Education and Academic Profile

2023:                    Director (W3 University Professor) of the Institute of                              Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical                              School

2022:                    Habilitation and Venia Legendi in Anatomy; Albert                              Ludwig University, Freiburg i. Br.

2017:                    Doctor of Medicine; Johann Wolfgang Goethe                              University, Frankfurt/Main

2015:                    Medical License (Approbation)

2014:                    Research Fellowship at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel (Prof. Nicola Maggio MD/PhD)

2008-
2015:                    Medical Studies at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main

Scientific Career

11/2022-01/2023:  Visiting Instructor at the Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, USA

Since 2017:           Research Associate and Group Leader at the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Neuroanatomy,                               Albert Ludwig University, Freiburg

2016-2017:            Research Associate at the Institute of Anatomy II, University Hospital of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Additional Qualifications

2021:                    Specialist Anatomist of the Anatomical Society

2020:                    Baden-Württemberg Certificate for University Didactics

Awards and Honors

2018:                    Doctoral Award of the Dr. Walter and Luise Freundlich Foundation

2016:                    Young Investigator Award of the Anatomical Society

2016:                    FENS-IBRO/PERC Travel Grant (FENS Forum 2016, Copenhagen)

2014:                    Young Investigator Award (1st Place) of the Anatomical Society

2010-2015:           Scholar of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes)

Research Focus

• Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and structure/function relationships under physiological and pathological conditions in translational research approaches
• Electrophysiological and microscopic investigation of single neurons in neocortical slice preparations from neurosurgical resections of the human brain
• Inflammation-dependent modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity in viral CNS diseases
• Identification of mechanisms of inter-organ communication (“Brain-Body Interaction”)
• Development of cell culture models for translational and personalized research

Online Profiles and Social Media Presence

ORCID: 0000-0003-3147-4949

Twitter: @NeuroLenz

Key Publications

Synaptopodin Regulates Denervation-Induced Plasticity at Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses. Kruse P, Brandes G, Hemeling H, Huang Z, Wrede C, Hegermann J, Vlachos A, Lenz M. Cells. 2024 Jan 6;13(2):114. doi: 10.3390/cells13020114.

The Amyloid Precursor Protein Regulates Synaptic Transmission at Medial Perforant Path Synapses. Lenz M, Eichler A, Kruse P, Galanis C, Kleidonas D, Andrieux G, Boerries M, Jedlicka P, Müller U, Deller T, Vlachos A. J Neurosci. 2023 Jul 19;43(29):5290-5304. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1824-22.2023. Epub 2023 Jun 27.

Microglial Cytokines Mediate Plasticity Induced by 10 Hz Repetitive Magnetic Stimulation. Eichler A, Kleidonas D, Turi Z, Fliegauf M, Kirsch M, Pfeifer D, Masuda T, Prinz M, Lenz M, Vlachos A. J Neurosci. 2023 Apr 26;43(17):3042-3060. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2226-22.2023. Epub 2023 Mar 28.

All-trans retinoic acid induces synaptic plasticity in human cortical neurons. Lenz M, Kruse P, Eichler A, Straehle J, Beck J, Deller T, Vlachos A. Elife. 2021 Mar 30;10:e63026. doi: 10.7554/eLife.63026.

All-trans retinoic acid induces synaptopodin-dependent metaplasticity in mouse dentate granule cells. Lenz M, Eichler A, Kruse P, Muellerleile J, Deller T, Jedlicka P, Vlachos A. Elife. 2021 Nov 1;10:e71983. doi: 10.7554/eLife.71983.

Interleukin 10 Restores Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Alterations in Synaptic Plasticity Probed by Repetitive Magnetic Stimulation. Lenz M, Eichler A, Kruse P, Strehl A, Rodriguez-Rozada S, Goren I, Yogev N, Frank S, Waisman A, Deller T, Jung S, Maggio N, Vlachos A. Front Immunol. 2020 Dec 16;11:614509. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.614509. eCollection 2020.

Novel Hexb-based tools for studying microglia in the CNS. Masuda T, Amann L, Sankowski R, Staszewski O, Lenz M, D Errico P, Snaidero N, Costa Jordão MJ, Böttcher C, Kierdorf K, Jung S, Priller J, Misgeld T, Vlachos A, Meyer-Luehmann M, Knobeloch KP, Prinz M. Nat Immunol. 2020 Jul;21(7):802-815. doi: 10.1038/s41590-020-0707-4. Epub 2020 Jun 15.

Repetitive magnetic stimulation induces plasticity of inhibitory synapses. Lenz M, Galanis C, Müller-Dahlhaus F, Opitz A, Wierenga CJ, Szabó G, Ziemann U, Deller T, Funke K, Vlachos A. Nat Commun. 2016 Jan 8;7:10020. doi: 10.1038/ncomms10020.