Valentin Riedl ­­­­

Brain Scientist, and making films about science

Hot colors indicate less efficient brain regions
Neuroenergetics of the human brain
We study the energy metabolism of the human brain and how it relates to neural signaling in the healthy and diseased brain at Technische Universität München (TUM) in Munich, Germany.
My group
<p>Valentin Riedl &nbsp;<span style="font-weight: normal;">Principal Investigator</span></p>

Valentin Riedl  Principal Investigator

The human brain consumes around 20% of the energy produced by the body. While neuroscience research has immensely progressed in understanding the micro- and macroscopic architecture of the brain, the reason for its high energy demands is still a mystery. In my research on the Neuroenergetics of the human brain, I study how energy metabolism drives neural signaling and whether it is altered in neuropsychiatric disorders. 

At TUM, I have therefore established simultaneous measurements of glucose and oxygen metabolism in the brain combining quantitative PET, calibrated fMRI and edited MRS. I received my MD (Dr.med.) from TUM and my PhD (Systemic Neurosciences) from LMU after working as a Research Fellow at the World Health Organization. I am currently a Junior Fellow and Associate Research Scientist at TUM.  

<p>Roman Belenya<span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;PhD-student</span></p>

Roman Belenya PhD-student

Roman is integrating brain energy metabolism with dynamic connectivity measures to uncover directional signaling in the brain connectome. Roman holds a BSc in Psychology and did his MSc in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology in our group. We are very happy having him as our database wizard as he has been working as a programmer and data scientist for several companies before. If you want to discuss most bizarre chess moves, get in touch with Roman!
<p>Antonia Bose<span style="font-weight: normal;"> PhD-student</span></p>

Antonia Bose PhD-student

Antonia studies the connection between cerebral and peripheral energy metabolism, using glucose-clamp procedures in the MRI. She has extensive experience in neuropsychological testing of human subjects while using different imaging methods. Antonia received a BSc in Psychology and her MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Donders Institute before joining our group. If you want to learn sophisticated hip-hop moves, Antonia is your instructor.  

<p>Gabriel Castrillon<span style="font-weight: normal;"> PostDoc</span></p>

Gabriel Castrillon PostDoc

Gabriel is a data whisperer handling graph metric analysis and machine learning. In his PhD thesis, he investigate the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation (using TMS) on functional brain integration. Gabriel has a background in biomedical engineering and computing. He won a scholarship of the MLST Graduate School, was supported by a State scholarship of his home country, Columbia, and received the OHBM abstract merrit award. If you intend to visit the Columbian jungle, he is your guide.
<p>Samira Epp&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: normal;">PhD-student</span></p>

Samira Epp PhD-student

Samira studies the changes in energy consumption of human brain networks when subjects perform cognitive tasks. During her PhD, she became an expert in quantitative BOLD imaging, which complements her extensive knowledge of fMRI data analysis, but also made her question the very basics of it. Samira received a BSc and MSc in Psychology before joining our group. If you want to know when the next big climate demonstration takes place, ask Samira.

<p>Laura Fraticelli<span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;PhD-student</span></p>

Laura Fraticelli PhD-student

Laura studies patterns of gene expression relate to energy consumption. Her BSc and MSc in Biology make her predestined to answer these complex questions. After doing her MSc-project in the lab, she briefly left for an exchange program with Korea but will rejoin our group afterwards. Once back, you'll find her at the Isar teaching her dog Molly how to find missing people.
<p>André Hechler<span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;PhD-student</span></p>

André Hechler PhD-student

André studies the energy efficiency of neuronal anticipation and prediction. He has widespread knowledge ranging from neuropsychological theories to statistical and modeling approaches. André received a BSc and MSc in Psychology as well as a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Humboldt University in Berlin. Designing fancy routes in the climbing gym is his passion.
<p>Katarzyna Kurcyus<span style="font-weight: normal;"> PostDoc</span></p>

Katarzyna Kurcyus PostDoc

Katarzyna is an expert in measuring metabolites in the human brain using MRS. In her PhD thesis she studied the dynamics of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitter in the visual system. Kasia is experienced in fMRI, edited MRS, and quantitative PET imaging. She has a background in psychology. For her PhD, she won a scholarship of the MLST Graduate School as one of the top 5 applicants. If you look for the best Pierogi place in Germany, Kasia will find it.
<p>Mahnaz Ashrafi<span style="font-weight: normal;">&nbsp;visiting PhD-student</span></p>

Mahnaz Ashrafi visiting PhD-student

Mahnaz applies information theory methods to brain functional connectivity data. Mahnaz received a BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering before joining our lab in 2020 for a 10-month exchange visit. She will soon hand in her doctoral thesis to receive her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Teheran. If you ask nicely, Mahnaz might be willing to share the best Mirza Ghazemi recipe in the world with you. 

PostDoc and PhD positions are regularly available.

Students may join the Munich Graduate Schools of
Our work
<p>Multiscale brain imaging&nbsp;</p>

Multiscale brain imaging 

Inspired by molecular and cellular neuroenergetics, we develop novel strategies to integrate signals from multimodal brain imaging in order to better understand the energy profile of human brain function.
Energy Metabolism
Energy Metabolism
We study the energy metabolism of glucose in the human brain using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). We recently implemented quantitative PET imaging on an integrated PET/MR-scanner to directly measure glocose metabolism.
brain networks&nbsp;
brain networks 
We study the macroscopic organization of neural signaling in the human brain applying graph metrics to Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. We currently implement calibrated fMRI to directly measure oxygen metabolism.
<p>Neurotransmitter</p>

Neurotransmitter

We study inhibitory (GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) neurotransmitter levels in the human brain using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS).
Funding
Publications
 

Research profiles: ORCID • Google Scholar

Recent entries from my Newsblog
Contact

Riedl Lab

Email valentin.riedl@tum.de
Phone +49 89 4140 7972
Address TUM-NIC, Einsteinstr 1 (5th floor), 81675 Muenchen
Public transport PUBLIC TRANSPORT: 'Max-Weber-Platz', U-Bahn (U4, U5)

TUM Junior Fellow website

Riedl Lab at Dept. Neuroradiology