Grunwald Kadow Laboratory
The research focus of our group is the study of sensations and needs on individual behavior and decision making. We look not only at visible behavior, but also at neural circuits and genes that control sensations and behavior. To do this, we combine neuroscience and physiology to understand how the brain and body communicate at the neural circuit, cellular and molecular levels. The goal of our research is to understand how neural circuit computations and genetic mechanisms allow humans and animals to survive and thrive in their respective environments despite constantly changing extrinsic and intrinsic influences.
Prof. Dr. Ilona Grunwald Kadow
Institut für Physiologie II
Nussallee 11
53115 Bonn
Research
Neurogenetics of behavior
Sensations and decisions are based not only on sensory impressions, but also on previous experiences and the inner state of an animal or human. Behavior is therefore extremely adaptive and flexible. For example, a hungry animal evaluates the smell and taste of food much more positively than a full animal. At the same time, its willingness to take risks to find food and expose itself to potential dangers increases. What signals and nerve networks enable communication between the body and brain? And how do these affect behavior?
We examine these questions at three levels
Behavior. Neural circuits. Genes.
To this end, we use model organisms such as the genetic model fly Drosophila melanogaster and the mouse in combination with modern methods of behavioral analysis, computational methods, (opto)genetics and in vivo functional imaging and microscopy.
Humans and animals live in a constantly changing environment. The ability to flexibly adapt behavior to changing demands is therefore crucial for all organisms to thrive and survive. In addition, the neural networks for adaptive behavior are the target of common neurological diseases. iBehave brings together scientists who will work across disciplines and species to study survival-related behaviors and their underlying neural networks.
Influence of physiological state on behavior and neural circuits
Learn how our physiological state and needs influence behavior and neural circuitry.
Influence of behavioral state on decision making and perception
Discover the influence of our behavioral state on our decision making and perception.
Project Group Dr. Annika Cichy - Modulation of the Senses by Hormones
The project group of Dr. Annika Cichy investigates the modulation of sensory perception by hormones.
Smell and taste what is good
This research project investigates how important nutrients, known as polyamines, are detected by the sense of smell and taste.
How pregnancy changes perception
Read how pregnancy changes perception and reactions to certain smells and tastes.
Hunger influences decisions
Learn how hunger influences our decisions and our perception of risk. A certain level of hunger makes us willing to take risks.
Making balanced decisions
Read about the importance of dopamine and how it drives our decisions and behavior.
The secret of motivation in neurons
Give up or keep going? How do neural circuits regulate motivation? Neuromodulation plays a crucial role.
Decisions in conflict situations
Decisions often have to be made despite conflicting information. Specific neurons help with the weighing process.
Videos and reports
Are we the victims of our senses?
Ilona Grunwald Kadow | TEDxTUM
TEDx Talk: Sind wir die Opfer unserer Sinne?
Humans like to believe that they are different from other animals, that they make rational decisions based on hard facts. But how do these facts get into our brains? Through our very objective five senses. Our daily decisions are influenced by our inner states, our emotions and even our hormones. Ilona Grunwald Kadow takes us on a journey to understand how easily our decisions are influenced by our emotions.
Give up or keep going? How neural circuits regulate motivation.
We recently identified a neural circuit in the fly's learning center that regulates motivation during foraging. Satiated flies give up quickly. Hungry flies are highly motivated and keep trying harder and harder to get the food they crave. We took this behavior as a model to explore how motivation is produced and regulated in the brain. When do you keep going? When is it better to give up?
