Julia Spielbauer
Phd Student
E-mail: julia.spielbauer@ki.se
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9 - kvarter D7, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C4 Neurovetenskap, C4 Forskning Olson, 171 77 Stockholm
About me
- The main goal of my project is to decipher the role of the
microbiota-gut-brain axis in typical and atypical brain development with a
special focus on bacterial motifs called peptidoglycans.
I am PhD student in the Olson lab [1], Department of Neuroscience at
Karolinska Institutet. Additionally, I am volunteering as student
representative in the student council of NeurotechEU [2].
[1] https://ki.se/en/neuro/olson-laboratory
[2] https://theneurotech.eu/
Research
- Environmental influences during early life, like the postnatal microbial
colonization process, can have a severe impact on the development, structure,
and function of the brain. Mice raised under germ-free (GF) conditions
display increased motor activity and decreased anxiety-like behavior compared
to mice with normal gut microbiota (specific pathogen-free - SPF).
A mechanism involved in gut-microbiota-brain signaling is the activation of
pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) within the developing brain. These
receptors can recognize microbial components, for example, Peptidoglycans
(PGNs) (components of the bacterial cell wall).
Hence the overarching goal of my project is to investigate the influence of
gut-derived microbial molecules on neuronal development, plasticity, and
behavior.
Articles
- Article: BRAIN, BEHAVIOR, AND IMMUNITY. 2024;121:43-55