Prof. Dr. Rolf Heumann

Prof. Heumann's research group focuses on neuronal connectivity, which is regulated not only during development but also in the adult brain in response to brain activity. The small GTPase protein Ras is a universal intracellular signalling protein that can mediate such mechanisms of brain plasticity through transient activation of downstream protein phosphorylation signalling cascades. The group developed a synRas animal model that selectively expresses permanently activated Val12-Ras in neurons. This model is used to investigate whether neuronal Ras activity is involved in the dynamics of dendritic spine formation in brain neurons, in the regulation of synapse number and efficiency, and in the regulation of neurogenesis in the hippocampus.