Administrative and Technical Support
Riccarda Rieker
Anke Krämer
IT and technology, data analysis
Research assistants / postdocs
PhD students
Alumni
- Paul Bandow
- Virginia Palieri
- Subhadarshini Parhi
- Heidi Miller-Mommerskamp
- Siju Purayil
- Sophie Aimon
- Anja Friedrich
- Johanna Kobler
- Ariane Böhm
- Marina Wosniack
- Irina Petcu
- Sercan Sayin
- Aleksandar Janjic
- Catherine-Marie Blais
- Julia Claussen
- Nicolás Fuenzalida Uribe
- Ashiq Hussain
- Mo Zhang
- Habibe Ücpunar
- Laura Loschek
- Laurence Lewis
- Lasse Bräcker
- Christiane Knappmeyer
- Cristina Organisti
- Irina Hein
- Ramona Gerhards
- Kacey (Ketura) Berry
- Marion Hartl
- Juhi Sardana
- Daniel Stephan
- Verena Kurz
- Lauren Corona
- Yukiko Yamada-Ho
- Marion Dorsch
- Ana Catalan
- Fangmin Zhou, Alexandra-Madelaine Tichy, Bibi Nusreen Imambocus, Francisco J. Rodriguez Jimenez, Marco González Martínez, Ishrat Jahan, Margarita Habib, Nina Wilhelmy, Vanessa
Bräuler, Tatjana Lömker, Kathrin Sauter, Charlotte Helfrich-Förster, Jan Pielage, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Harald Janovjak, Peter Soba. Optimized design and in vivo application of optogenetically functionalized Drosophila dopamine receptors. BioRxiv doi: [link] - Virginia Palieri, Emanuele Paoli, Ilona C Grunwald Kadow*, Ruben Portugues*. The Preoptic Area and Dorsal Habenula Jointly Support Homeostatic Navigation in Larval Zebrafish. *co-last authors. Current Biology doi: [link]
- Aimon S, Cheng KY, Gjorgjieva J, Grunwald Kadow IC. Walking elicits global brain activity in Drosophila. BioRxiv. doi: [link]
- Ariane C Boehm, Anja B Friedrich, Sydney Hunt, Paul Bandow, K.P. Siju, Jean-Francois De Backer, Julia Claussen, Marie-Helen Link, Thomas F Hofmann, Corinna Dawid, Ilona C Grunwald Kadow. A distributed dopamine-gated circuit underpins reproductive state-dependent behavior in Drosophila females. [link]
- K.P. Siju, Vilim Stih, Sophie Aimon, Julijana Gjorgjieva, Ruben Portugues, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow. Valence and state-dependent population coding in dopaminergic neurons in the fly mushroom body. doi: [link]
- Raquel Suárez-Grimalt, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow and Lisa Scheunemann. An integrative sensor of body states: how the mushroom body modulates behavior depending on physiological context. Learning & Memory, accepted.
- Virginia Palieri, Emanuele Paoli, Ilona C Grunwald Kadow*, Ruben Portugues*. The Preoptic Area and Dorsal Habenula Jointly Support Homeostatic Navigation in Larval Zebrafish. *co-last authors. Current Biology, accepted.
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Matthias Carl Laupichler, Johanna Flora Rother, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Seifollah Ahmadi and Tobias Raupach. Large Language Models in Medical Education: Comparing ChatGPT- to Human-Generated Exam Questions. Academic Medicine, accepted.
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Fangmin Zhou, Alexandra-Madelaine Tichy, Bibi Nusreen Imambocus, Francisco J. Rodriguez Jimenez, Marco González Martínez, Ishrat Jahan, Margarita Habib, Nina Wilhelmy, Vanessa
Bräuler, Tatjana Lömker, Kathrin Sauter, Charlotte Helfrich-Förster, Jan Pielage, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Harald Janovjak, Peter Soba. Optimized design and in vivo application of optogenetically functionalized Drosophila dopamine receptors. Nature communications, accepted. - Ruedenauer FA, Parreño MA, Grunwald Kadow IC, Spaethe J, Leonhardt SD (2023). The ecology of nutrient sensation and perception in insects. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Oct;38(10):994-1004. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.006.
- Aimon S, Cheng KY, Gjorgjieva J, Grunwald Kadow IC (2023). Global change in brain state during spontaneous and forced walk in Drosophila is composed of combined activity patterns of different neuron classes. eLife 2023 Apr 17;12:e85202. doi: 10.7554/eLife.85202
- Grunwald Kadow IC, Owald D (2022) Decision making: Dopaminergic neurons for better or worse. Current Biology. 2022 Nov 7;32(21):R1237-R1240. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.043
- Boehm AC, Friedrich AB, Hunt S, Bandow P, Siju KP, De Backer JF, Claussen J, Link MH, Hofmann TF, Dawid C, Grunwald Kadow IC (2022). A dopamine-gated learning circuit underpins reproductive state-dependent odor preference in Drosophila females. eLife 2022; Sep 21;11:e77643. doi: 10.7554/eLife.77643.
