University Medical Center Goettingen 7 articles published in JoVE Medicine Advanced Cardiac Rhythm Management by Applying Optogenetic Multi-Site Photostimulation in Murine Hearts Laura Diaz-Maue*1,2, Janna Steinebach*1, Michael Schwaerzle8,9, Stefan Luther1,3,4,6, Patrick Ruther8,9, Claudia Richter1,5,6,7 1Research Group Biomedical Physics, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 2Research Electronics Department, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 4Institute for Nonlinear Dynamics, Georg-August-University Goettingen, 5Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 6German Center for Cardiovascular Research, DZHK e.V., partner site Goettingen, 7Laboratory Animal Science Unit, German Primate Center Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 8Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, 9Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg This work reports a method for controlling the cardiac rhythm of intact murine hearts of transgenic channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) mice using local photostimulation with a micro-LED array and simultaneous optical mapping of epicardial membrane potential. Bioengineering Fibroblast Derived Human Engineered Connective Tissue for Screening Applications Gabriela L. Santos1,2, Tim Meyer1,2, Malte Tiburcy1,2, Alisa DeGrave1,2, Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann1,2,3,4,5, Susanne Lutz1,2 1Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 2DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research) partner site, Goettingen, 3Cluster of Excellence “Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells” (MBExC), University of Goettingen, 4Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 5Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP) Presented here is a protocol to generate engineered connective tissues for a parallel culture of 48 tissues in a multi-well plate with double poles, suitable for mechanistic studies, disease modeling, and screening applications. The protocol is compatible with fibroblasts from different organs and species and is exemplified here with human primary cardiac fibroblasts. Behavior The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior Margarete Boos1, Johannes Pritz2, Michael Belz3 1Institute for Psychology, University of Goettingen, 2Courant Research Centre Evolution of Social Behavior, University of Goettingen, 3Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Goettingen Here, we present the computer-based, multi-agent game HoneyComb, which enables experimental investigations of collective human movement behavior via black-dot-avatars on a virtual 2D hexagonal playfield. Different experimental conditions, like variable incentives on goal fields or vision radius, can be set, and their effects on human movement behavior can be investigated. Cancer Research Utilizing High Resolution Ultrasound to Monitor Tumor Onset and Growth in Genetically Engineered Pancreatic Cancer Models Robert-Guenther Goetze1, Soeren M. Buchholz1, Shilpa Patil1, Golo Petzold1, Volker Ellenrieder1, Elisabeth Hessmann1, Albrecht Neesse1 1Department Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, University Medical Center Goettingen This article describes the utilization of high-resolution ultrasound in genetically engineered pancreatic cancer mice. The primary aim is to provide a detailed instruction for detection and evaluation of endogenous pancreatic tumors. Behavior A Pressure Injection System for Investigating the Neuropharmacology of Information Processing in Awake Behaving Macaque Monkey Cortex Vera K. Veith1, Cliodhna Quigley1, Stefan Treue1,2 1Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, 2Faculty of Biology and Psychology, Goettingen University Here, we show the pressure injection of neuropharmacological substances during single-cell recording in an awake, behaving macaque monkey. This procedure allows pharmacological manipulation in the direct vicinity of a cortical recording site. Bioengineering Analysis of Tubular Membrane Networks in Cardiac Myocytes from Atria and Ventricles Eva Wagner*1,2,3, Sören Brandenburg*1,2, Tobias Kohl1,2, Stephan E. Lehnart1,2,3,4 1Heart Research Center Goettingen, 2Clinic of Cardiology & Pulmonology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 3German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) partner site Goettingen, 4BioMET, Center for Biomedical Engineering & Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine In cardiac myocytes, tubular membrane structures form intracellular networks. We describe optimized protocols for i) isolation of myocytes from mouse heart including quality control, ii) live cell staining for state-of-the-art fluorescence microscopy, and iii) direct image analysis to quantify the component complexity and the plasticity of intracellular membrane networks. Neuroscience Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve Victor H. Hernandez1,2,5, Anna Gehrt1,3, Zhizi Jing3, Gerhard Hoch1, Marcus Jeschke1, Nicola Strenzke3, Tobias Moser1,2,4 1InnerEarLab, Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 2Bernstein Focus for Neurotechnology, University of Goettingen, 3Auditory Systems Physiology Group, Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 4Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, University of Goettingen, 5Department of Chemical, Electronic, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Guanajuato Cochlear implants (CIs) enable hearing by direct electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. However, poor frequency and intensity resolution limits the quality of hearing with CIs. Here we describe optogenetic stimulation of the auditory nerve in mice as an alternative strategy for auditory research and developing future CIs.
