The Jacob Laboratory – Translational Neurotechnology

RESEARCH

What we do

TEAM

Who we are

PAPERS

What we found

NEWS

What is new

FUNDING

Who funds us

TEACHING

What we teach

Research and ongoing projects

In the Jacob lab, we study complex cognitive functions at the level of individual neurons and their networks. Intelligent, goal-directed behavior is produced by the interaction of populations of neurons in the cognitive brain centers such as the prefrontal cortex, the parietal cortex and the basal ganglia. We are particularly interested in how we learn and memorize behaviorally relevant information on multiple time scales, how this information is transformed into purposeful actions, and how neuromodulators such as dopamine regulate the underlying circuits.

We investigate cognitive mechanisms in animal models and in humans. To study specific brain functions, we design and train controlled behavioral tasks. We then combine multiple state-of-the-art techniques in mice, including large-scale extracellular recordings, optogenetic manipulation of defined cell types and networks, fluorescent imaging and computational analysis and modelling. In a unique interdisciplinary approach, we develop and use technologies for recording from populations of individual neurons in human neurosurgical patients. This translational line of research allows us to work towards a deep understanding of the principles of high-level cognitive functioning. Cognitive functions are impaired in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. Little is known about the neuronal mechanisms. Our long-term goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the cellular basis of mental health and disease.

Team

Meet the people who do the work. They can be reached at firstname.lastname@tum.de

Simon Jacob

Principal Investigator

Simon studied medicine in Freiburg and Heidelberg, at University College London and Harvard. He completed his dissertation on neuronal calcium signaling at Yale as a fellow of the German National Academic Foundation. Simon was a postdoc at the Center for Integrative Neuroscience in Tübingen working with Andreas Nieder on the mechanisms of executive brain functions. He is a board-certified neurologist and a professor for Translational Neurotechnology at TUM.

Tobias Bernklau

Postdoctoral reseacher

Tobias studied psychology at Free University (FU) Berlin and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He joined the lab after a preparatory year at the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences in Munich. He is interested in the neural mechanisms of cognition and the neurobiology of mental health and disease. Tobias is also a violinist and a bass guitar player.

Laura Schiffl

Postdoctoral researcher

Laura studied linguistics (BA) and clinical linguistics (MA) in Frankfurt and Marburg and proceeded to work as a speech and language pathologist before joining a research training group at the University of Mainz for her PhD. Laura is interested in the interface of language, cognition and neurobiology – especially in the reorganization of the language system through language therapy following brain damage. In her free time she enjoys the outdoors.

Xiaoxiong Lin

Postdoctoral researcher

Xiaoxiong studied psychology and art at Peking University, Beijing, China. He joined the lab after a preparatory year at the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences in Munich and some mind wandering in neurophilosophy. Using computational methods, he investigates how networks of neurons give rise to higher cognitive functions.

Viktor Eisenkolb

Clinical resident in neurosurgery

Viktor is a clinical resident (MD) at the Department of Neurosurgery at the Klinikum rechts der Isar of TUM. He is working on methods that allow us to transfer findings obtained in awake behaving animals performing cognitive tasks directly to the human system. In his free time, he is part of a local swimming squad.

Ajit Ranganath

Graduate student

Ajit trained as an engineer in biotechnology in Bangalore, India. He then moved to Boston to pursue a Master’s degree in neuroscience at Brandeis University. Before joining the lab, he worked as a research assistant with Joseph Cheer at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Ajit is interested in the prefrontal mechanisms of goal-directed behavior. While not in the lab, he likes to explore the Alps and play the Sitar, an Indian string instrument.

Daniel Hähnke

Graduate student

Daniel studied biology at the University of Freiburg and the University of Manchester. He is widely interested in neuroscientific topics including crossregional functional connectivity, machine learning and other advanced data analytical methodologies. His current project focusses on the role of the thalamus in controlling cognitive functions. Daniel is an avid traveller and likes to cook and surf.

Leonie Mehrke

Graduate student

Leonie studied molecular biosciences and neuroscience at the University of Heidelberg and worked in neuroscience labs at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Mannheim), Mayo Clinic (Florida), Boehringer Ingelheim and the University of Cambridge, UK, where she conducted her master’s thesis. Her research interests lie in the mechanisms and circuits of higher brain functions that are altered in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Victoria Hohendorf

Graduate student

Vicky studied biomedical sciences with a focus on neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. She is interested in the relationship between behaviour, neuronal function and 3D brain structure in working memory tasks. In her free time she likes to travel in person as well as through reading books.

Xuanyu Wang

Graduate student

Xuanyu studied psychology and cognitive science at Peking University, Beijing, China after a two year liberal arts program at Yuanpei College. He joined the lab during his first master year at the Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience in Munich. He is interested in the temporal structure of neuronal activity underlying cognitive functions and processing of temporal duration.

Beatrice Righetti

Graduate student

Beatrice obtained a Bachelor degree in psychology at the University of Trento, Italy, and a Master degree in neuroscience at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She joined the lab after a research stint at Harvard Medical School. Beatrice is interested in ecologically relevant behaviors and how they are controlled by neuronal networks and neuromodulators. Beatrice is also an insatiable reader and travel lover.

Alexander Utzschmid

Medical doctoral student

Alex is a medical student at Klinikum rechts der Isar of TUM and holds a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation. His interests are in medical neurotechnology and innovative methods for the treatment of disorders of cognition and mental health. In his free time, he fences on a regular basis and serves as a math tutor.

Lisa Held

Graduate student

Lisa obtained a Bachelor degree in psychology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, with a research minor at Autonomous University and Complutense University in Madrid, Spain. While acquiring her Master degree in neuroengineering at TUM, she joined the lab to analyse microelectrode recordings from human neurosurgical patients. In her PhD, Lisa is now exploring and advancing invasive neurotechnologies for disorders of language.

Paolo Favero

Graduate student

Paolo obtained a Bachelor degree in psychology at the University of Padova in Italy. He continued his education with Master degrees in artificial intelligence and in neuropsychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he conducted his master thesis on brain-computer interfaces. In his PhD, he is studying the language system with large-scale human intracortical recordings. In his free time, Paolo enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures.

Hongbiao Chen

Graduate student

Hongbiao studied computer science at Northeastern University in China and neural information processing at Tübingen University in Germany. He completed his Master thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen. Hongbiao is interested in the neuronal mechanisms and computational principles of prefrontal cognitive flexibility. He is a certified cat person and has a liking for the philosophy of Self and AI.

Göktuğ Alkan

Graduate student

Göktuğ holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering and information technology from ETH Zurich. In his Master’s thesis in the laboratory of Grégoire Courtine at EPFL, he investigated the neural mechanisms of internal capsule stroke recovery in non-human primates. Before joing the lab, Göktuğ spent one semester at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Cameroon as a teaching and research assistant and co-lectured courses in machine learning.

Yuyang Huang

Graduate student

Yuyang studied theoretical physics for his Bachelor’s degree at Lanzhou University, China, and nonlinear dynamics and complex systems for his Master’s degree at TUM. Supervised jointly by Laura Busse (LMU) during his PhD, Yuyang is exploring the dynamics of neuronal representations ranging from early sensory to high-level cognitive functions. Outside of the lab, Yuyang enjoys games and snow sports.