- Asahina K, de Bivort BL, Grunwald Kadow IC, Yapici N. Editorial: Revisiting Behavioral Variability: What It Reveals About Neural Circuit Structure and Function. Front Behav Neurosci. 2022 Jun 15;16:956388. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.956388
- De Backer JF and Grunwald Kadow IC (2022). A role for glia in cellular and systemic metabolism: insights from the fly. Current Opinion in Insect Science 2022 Oct;53:100947. doi:10.1016/j.cois.2022.100947.
- Louis M and Grunwald Kadow IC (2022). Action selection: Neuropeptidergic gates of behavior. Current Biology 2022 Jan 10;32(1):R39-R42. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.037
- Üçpunar HK and Grunwald Kadow IC (2021). Flies avoid current atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Frontiers in Physiology 13 April 2021. [link]
- Siju KP, De Backer JF, Grunwald Kadow IC (2021). Dopamine modulation of sensory processing and adaptive behavior in flies. Cell and Tissue Research, Special Issue on Olfactory Coding and Circuitries, online Jan 30. [link]
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Kobler J, Rodriguez FJ, Petcu I, Grunwald Kadow IC (2020). Immune receptor signaling and the mushroom body mediate post-ingestion pathogen avoidance. Current Biology 30(23):4693-4709 [link]
- Woller, A., Bandow, P., Aimon, S., Grunwald Kadow, I.C (2020). Preparing Adult Drosophila melanogaster for Whole Brain Imaging during Behavior and Stimuli Responses. J. Vis. Exp. (), e61876 [link]
- Grunwald Kadow, IC and Gompel N (2020). Sensory Evolution: Making Sense of the Noni Scent (Dispatch). Current Biology 30, Issue 12. [link]
- K.P. Siju, Vilim Stih, Sophie Aimon, Julijana Gjorgjieva, Ruben Portugues, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow. Valence and state-dependent population coding in dopaminergic neurons in the fly mushroom body (2020). Current Biology 30(11):2104-2115 [link]
- Aimon, S and Grunwald Kadow, IC. Studying complex brain dynamics using Drosophila (2020). Journal of Neurogenetics 34(1):171-177 [link]
- Sayin S, De Backer JF, Wosniack ME, Lewis L, Siju KP, Frisch LM, Schlegel P, Edmondson-Stait A, Sharifi N, Fisher CB, Calle-Schuler S, Lauritzen S, Bock D, Costa M, Jefferis GSXE, Gjorgjieva J, Grunwald Kadow IC (2019). A neural circuit arbitrates between perseverance and withdrawal in hungry Drosophila. Neuron 104, 544–558, online Aug 27 2019. [link]
- Kobler, JM and Grunwald Kadow IC (2019). Innate Behavior: Flies spring a surprise. eLife 2019;8:e47720 [link]
- Quarta, C, Fisette, A, Xu, Y, Colldén, G, Legutko, B, Tseng, Y, Reim, A, Wierer, M, De Rosa, MC, Klaus, V, Rausch, R, Thaker, VV, Graf, E, Strom, TM,Poher, LM, Gruber, T, Le Thuc, O, Cebrian-Serrano, A, Kabra, D, Bellocchio, L, Woods, SC, Pflugfelder, GO, Nogueiras, R, Zeltser, L, Grunwald Kadow, IC, Moon, A, García-Cáceres, C, Mann, M, Treier, M, Doege, CA, and Tschöp MH (2019). Functional identity of hypothalamic melanocortin neurons depends on Tbx3. Nature Metabolism, 1, 222–235 [link]
- Grunwald Kadow, IC (2018). State-dependent plasticity of innate behavior in fruit flies. Current Opinion in Neurobiology Volume 54, online [link]
- Sardana, J, Organisti, C and Grunwald Kadow, IC (2018). Eph receptor effector Ephexin mediates olfactory dendrite targeting in Drosophila. Developmental Neurobiology 18 July 2018; DOI 10.1002/dneu.22624.[link]
- Hinaux H, Bachem K, Battistara M, Rossi M, Xin Y, Jaenichen R, Le Poul Y, Arnoult L, Kobler JM, Grunwald Kadow IC, Rodermund L, Prud’homme B and Gompel N* (2018). Revisiting the developmental and cellular role of the pigmentation gene yellow in Drosophila using a tagged allele. Developmental Biology 2018 Jun 15;438(2):111-123. [link]
- Hussain, A, Pooryasin, A, Zhang, M, Loschek, LF, La Fortezza, M, Friedrich, AB, Blais, CM, Üçpunar, HK, Yépez, YA, Lehmann, M, Gompel, N, Gagneur, J, Sigrist, SJ and Grunwald Kadow IC (2018). Inhibition of oxidative stress in cholinergic projection neurons fully rescues aging-associated olfactory circuit degeneration in Drosophila. eLife 2018;7:e32018. [link]
- Sayın, S*, Boehm, AC*, Kobler, J*, De Backer, JF, and Grunwald Kadow, IC (2018).
