Neurotoxicology and Chemosensation

The nervous system continuously supplies the organism with information about its environment, but also about its own condition. This requires 100 billion nerve cells, just as many supporting glial cells, countless metres of nerve fibres, and everything must be continuously supplied with enormous amounts of oxygen and, through the bloodstream, with various nutrients. Although our nervous system has excellent barriers that protect it from environmental dangers, there are always intruders that can damage the fine structures of the nerve cells and fibres, i.e. have a neurotoxic effect. Classic examples are heavy metals such as lead and mercury, organic solvents or pesticides; recently, nanoparticles and nanomaterials have also been suspected of causing neurotoxic effects.

Above all, long-term contact with these hazardous substances, as can occur in the workplace, poses a risk to our nervous system that must be kept as low as possible. However, our chemosensory nerve fibres and receptors, especially the sense of smell, also ensure that we can detect and avoid chemicals in the environment. In workplaces, it is often not possible to avoid odour and sensory stimuli, but even these chemosensory effects must not have health consequences. It must not smell so strongly or burn in the eyes that workers are distracted from the actual task and mistakes happen.

The activation of sensory nerve fibres not only informs our brain, signal molecules are also released that inform the immune system about possible damage. Through the systematic combination of methods from life and behavioural sciences, research here ensures, on the one hand, the derivation of data on health-based limit values (DFG MAK-Commission) and, on the other hand, new insights into biological bases and modulators of neurotoxic and chemosensory effects that make the handling of chemicals in the workplace safer.

Team of the research group Neurotoxicology and Chemosensation with research areas:

Dr. Julia Liebing

• In vitro neurotoxicology
• Alternatives to animal testing
   

Dr. Christine Hucke

• Neurocognitive processes of perception and effect of odorants and irritants
   

PhD student Arianna Borgers

• Safety of metal oxide nanoparticles
   

PhD student Lea Drescher

• Neurotoxic effects of cyanobacterial toxins
   

PhD student Viviane Gallus

• Neuroscientific research on odor perception
   

PhD student Nuwin Mohamad

• Paracetamol-dependent structural and functional neurotoxicity
   

M.Sc. Janina Winken

• Structural and functional neurotoxicity of primary peripheral nerve cells
   

Technician Nicola Koschmieder

• Investigations of chemosensory effects
• Administrative tasks of the project group
   

Technician Karolina Zajac

• Neurotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons, establishment of neurospheroid models, quantification and analysis of confocal microscopy images
   

Master student Josefine Reiser

• Establishment of a 3D in vitro culture of human dopaminergic neuronal cells (LUHMES) and astrocytes for use in neuro-toxicological experiments
   

Master student Rafaela Ntzani

• Activation of human nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by cyanobacteria-associated neurotoxins
   

Bachelor student Melina Mehlmann

• Characterization of a 3D co-culture of Schwann cells and neurons of the dorsal root ganglion as a new method in peripheral neurotoxicity testing