Academic Education:

B.Sc., Biology, University of Regensburg, Germany
M.Sc., Biology, University of Regensburg, Germany
B.Sc., Physics, University of Regensburg, Germany
Ph.D., Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
Dr. rer. nat. habil., Animal Physiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany


Appointments:

Research Assistant, University of California, San Diego (1988-1990)

Postgraduate Research Biologist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla (1990-1992)

Hermann-von-Helmholtz Fellow and Junior Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany (1992-1997)

Visiting Professor, University of Ottawa, Canada (1994-1997)

Privatdozent (equivalent to Adjunct Associate Professor), Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany (1995 -1997)

Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor), University of Manchester, UK (1997-1999)

Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor), University of Manchester, UK (1999-2002)

Professor of Neurobiology, International University Bremen/Jacobs University Bremen, Germany (2002-2009)

Professor and Chair, Northeastern University, Boston (2009-)

Other Professional Activities:

Visiting Scholar: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla; University of Ottawa, Canada; University of California, San Diego; University of Chicago; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla; Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology, Seewiesen, Germany; Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla; Tufts University, Boston; Jacobs University Bremen, Germany

Editor: Journal of Zoology (2007-2011); Journal of Comparative Physiology-A (2008-)

Editorial Board: Brain, Behavior and Evolution (2005-2009); Regenerative Medicine (2005- ); Journal of Comparative Physiology-A (2006-2008)

Research Interests:

Research in my laboratory focuses on the exploration of neural mechanisms underlying structural plasticity in the adult central nervous system of vertebrates. In particular, we are interested in the generation of new neurons in the adult brain and spinal cord ('adult neurogenesis') and in the replacement of neurons damaged through injury by newly generated ones ('neuronal regeneration').

Our investigations are carried out in teleost fish, as these vertebrates - very much in contrast to mammals - exhibit an enormous potential to generate new neurons in both the intact and the injured central nervous system during adulthood. By combining cellular, neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and behavioral approaches, we attempt to identify key mechanisms underlying this production of new neurons, and to learn more about the behavioral consequences of the resulting structural dynamics of neural networks.

The ultimate goal of our research is to understand the evolutionary factors that have led to the enormous reduction of the neurogenic potential in mammals, while maintaining the generation of new neurons at high levels in the central nervous system of many non-mammalian taxa. Such a comparative approach will not only be essential to gain a biological understanding of adult neurogenesis, but also bears an enormous potential to open new vistas for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to replace neurons lost to injury or degenerative disease by newly generated ones.

Figure: Newborn cells in the adult zebrafish brain. The cells were labeled with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, a marker taken up during the S-phase of mitosis. A. Proliferation revealed by this approach in the optic tectum, a brain area important for processing of visual information. B. Confocal image of labeled cell in late telophase. The two daughter nuclei are connected only by a thin string of labeled nuclear material. Scale bars = 20 μm in A; 10 μm in B.

Teaching Activities:

I have been involved in teaching at the University of California, San Diego, the University of Tübingen (Germany), the University of Manchester (UK), the International University Bremen/Jacobs University Bremen (Germany), and at Northeastern University. These teaching activities include lecture courses, laboratory classes, and/or field courses in the areas of Behavioral Neurobiology, Systems Neurobiology, Cellular Neurobiology, Developmental Neurobiology, Neuroendocrinology, Animal Physiology, Ecology, and Marine Biology. My book Behavioral Neurobiology: An Integrative Approach (Oxford University Press, Oxford/New York, 2004 and 2010) is currently the most frequently adopted text in neuroethology worldwide.

Selected Publications:

Sîrbulescu, R.F., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Dynamics of caspase-3-mediated apoptosis during spinal cord regeneration in the teleost fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Brain Research 1304, 14-25 (2009)

Zupanc, G.K.H.: Towards CNS regeneration: insights from teleost fish. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology 20, 683-690 (2009)

Sîrbulescu, R.F., Ilies, I., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Successful structural and functional regeneration after spinal cord injury in a teleost fish. Journal of Comparative Physiology-A 192, 699-714 (2009)

Stocum, D.L., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Stretching the limits: stem cells in regeneration science. Developmental Dynamics 237, 3648-3671 (2008)

Hinsch, K., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Generation and long-term survival in the adult zebrafish brain: a quantitative analysis. Neuroscience 146, 679-696 (2007)

Rajendran, R.S., Zupanc, M.M., Lösche, A., Westra, J., Chun, J., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Numerical chromosome variation and mitotic segregation defects in the adult brain of teleost fish. Developmental Neurobiology 67, 1337-1347 (2007)

Hinsch, K., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Isolation, cultivation, and differentiation of neural stem cells from adult fish brain. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 158, 75-88 (2006)

Zupanc, M.M., Wellbrock, U.M., Zupanc, G.K.H.: Proteome analysis identifies novel protein candidates involved in regeneration of the cerebellum of teleost fish. Proteomics 6, 677-696 (2006)

Zupanc, G.K.H., Sîrbulescu, R.F., Nichols, A., Ilies, I.V.: Electric interactions through chirping behavior in the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Journal of Comparative Physiology-A 192, 159-173 (2006)

Zupanc, G.K.H., Hinsch, K., Gage, F.H.: Proliferation, migration, neuronal differentiation, and long-term survival of new cells in the adult brain of zebrafish. Journal of Comparative Neurology 488, 290-39 (2005)

Complete List of Publications

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