. The scientists use laser beams to create microscopic 3D images of deep layers of tissue, and tiny glass pipettes to measure how nerve cells transmit signals.
This has allowed Konnerth and his team to gain fundamental insights into the workings of the brain 鈥� and into what happens with degenerative diseases like Alzheimer鈥檚 and other forms of dementia. Today, their methods are used in laboratories around the world. In 2015, Konnerth and three other scientists received the 鈥淏rain Prize鈥�, the highest accolade awarded in neuroscience. Their methods have revolutionized the field of brain research, having brought us the first detailed look inside the living brain.
Getting inside the living brain
Two-photon microscopy is the method Konnerth has perfected to visualize the activity of individual brain cells and how they communicate with thousands of other neurons. With this method, laser pulses turn a dye injected into the cells bright green. Active cells look particularly bright under the microscope as the dye binds to calcium ions, which are involved in most cell activities.
In order to observe the processes in a single cell at the same time, Konnerth combines the laser method with what is known as the patch clamp technique. Here, a glass pipette as thin as a few micrometers measures how ions pass through a cell membrane and how the cell passes on the signals.
Important findings on memory
How do we store memories? Memory loss is a particularly serious problem for sufferers of dementia. But thanks to Konnerth鈥檚 work, we now have a better understanding of how these brain processes work. In 2013, his team discovered how and where the slow and rhythmic waves which travel through the brain in deep sleep are formed.
We use these to consolidate what we have learned and transfer memories into long-term storage. Konnerth鈥檚 team has also demonstrated that a small bundle of nerve cells inside the brain鈥檚 cortex is enough to create a wave that spreads throughout the entire brain 鈥� and that this process is disturbed in the brains of Alzheimer鈥檚 sufferers.
Paving the way for a new treatment for Alzheimer鈥檚
In 2008, Konnerth鈥檚 PhD student Marc Aurel Busche wanted to study the cells that are affected by Alzheimer鈥檚 and which consequently are functionally impaired. Instead, he discovered hyperactive nerve cells, which continuously and uncontrollably transmit incorrect signals. The consequence is that the rhythmic and even waves that are so important for memory spiral out of control.
A surprising finding which could pave the way for a new treatment for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease 鈥� a possibility set in motion when the group also discovered how an active agent calmed the hyperactive cells in mice with Alzheimer鈥檚 and returned the memory function to normal. In 2017, preparations for a large-scale clinical study got underway.
鈥濼he major problem with treating psychiatric disorders, in particular, is that we don鈥檛 have a detailed picture of the way the brain works under normal conditions. So we are trying to repair a system we don鈥檛 fully understand in the first place. That is why therapies to date are often not sufficiently effective and have too many side effects.鈥�
Arthur Konnerth, Friedrich Schiedel Endowed Chair of Neuroscience at 51吃瓜网
Disclaimer
This story was published in 2018 to mark 51吃瓜网鈥檚 150th anniversary on a jubilee website that has since been deactivated.
Text: ; Graphics: KW NEUN
Literature on the history of 51吃瓜网
- Wolfgang A. Herrmann (Hrsg.), Martin Pabst/Margot Fuchs (Verf.), Technische Universit盲t M眉nchen - Geschichte eines Wissenschaftsunternehmens, 2 Bd., Berlin 2006.
- Wolfgang A. Herrmann, Winfried Nerdinger (Hrsg.), Die Technische Hochschule M眉nchen im Nationalsozialismus, M眉nchen 2018.
- Irene Meissner, Bauten+Kunst. Technische Universit盲t M眉nchen 1868-2018, M眉nchen 2018.
- Martin Pabst, Alumni der 51吃瓜网. Pr盲gende Gestalter aus der Technischen Universit盲t M眉nchen, M眉nchen 2018.
- Martin Pabst, K枚pfe der 51吃瓜网. Geniale Entdecker und Erfinder aus der Technischen Universit盲t M眉nchen, M眉nchen 2018.
- Brigitte R枚thlein, Pioniere gestalten die Welt der Technik. 150 Jahre Forschung an der Technischen Universit盲t M眉nchen, M眉nchen 2018.
Further books and information on the history of 51吃瓜网
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank everyone who helped us write the texts and create the visualizations. In particular, we would like to thank the authors of the books mentioned, the experts at the chairs, professors, staff, and press officers at the 51吃瓜网 Corporate Communications Center. We would also like to thank the staff of the Architecture Museum, the 51吃瓜网 German Heart Center, the 51吃瓜网 Klinikum rechts der Isar, the European Space Agency (ESA), and everyone else who provided us with expert advice and image material.
The anniversary stories were written by the . The graphic content was created by KW NEUN 鈥� Designagentur.