Prof. Dr. Anna Schroeder

Principal Investigator

Address

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Faculty of Biology
Grosshadernerstr. 2
82152 Planegg-Martinsried

Email

anna.schroeder[at]bio.lmu.de

Homepage

Research topics

Our group investigates how internal states – such as emotions, motivations, and physiological needs – shape behavior. We want to understand how neural circuits generate these states and integrate them with external sensory cues and past experiences to guide flexible action in dynamic environments. In particular, we study the subthalamic circuits of the zona incerta, an emerging hub for state-dependent behavioral control, in the mouse brain. Our work also aims to uncover novel therapeutic strategies for psychiatric disorders through targeted neuromodulation.

Scientific Approach

We use state-of-the-art molecular, cellular and circuit-level technologies together with diverse behavioral paradigms in mouse models to study how internal states shape brain function.

• 2-photon microscopy
• Miniscopes

• Whole-cell patch-clamp slice electrophysiology
• Optogenetics
• Chemogenetics
• Viral circuit tracing

• Single-cell RNA-sequencing
• Multiplexed fluorescent in situ hybridization

• State-driven behavioral paradigms
• Machine learning and computer vision analyses

Related Publications

• Schroeder A.*, Pardi M.B., Keijser J., Dalmay T., Groisman A.I., Schuman E.M., Sprekeler H., Letzkus J.J.*. (2023) Inhibitory top-down projections from zona incerta mediate neocortical memory. Neuron. 111(5), 727-738.e728.
• Hartung, J., Schroeder A., Péréz Vázquez R.A., Poorthuis R.B., Letzkus J.J.*. (2024) Layer 1 Ndnf interneurons are specialized top-down master regulators of superficial cortical circuits. Cell Reports. 43(5), 114212.
• Pardi M.B., Schroeder A., Letzkus J.J.*. (2023) Probing top-down information in neocortical layer 1. Trends in Neurosciences. 46(1), 20–31.
• Condomitti G., Wierda K.D., Schroeder A., Rubio S.E., Vennekens K.M., Orlandi C., Martemyanov K.A., Gounko N.V., Savas J.N., de Wit J.*. (2018) An input-specific orphan receptor GPR158-HSPG interaction organizes hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. Neuron. 100(1), 201–215.e9.
• Schroeder A., Vanderlinden J., Vints K., Ribeiro L.F., Vennekens K.M., Gounko N.V., Wierda K.D., de Wit J.*. (2018) A modular organization of LRR protein-mediated synaptic adhesion defines synapse identity. Neuron. 99(2), 329–344.e7.