Frank Angenstein

Prof. Dr. Frank Angenstein serves as a Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Magdeburg, Germany, where he directs research focused on advancing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applications in neuroscience and clinical diagnostics through rigorous experimental approaches.

His primary research investigates three interconnected domains: (1) establishing the neurophysiological basis of fMRI responses via simultaneous electrophysiology and fMRI measurements in rat models; (2) elucidating dopamine's role in hippocampal function using optogenetic, pharmacogenetic, and electrical stimulation techniques; and (3) mapping functional connectivity between the hippocampus and cortical/subcortical structures (nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, septum, amygdala) under pathological conditions like tau deposition. This work addresses fundamental challenges in interpreting hemodynamic signals for clinical fMRI diagnostics.

Dr. Angenstein's laboratory employs a 9.4T animal scanner and integrates multimodal methodologies including electrical stimulation of neural pathways, laser-light sensitive opsin expression, and DREADD-based pharmacogenetics. His team's innovations in simultaneous neuronal-hemodynamic recording directly target the critical gap between basic neurovascular mechanisms and clinical applications for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.