Prof. Dr. Olga Garaschuk
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Olga Garaschuk is a distinguished neuroscientist and Chair of the Department of Neurophysiology at the Institute of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Germany. With a robust academic background in biophysics and a notable career spanning several prestigious institutions, she has significantly advanced our understanding of neural network function, aging, and neuroinflammation. Together with colleagues at the University of Tübingen, Garaschuk is exploring the nuanced complexities of gender/sex differences within the realm of neuroscience, specifically brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
Education and Career
Prof. Dr. Olga Garaschuk studied Biophysics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, graduating in 1989, and earned her Doctorate in Biophysics in 1992 under the mentorship of Prof. Krishtal at the Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kyiv, Ukraine. Her academic career includes positions at Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Göttingen), Saarland University, TU Munich, and LMU Munich, before joining the University of Tübingen in 2008.
Research Interests
Prof. Garaschuk's research focuses on neural network function, particularly in the contexts of aging, neurodegeneration, and neuro-glial interactions. She has pioneered techniques for in vivo Ca2+ imaging of neuroglial networks and has made significant discoveries in Alzheimer's disease and in vivo microglial signaling.
Engagement in the Research System
Prof. Garaschuk is an influential figure in the research community, serving as Vice President of the German Physiological Society, President of the German-Ukrainian Academic Society and an Advisory Board Member for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) 4Ukraine. She also holds several key positions at the University of Tübingen, including Chair of the PhD program “Experimental Medicine” and member of the Board of the Medical Faculty, the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, and the Erwin Riesch Foundation.
Coordinating Functions in Collaborative Grants and Consortia
She has played a leading role in numerous collaborative projects, including co-leading the research area C at the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience.
Academic Contributions
Prof. Garaschuk has contributed significantly to the scientific community, notably as an executive editor of Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology and an editorial board member of Scientific Reports. She has also edited the book “Microglia: Methods and Protocols.”
Selected Publications
1. Nevelchuk S, Brawek B, Schwarz N, Valiente-Gabioud A, Wuttke TV, Kovalchuk Y, Koch H, Höllig A, Steiner F, Figarella K, Griesbeck O., Garaschuk O. (2024) Morphotype-specific calcium signaling in human microglia. J Neuroinflamm. 21: 175.
2. Hausmann D, Hoffmann DC, Venkataramani V, Jung E, Horschitz S, Tetzlaff SK, …, Garaschuk O, …, Winkler F (2023) Autonomous rhythmic activity in glioma networks drives brain tumor growth. Nature 613:179-186. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05520-4
3. Barry-Carroll L, Greulich P, Marshall AR, Riecken K, Fehse B, Askew KE, Li K, Garaschuk O, Menassa DA, Gomez-Nicola D. (2023) Microglial colonisation of the developing brain is facilitated by clonal expansion of highly proliferative progenitors and follows an allometric scaling. Cell Rep 42:112425.
4. Lerdkrai C, Asavapanumas N, Brawek B, Kovalchuk Y, Mojtahedi N, Olmedillas del Moral M, Garaschuk O (2018) Intracellular Ca2+ stores control in vivo neuronal hyperactivity in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. PNAS 115:E1279-88. doi:10.1073/pnas.1714409115
5. Liang Y, Li K., Riecken K, Maslyukov A, Gomez-Nicola D, Kovalchuk Y, Fehse B, Garaschuk O. (2016) Long-term in vivo single cell tracking reveals the switch of migration patterns in adult-born juxtaglomerular cells of the mouse olfactory bulb. Cell Res 26: 805-821.
Recognition and Awards
Prof. Garaschuk has received several accolades, including being elected a member of Academia Europaea in 2019 and the George Soros Foundation Award for PhD students in 1992. She was also awarded the Irène Curie Habilitation stipend of the Saarland University from 1997 to 2000.
Other Information
Prof. Garaschuk is a neuroscientist with a strong track record in cortico-hippocampal rhythmogenesis, sensory processing, and neuroinflammation. She has developed several techniques for in vivo analysis of neural networks and co-developed several genetically-encoded Ca2+ indicators. Her groundbreaking research has uncovered the rhythmic in vivo activity of the developing perinatal forebrain, plaque-related neuronal hyperactivity in Alzheimer's disease and the role of caloric restriction for sex-specific in vivo properties of microglia. She has also co-organized various symposia and conferences, contributing to the advancement of neuroscience research.
**External Links:**
—> correct links will be added and checked prior publishing
- [Mitarbeiter profile at hospital/university/max planck/etc]
- [lab/group website]
- [LinkedIn]
- [ORCID]
- [Google Scholar]
- [Research Gate]
- [curriculum vitae - [pdf/english]