Mike Ludwig

Mike Ludwig graduated in Biology and then received a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Leipzig, Germany. After two years postdoctoral research as a NIH/Fogarty International Fellow in the US he came to Edinburgh. Mike Ludwig continued his research under a German Career Development Fellowship and a Wellcome Trust Grant before joining the staff of the University of Edinburgh as Lecturer in 2001. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2004 and received his Personal Chair in Neurophysiology in 2007.

1989    Diploma, University of Leipzig, Germany

1993    PhD (magna cum laude) University of Leipzig, Germany

1999    Habilitation, University of Leipzig, Germany 

http://www.ed.ac.uk/integrative-physiology/staff-profiles/research-groups/mike-ludwig

We are currently studying novel populations of vasopressin cells in the olfactory bulb and the retina. In the olfactory system, vasopressin is involved in social recognition and vasopressin signaling in this system underlies the ability of these neurons to filter out social odour cues. We recently found that the retina also contains many vasopressin-expressing cells, and that, strikingly, these communicate mainly with the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the body’s biological clock, regulating circadian rhythms.

Our work aims to build a strong understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of neuropeptide release and the underlying effects of peptides on neuronal networks and behaviours using in vivo and in vitro approaches.

Prof. Javier Stern, Department of Physiology, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta GA USA .

Prof. R. Landgraf (Max Planck Institute für Psychiatrie, München) 

Prof. Mario Engelmann (Institut für Medizinische Neurobiologie, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg) 

Dr Valery Grinevich, Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany

Visiting Professor University Belgrade (2015)

We are interested in understanding the basic mechanisms by which peptides affect the functional properties of neuronal networks, and exactly how they can have apparently specific behavioural effects. Of these, the vasopressin and oxytocin neurons have proved to be good model systems for revealing important aspects of many neuronal functions, including neuropeptide release, leading to the understanding of the importance of peptide release from neuronal dendrites.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/integrative-physiology/staff-profiles/research-groups/mike-ludwig

Research in a Nutshell: Peptides and behaviour

Our work aims to build a strong understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of neuropeptide release and the underlying effects of peptides on neuronal networks and behaviours using in vivo and in vitro approaches.

• Principal Supervisor:
• Olivia Monteiro 2005-2009 (PhD);
• Yi Shin Liu 2008-2011 (PhD);
• Nicholas Lelos 2004/05 (MSc in research);
• Eirine Papdaki ((PhD) 2012-;
• Luis Paiva (PhD) 2013-
• Co-supervisor: Tracey Baskerville 2004-2008 (PhD),
• Steven Duncon 2010-2014 (PhD),
• Nathalie Vladis 2014- (PhD)

My core teaching responsibilities include undegraduate Biomedical Science courses and postgraduate MSc taught and research programmes.

Year 2: Biomedical Sciences 2

Year 3: Neuroscience 3, Physiology 3

Year 4

Honours core programmes: Honours Physiology (programme organiser)

Honours electives: Hormones & Behaviour (elective organiser)

Taught or Research MSc: MSc by Research Biomedical Sciences (Life Sciences), MSc by Research Integrative Neuroscience, MSc by Research Biomedical Sciences (Zhejiang)

Centre for Integrative Physiology (CIP)