NEUROGENETICIST
I chose neurobiology at the last minute.
For a neurogeneticist who wants to present his work the best he can, this title might not be the most appropriate one. But science is based on facts and therefore we shall not move the facts aside. However, it is true that genetics did not appeal to me until college, but then, thanks to my inspiring professors, suddenly it did. I finally came to understand that genetics was the central hub for all the biological disciplines that I had always been interested in, studying which i found fulfilling and that I thrived in. And through a deeper study of genetics I came to neurobiology.
I’m like a surgeon, but I don’t use a scalpel
I focused on the research of brain functions during sleep and waking. I use genetic methods that I consider to be pure. They allow me to observe and study the organism in depth and non-invasively. However, I do not have a scalpel in my hand, so no one has to suffer. In my research, I draw from the knowledge that my studies in biology, genetics, ethology, and programming have given me. I have programmed my own software to assist me in studying sleeping worms. Another tool in my research is the criticism from scientists, because the arguments "against" give me the opportunity to move towards the facts that are “for".
So what did you find out?
“We focused on the excitability of the nervous system. This is the process thanks to which the brain wakes up, but also keeps itself conscious and is able to react consciously to environmental stimuli. For example, this is why we are not in a constant coma. We have found that during sleep, several brain cells remain alert so that they can immediately wake up the entire nervous system if this is necessary for survival. Another big question in neurobiology has been whether sleep affects the whole brain globally or only locally. We have provided decisive evidence that sleep is a global brain state. A tired brain in the absence of stimuli from the environment will inevitably fall into sleep mode, a case in point being microsleep when driving on a simple straight road, i.e. a motorway.”
If you are interested in the results of the research of sleeping and waking worms, I recommend reading the interview with Mgr. Anna Martausová in the inVitro magazine, where we talked about it. PDF version of the article.
I study sleep and worms
The process of sleep in humans is still not as clear to us as it deserves to be. That is why I am drawn to exploring it. But within science, you have to find the simplest possible model on which to refute or confirm your arguments. Worms are the only genetic model organism whose nervous system we have completely mapped. We assume it functions similarly to ours. Thanks to the microscope, we can practically see the inside of a worm's head. We can observe how signals travel between cells in its body. At the Institute, we've been studying what stimuli the worm's nervous system responds to during sleep and waking up. The results have helped us to describe the sleep processes in human cells.
Being published in Science was huge for us
The findings from the research gave the team I was part of the opportunity to be published in Science. Science is the best scientific journal in the world. It only publishes articles that report something new, bold, unexpected, something that every scientist should know about. As a team of four, we've been collecting the data for 3 years. You can read the article online. It is in English and it’s rich in terms, however, I think it might be of interest to students of medicine, biology or genetics. If you have any questions about this topic, I am available to everyone on social media. I popularize the practical and simplified applications of sleep research in newspaper articles or through media appearances.
Neuronalbasis of lethargy in worms
How does the brain switch between wakefulness and sleep? Nichols et al. studied this question using brain-wide Ca2+ imaging at single-neuron resolution in nematodes. By changing O2 concentrations, they could rapidly switch the worms between behaviorally quiescent and active states. They observed a global quiescence brain state characterized by the systemic down-regulation of neuronal network dynamics. Signaling from O2 sensory neurons rapidly evoked and maintained active network dynamics. Conversely, in the absence of such arousing cues, network dynamics converged into the quiescent mode.
There are no stupid questions
If you are interested in my research, I am happy to answer your questions. I also accept invitations to seminars, conferences, workshops or lectures on which you want to spread new knowledge to students or science, genetics and neurobiology enthusiasts.