Dietmar Schmitz

Prof. Dr. Dietmar Schmitz serves as Group Leader and Site Speaker at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Berlin, affiliated with Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His research focuses on neuronal network mechanisms in memory consolidation and neurodegenerative diseases, with particular emphasis on Alzheimer's pathology.

His primary research interests center on systems-level memory consolidation, specifically trace-transfer processes between hippocampus and cortex. The Schmitz group investigates neuronal network dysfunctions in Alzheimer's disease using transgenic mouse models with amyloid and tau pathology. Key research areas include:

• Microcircuitry of medial and lateral entorhinal cortex
• Gamma oscillatory activity in neuronal networks
• Early pathological changes in piriform and entorhinal cortices
• Inhibitory/excitatory neuron connectivity in disease states
• Physiological and pathophysiological network activities using in vivo and in vitro techniques

The group has published significant findings on gamma oscillations in APP/PS1 mice, demonstrating early changes in lateral entorhinal cortex at 4 months correlating with plaque development. Current work extends to detailed morphology and connectivity studies of neurons/interneurons using multiple patch recordings, with future goals focusing on cellular-network level organization in medial entorhinal cortex during physiological and pathological states.