| | Principal Investigators
| Dietmar Plenz, Ph.D. |
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Dr.
Plenz is chief of the Unit of Neural Network Physiology, Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience
in the Intramural Research Program, National Institute
of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda,
Maryland. He attended college at the University of Tuebingen,
Germany and received his Ph.D. in 1993 at the Max-Planck
Institute of Biological Cybernetics and University Tuebingen,
Germany. After a postdoctoral fellowship and assistant
professorship with Stephen T. Kitai at the University
of Tennessee, Memphis, Dr. Plenz joined the NIMH as a
Tenure-track Investigator in 1999.
Dr. Plenz's research at the NIMH has focused on frontal brain areas that are critically controlled by the neurotransmitter dopamine and play an important role in neurological disorders, especially Parkinson's disease. He has developed new models, which allow studying information processing in large neuronal populations in cortex-basal ganglia circuits in vitro. His work has defined a new pacemaker mechanism intrinsic to the basal ganglia as a possible generator for tremor in Parkinson's patients. His recent studies have identified new mechanisms of how the striatum processes cortical inputs and the control of these mechanisms by dopamine. |
| Research Interests |
| Dr. Plenz's lab uses electrophysiological, computational, pharmacological, and molecular biological methods to study neuronal networks. Specific questions relate to the intra- and internuclei generation of network activities, network stability, transfer of activity patterns between nuclei, and the dynamic characteristics of single neurons embedded in such network activity. His group uses defined tissue culture conditions that allow for targeted in vitro reconstruction of cortex - basal ganglia networks using organotypic cultures. These in vitro networks provide for the combinatorial analysis of critically self-organized network states in neuronal populations. Currently, he focuses on a new classification of cortical activity patterns using organotypic cortex cultures grown on multi-electrode arrays. Furthermore, his group analyzes dendritic processing of striatal neurons during cortically driven Up-states and dopamine function using calcium imaging. The lab also studies synaptic transmission between striatal neurons and pallidal/subthalamic neurons using dual whole-cell recordings. |
| Representative Selected Recent Publications: |
- Bolam, P. Bergman, H., Graybiel, A., Kimura, M., Plenz, D., Seung, H.S., Surmeier, D.J., and J. R. Wickens:
Microcircuits, molecules and motivated behaviour: Microcircuits in the striatum. Dahlem Workshop on
Mircocircuits: The Interface between Neurons and Global Brain Function, Berlin, Dahlem. (in press), 2004.
- Tepper, J. and D. Plenz:
Microcircuits in the striatum: Striatal cell types and their interaction. Dahlem Workshop on
Mircocircuits: The Interface between Neurons and Global Brain Function, Berlin, Dahlem. (in press). 2004.
- Pfeffer, L., Ide, D., Stewart, C.V., and D. Plenz:
A life support systems for stimulation of and recording from rodent neuron networks grown on multi-electrode arrays.
Proceedings 17th IEEE Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems:, CBMS, Eds. R. Long, S. Atani, et al, 473-478, ISBN 0-7695-2104-5, 2004.
- Beggs, J. and D. Plenz:
Neuronal avalanches are diverse and precise activity patterns that are stable for many hours in cortical slice cultures.
J. Neurosci., 24:5216-5229, 2004.
- Kerr, J. and D. Plenz:
Action potential timing determines dendritic calcium during striatal Up-states.
J. Neurosco., 2004, 24:877-885.
- Beggs, J. M. and D. Plenz,
Neuronal avalanches in neocortical circuits.
J. Neurosci., 23:11167-11177, 2003.
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Address:
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Unit
of Neural Network Physiology
LSN/NIMH
Building 36, Room 2D-30
Bethesda, MD 20892-4075 |
| Phone: |
(301) 402-2249 (office),
(301) 402-2255 (lab) |
| Email Dr. Plenz |
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| Fax: |
(301) 402-8960 |
| Lab Web Site: |
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