Holger Dannenberg

Holger Dannenberg is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at George Mason University, affiliated with the College of Engineering and Computing and the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience. His research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying memory formation and spatial navigation, particularly within the septohippocampal system.

Education

• PhD in Neuroscience (2015), Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• MS in Molecular Biomedicine (2009), Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• BS in Molecular Biomedicine (2007), Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

Research Interests

The Spatial Cognition Lab, led by Dr. Dannenberg, investigates how spatial memory and navigation are encoded in freely behaving mice using advanced techniques like single-unit recordings, optogenetics, and fiber photometry. His work bridges experimental and computational neuroscience to decode the role of cholinergic systems in memory.

Key research areas include grid cell dynamics, neural ensembles, cholinergic modulation, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms (particularly Alzheimer’s disease). Recent studies explore spatial novelty detection, experience-dependent neural adaptations, and machine learning applications in behavioral-neural correlation analysis.

Publications

Dr. Dannenberg’s publications reflect a focus on spatial memory coding, cholinergic pathways, and computational modeling of neural circuits. His work spans experimental studies in mice, anatomical investigations, and theoretical frameworks for understanding geometric patterns in neural coding.