Internal state dependent odor processing and perception - the role of neuromodulation in the fly olfactory system. Front. Cell. Neurosci., 30 January 2018. * equal contribution [link]
- Marianthi Karageorgi, Lasse B. Bräcker, Sébastien Lebreton, Caroline Minervino, Matthieu Cavey, K.P. Siju, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Nicolas Gompel* and Benjamin Prud’homme* (2017). Evolution of multiple sensory systems drives novel egg-laying behavior in the fruit pest Drosophila suzukii. Current Biology 2017 Mar 20;27(6):847-853 (*co-corresponding authors) [download]
- Gaspar Jékely, Sarah Melzer, Isabel Beets, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Joris Koene, Sara Haddad, and Lindy Holden-Dye. The long and the short of it: A perspective on peptidergic regulation of circuits and behaviour. Journal of Experimental Biology 2018 221: jeb166710 doi: 10.1242/jeb.166710 Published 8 February 2018 [download]
2016
- Hussain A*, Zhang M*, Üçpunar HK, Svensson T, Quillery E, Gompel N, Ignell R, Grunwald Kadow IC (2016). Ionotropic chemosensory receptors mediate the taste and smell of polyamines. PLoS Biology 14:e1002454. doi:10.1371 [download]
Hussain A*, Üçpunar HK*, Zhang M, Loschek LF, Grunwald Kadow IC (2016). Neuropeptides modulate female chemosensory processing upon mating in Drosophila. PLoS Biology 14:e1002455. doi: 10.1371 * equal contribution [download]
2015
- Lewis L, Siju KP, Aso Y, Friedrich AB, Bulteel AJB, Rubin GM, Grunwald Kadow IC (2015).
A higher brain circuit for immediate integration of conflicting sensory information in Drosophila. Current Biology PMID: 26299514, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.015
[download]
- Organisti C, Hein I, Grunwald Kadow IC*, Suzuki T* (2015). Flamingo, a seven-pass transmembrane cadherin, cooperates with Netrin/Frazzled in Drosophila midline pathfinding. Genes to Cells 20:50-67. doi: 10.1111/gtc.12202. Epub 2014 Nov 30 [download]
2014
- Siju KP*, Bräcker LB*, Grunwald Kadow IC (2014). Neural mechanisms of context-dependent modification of CO2 avoidance behavior in fruit flies. Fly 8:68-74. doi: 10.4161/fly.28000 * equal contribution [download]
2013
- Hartl M, Grunwald-Kadow IC (2013). New roles for ‘old’ microRNAs in nervous system function and disease. Front Mol Neurosci doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00051 [download]
- Bräcker LB*, Siju KP*, Varela N, Zhang M, Aso Y, Vasconcelos ML, Grunwald Kadow IC (2013).
Essential role of the mushroom body in context-dependent CO₂avoidance in Drososphila.
