Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Schlüter, Oliver, Prof. Dr.


  • 1995 - 2001 M.D. Ph.D. with Thomas C. Südhof at the Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen
  • 2000 Dr. rer. nat. (PhD), University of Hannover
  • 2001 Dr. med. (Medical thesis), University of Göttingen
  • 2001-2002 Postdoc with Christian Rosenmund and Reinhard Jahn at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen
  • 2002-2006 Postdoc with Robert C. Malenka at Stanford University Medical Center (USA)
  • 2006 - 2015 Independent group leader (Emmy-Noether/DFG) at the European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen (ENI-G)
  • since 2015 Assistant Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh
  • 2016 - 2021 Adjunct Professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen
  • since 2021 Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh
  • Since 2022 Professor for Molecular Neurobiology at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen



Major Research Interests

Activity-dependent modulations of synaptic transmission are important mechanisms of information processing and storage in neuronal circuits. A variety of related but mechanistically distinct forms of synaptic plasticity have been described in in vitro preparations of brain slices.

A major goal of my laboratory is to elucidate the underlying molecular events, leading to and regulating changes in synaptic efficacy. Newly developed techniques of molecular replacement, using mouse genetics and/or viral-mediated gene transfer allow us to manipulate the molecular composition of single neurons in a spatial and temporal controlled manner.

In particular, we are able to investigate the effects of heterologously expressed proteins on the background of wild-type neurons, or neurons, in which the endogenous protein expression is diminished. We combine this technique with simultaneous dual whole cell patch clamp recordings from rodent brain slices to monitor changes in synaptic efficacy in the manipulated cell in comparison to the neighboring control cell.

Knowledge gained from the understanding of molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity will ultimately provide important clues for the function of neuronal ircuits and potentially the functioning of the brain.


Homepage Department/Research Group

https://psychiatrie.umg.eu/ueber-uns/team/



Selected Recent Publications