The model animal Xenopus laevis We employ an amphibian model to investigate the vertebrate olfactory system. This offers the possibility to investigate the olfactory system from larval development to the adult.
read more

Neurogenesis and synaptogenesis The olfactory system has the capacity to generate different neuronal populations throughout life. We study stem cell dynamics, neurogenesis, neuronal pathfinding and synaptogenesis.
read more

Purinergic signaling Nucleotide signaling plays an essential role in the regulation of neurogenesis and cell turnover in the developing and adult central nervous system. We study its regulatory function in the cell turnover of the olfactory epithelium and the olfactory bulb.
read more

Transduction and odor mapping Olfaction is still the least understood of the sensory systems. We investigate the general principles underlying the functioning of this system, from the transduction of odorants to their mapping and processing in the brain.
read more

The main olfactory system The main olfactory system of larval Xenopus laevis is made up of different spatially segregated olfactory subsystems. Currently, we characterize these systems anatomically and functionally, and try to unravel their physiological purpose.
read more

The vomeronasal system The vomeronasal organ first appears as a discrete structure in amphibians, although elements of the system are already present in lungfishes. Our recent work focuses on the evolution and function of the vomeronasal system.
read more