Current Biololgy 23(13):1228-34. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.029. Epub 2013 Jun 13 * equal contribution [download]
- Hein I, Suzuki T, Grunwald Kadow IC (2013). Gogo receptor contributes to retinotopic map formation and prevents R1- photoreceptor axon bundling. PLoS One 8(6):e66868. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066868 [download]
2012
- Stephan D, Sanchez-Soriano N, Loschek LF, Gerhards R, Gutmann S, Storchova Z, Prokop A and Grunwald Kadow IC (2012). Drosophila Psidin regulates olfactory neuron number and axon targeting through two distinct molecular mechanisms. Journal of Neuroscience 32(46):16080-94
[download]
- Otranto D, Cantacessi C, Lia RP, Grunwald Kadow IC, Siju KP, Dantas-Torres F, Máca J (2012).
First laboratory Culture of Phortica variegata (Diptera, Steganinae), the Thelazia callipaeda Vector. Journal of Vector Ecology 37(2): 458-61 [download]
2011
- Hartl M, Loschek LF, Stephan D, Siju KP, Knappmeyer C, Grunwald Kadow IC (2011). A New Prospero and microRNA-279 Pathway Restricts CO2 Receptor Neuron Formation. Journal of Neuroscience 31(44): 15660-73 [download]
2008
- Cayirlioglu P*, Grunwald Kadow I*, Zhan X, Okamura K, Gunning D, Lai EC, Zipursky SL (2008).
Hybrid Neurons in a microRNA mutant are putative evolutionary intermediates in insect CO2 sensory systems. Science 319: 1256-1260 * equal contribution [download]
2007
- Jones WD, Cayirlioglu P, Grunwald Kadow I, Vosshall LB (2007). Two chemosensory receptors together mediate carbon dioxide detection in Drosophila. Nature 445: 86-90 [download]
2001-2004
- Grunwald IC*, Korte M*, Adelmann G, Plueck A, Kullander K, Adams RH, Frotscher M, Bonhoeffer T, Klein R (2004). Hippocampal plasticity requires postsynaptic ephrinBs. Nature Neuroscience 7: 33-40 * equal contribution [download]
- Zorner B, Wolfer DP, Brandis D, Kretz O, Zacher C, Madani R, Grunwald I, Lipp HP, Klein R, Henn FA, Gass P (2003). Forebrain-specific trkB-receptor knockout mice: behaviorally more hyperactive than "depressive". Biol Psychiatry 54: 972-982 [download]
- Grunwald IC, Klein R (2002). Axon guidance: receptor complexes and signaling mechanisms.
Current Opinion Neurobiology 12: 250-259 [download]
- Grunwald IC*, Korte M*, Wolfer D, Wilkinson GA, Unsicker K, Lipp HP, Bonhoeffer T, Klein R (2001) Kinase-independent requirement of EphB2 receptors in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Neuron 32: 1027-1040 * equal contribution [download]
Reviews
- Siju KP, De Backer JF, Grunwald Kadow IC. Dopamine modulation of sensory processing and adaptive behavior in flies, Cell and Tissue Research, Special Issue on Olfactory Coding and Circuitries, in press.
- Grunwald Kadow, IC (2018). State-dependent plasticity of innate behavior in fruit flies. Current Opinion in Neurobiology Volume 54, online [link]
- Sayın, S*, Boehm, AC*, Kobler, J*, De Backer, JF, and Grunwald Kadow, IC (2018). Internal state dependent odor processing and perception - the role of neuromodulation in the fly olfactory system. Frontiers of Cellular Neuroscience, in press. * equal contribution [link]
- Gaspar Jekely, Sarah Melzer, Isabel Beets, Ilona C. Grunwald Kadow, Joris Koene, Sara Haddad, and Lindy Holden-Dye. The long and the short of it: A perspective on peptidergic regulation of circuits and behaviour. Journal of Experimental Biology 2018 221: jeb166710 doi: 10.1242/jeb.166710 Published 8 February 2018 [download]
- Siju KP, Bräcker LB, Grunwald Kadow IC (2014). Neural mechanisms of context-dependent modification of CO2 avoidance behavior in fruit flies. Fly 8:68-74. doi: 10.4161/fly.28000 [download]
- Hartl M, Grunwald-Kadow IC (2013). New roles for ‘old’ microRNAs in nervous system function and disease. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00051
[download]
- Grunwald IC, Klein R (2002). Axon guidance: receptor complexes and signaling mechanisms.
Current Opinion Neurobiology 12: 250-259 [download]