Education and Academic Training

• 2024 Doctor of Medicine; University of Freiburg
• 2023 Licensed as a physician
• 2016 – 2023 Studied human medicine at the University of Freiburg

Research Career

• Since 2024 Group Leader (Neurodegeneration) at the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical School
• 2019–2024 PhD student at the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Neuroanatomy, University of Freiburg

Awards and Honors

• 2022 Poster Award from the Anatomical Society
• 2017–2023 Scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation

Research Focus

1. Investigation of synaptic dysfunction in tau- and amyloid-β-associated disease models.
2. Influence of the microbiome on synaptic transmission in the context of neurodegenerative processes.
3. Investigation of the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and structure-function relationships under physiological and pathological conditions in translational research approaches.
4. Electrophysiological and microscopic investigation of individual neurons in neocortical section preparations from neurosurgical resections of the human brain.
5. Development of cell culture models for translational and personalized research.

Online profile:

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1742-1608

Publications:

A synapse perspective on the function of the amyloid precursor protein. P. Kruse, A. Eichler, L. Klukas, M. Lenz (2025). Sage Journals 2025, Vol. 108(3) 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504251360728

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

Clinical parameters affect the structure and function of superficial pyramidal neurons in the adult human neocortex. Lenz, M., Kruse, P., Eichler, A., Straehle, J., Hemeling, H., Stöhr, P., Beck, J., & Vlachos, A. (2024). Brain Communications, 6(5), fcae351. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae351

Transcriptomic and de novo proteomic analyses of organotypic entorhino-hippocampal tissue cultures reveal changes in metabolic and signaling regulators in TTX-induced synaptic plasticity. Lenz, M., Turko, P., Kruse, P., Eichler, A., Chen, Z. A., Rappsilber, J., Vida, I., & Vlachos, A. (2024). Molecular Brain, 17(1), 78. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13041-024-01153-y

The Amyloid Precursor Protein Regulates Synaptic Transmission at Medial Perforant Path Synapses. Lenz M, Eichler A, Kruse P, Galanis Ch, Kleidonas D, Andrieux G, Boerries M, Jedlicka P, Müller U, Deller T, and Vlachos A. The Journal of Neuroscience, July 19, 2023 • 43(29):5290–5304 doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1824-22.2023

Denervated mouse CA1 pyramidal neurons express homeostatic synaptic plasticity following entorhinal cortex lesion. Lenz M, Eichler A, Kruse P, Stöhr P, Kleidonas D, Galanis C, Lu H, Vlachos A. Front Mol Neurosci. 2023 Apr 12;16:1148219. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1148219. eCollection 2023.

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;10.

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;10.

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, et al. Front Immunol. 2020;11:614509.