Clinical Neurobiology Lab

In the brain, retinoic acid is locally synthesized and metabolized via a tightly coordinated process, resulting in a specific temporal and spatial pattern of RA concentrations throughout the (adult) central nervous system. The resulting RA concentration gradients will likely represent an important basis for the various effects of RA, also in the adult CNS.

While the properties of RA as an intimate morphogen during embryonic development, and as a phototransducer in the retina are already well understood, rather little is known about the role of RA in the adult CNS, despite being detected at relatively high concentrations under physiological conditions.

Several preclinical findings suggest an essential role of RA in processes such as neuronal differentiation (neurogenesis), synaptic plasticity (synaptic scaling) and the modulation of inflammatory processes in the immune system (eg, inhibition of macrophage activation and differentiation of regulatory T-cells). Furthermore, clinical findings support evidence for a general neuroprotective action of retinoids and suggest a possible link between the emergence of depressive syndromes and a pathologically altered homeostasis of retinoid acid (Bremner, Shearer and McCaffery, 2012).

In summary, RA may be considered a promising target in neuropsychiatric research, potentially acting as an "endogenous neuroprotective factor".

Our team focuses on the characterization of the local brain RA-homeostasis under physiological and pathological conditions. In this context, we are interested in elucidating potential environmental influences (light and other electromagnetic radiation, nutrition, microbiota) as well as pharmacological modulation of RA-homeostasis in the adult CNS.