Priv.Doz. Dr.med.vet. Bernhard Heinke

Department(s): Department of Neurophysiology (Center for Brain Research)
Position: Assistant Professor
Location: Spitalgasse 4
Telephone: 40160-34120
E-Mail:

Research Area:
Pain

Research Interests:
Chronic Pain, Inflammation, Neuronal Plasticity, Synaptic Transmission

Techniques:

• Modern electrophysiological techniques in vitro and in vivo
  Synaptic plasticity and intrinsic properties of neurons in pain pathways are studied in our lab by measuring extracellular field potentials in the intact animal and by performing whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from identified nociceptive neurons in spinal cord slices with long-dorsal roots attached.

• State of the art live-cell imaging
  We perform widefield ratiometric Ca²⁺ imaging with Ca²⁺-sensitive dyes, as well as high-resolution confocal and multiphoton laser scanning microscopy in vitro and in vivo.

Selected Publications:

1. Leitner J, Westerholz S, Heinke B, Forsthuber L, Wunderbaldinger G, Jäger T, Gruber-Schoffnegger D, Braun K, Sandkühler J (2013) Impaired Excitatory Drive to Spinal Gabaergic Neurons of Neuropathic Mice. PLoS.ONE., 8: e73370
   | Article (PDF) || Weblink |
2. Fenselau H, Heinke B, Sandkühler J (2011) Heterosynaptic long-term potentiation at GABAergic synapses of spinal lamina I neurons J Neurosci, 31: 17383-17385
   | Article (PDF) || Weblink |
3. Heinke,B., Gingl,E., Sandkühler,J. (2011) Multiple targets of µ-opioid receptor mediated presynaptic inhibition at primary afferent Aä- and C-fibers J Neurosci, 31: 1313-1322
   | Article (PDF) || Weblink |
4. Heinke B, Sandkühler J. (2007) Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor-induced Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-gradients in rat superficial spinal dorsal horn neurons Neuropharmacology, 52: 1015-1023
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5. Schoffnegger D., Heinke B., Sommer C., Sandkühler J. (2006) Physiological properties of spinal lamina II GABAergic neurons in mice following peripheral nerve injury J. Physiol., 577: 869-878
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6. Ikeda H., Heinke B., Ruscheweyh R., Sandkühler J. (2003) Synaptic plasticity in spinal lamina I projection neurons that mediate hyperalgesia Science, 299: 1237-1240
   | Article (PDF) |

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