New Leadership and Trustee02

T H E M A X P L A N C K F L O R I DA

INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

N E W S L E T T E R

Max Planck Around the World03

Alexander & Renate Dreyfoos Donate $1 Million04

Highlights in Education Outreach

Recent Research Funding

Max Planck Society’s 64th Annual Meeting

Research Spotlight

The Art of Science and Music

Sloane Family of Palm Beach Makes Contribution

Science Support over the Season

ISSUE 02S P R I N G2 0 1 4

BRAIN WAVES Ultra-fast imaging technology attracts top

students to neuroscience programsDuke University neuroscience graduate Dan Wilson could’ve gone anywhere to graduate school. After being accepted to several distinguished neuroscience programs, he chose to attend the only one that could give him the opportunity to work in the state-of-the-art labs at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience: Florida Atlantic University.

MPFI boasts the Femto3D-AcoustoOptical micro-scope, new technology that gives researchers the unique ability to perform fast imaging in 3D, providing up to a 100-fold improvement in scan speed compared to conventional two-photon micro-scopes.

This means scientists can record images of many points deep inside living tissue at very high speeds – and thus map out how cells react to stimuli.

“I knew there wouldn’t be anything like this any-where else,” said Wilson, who is in his second year at FAU studying the visual cortex, the area of the brain that processes visual information.

Such technological advances are driving the field of neuroscience forward faster than ever before, and the researchers at Max Planck are on the forefront of that work.

Wilson works in MPFI Scientific Director and CEO Dr. David Fitzpatrick’s lab. He sees firsthand how new technology is making a difference in the Institute’s work to understand the brain’s structure, function and development. His dissertation looks at how single neu-rons process information, in particular how the neuron’s dendrites and dendritic spines receive and process information from other neurons.

The Femto3DAO microscope, on which Wilson works up to 25 hours a week, allows him to shine a laser into brain tissue and capture 3D images.

“We can image large numbers of cells, or many points on a single cell, very rapidly and in three dimensions. This will tell us what a region of the brain or a single brain cell is doing as it processes visual information,”

Wilson said. “This is something that’s never been done and something we’re in a unique position to do.”

Inside the Fitzpatrick Lab,

the microscope sits on a floating air table to isolate it from vibration in a room that is climate-controlled for temperature and humidity. Without it, even the passing traffic outside could affect the microscope’s function - it’s that sensitive. This is the only microscope of its kind in the United States, while only a few exist worldwide.

Wilson has always been interested in learning how the brain works - an interest sparked by an Advanced Placement biology teacher in his North Carolina high school who had a background in research. That teacher helped him get a job in a lab after high school, and he’s been in a white coat ever since.

Wilson has about three years left in the integrative biology program, a partnership between MPFI and FAU. After that? He’d like his own lab - with an even faster microscope.

Unique technology, new capabilities, exceptional minds

Max Planck Society president visits Palm Beach County

“I’m always pleased to come here; I’ve been pleased ever since we started our operation 7 years ago, because I can feel the amazing enthusiasm and support of the local com-munity,” said Dr. Peter Gruss, President of the prestigious Max Planck Society, as he addressed an audience of 250 in Palm Beach.

Dr. Gruss is recognized internationally for fostering collabo-rations among the greatest minds in the scientific world to accelerate scientific advancement; and MPFI is part of this vision.

Dr. Gruss, Chairman of the MPFI Board, was instrumental in bringing the Max Planck Society to the United States and

remains involved in ensuring its stature as a leading neuro-science research institute. MPFI is part of an international network of Max Planck institutes collaborating in fundamen-tal research of the brain.

After giving a lecture at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, Dr. Gruss accepted an Award of Recognition from Palm Beach County Mayor, Priscilla Taylor, for his part in establishing MPFI as a global partner in advancing brain research.

“We feel we are wanted here, and it’s a good feeling. We want to give something in return. We want to give you a top scientific institute.”

“WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A TOP SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTE”

“I knew there wouldn't be anything like this anywhere else.”

— Dan Wilson,

FAU Graduate Student

Dan Wilson in the Fitzpatrick Lab at MPFI

Professor Dr. Peter Gruss in Palm Beach

While scientific advances have allowed for a longer life, they have come hand in hand with a growing number and severity of memory disorders.

MPFI’s Scientific Director Dr. Ryohei Yasuda focuses his research on discovering the properties of memory formation in the brain - and a recent discovery by his lab has shed new light on the biochemical mechanisms that occur during memory formation. The results of the team’s

research, published in the journal, Science, focus on the communication between synapses (where information is transmitted between neurons) and the neuron’s nucleus.

It’s believed that memories are formed by a strengthening of the connections be-tween neurons. Part of this communication network includes the dendritic spines, located on the surface on neurons, that receive information from other neurons. Repeated stimulation of the connection between specific neurons results in easier retrieval of the information stored in those neurons, and is called long-term potenti-ation (LTP). For example, if you drive to a destination you’ve never been to before, it may be difficult to remember the route you took a week later. However, if you returned to that destination every day for a week, it would be easier to recall that route from memory.

What scientists did not know prior to Dr. Yasuda’s research was how many of the thousands of dendritic spines on each neuron were required to send information to the cell nucleus to result in this memory formation. Dr. Yasuda’s research showed, surprisingly, he says, that induction of LTP in as few as three of a neuron’s dendritic spines was sufficient to exert profound effects on the neuron.

“Understanding the mechanisms of how these connections in the brain work should provide us insights into new therapeutics for diseases resulting in memory loss,” said Dr. Yasuda.

02 The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Newsletter | SPRING 2014

New insights into memory formation

RECENT RESEARCH FUNDING

Dr. Hiroki Taniguchi has been awarded a grant from the Whitehall Foundation to study the function of chandelier cells, a type of brain cell that has been implicated in a number of

brain disorders including schizophrenia and epilepsy. Dr. Taniguchi joined MPFI in 2012 and is known for his ground-breaking work in manipulating the dis-tinct subtypes of inhibitory neurons that play a role in mediating certain commu-nication pathways in the brain.

“If we understand the precise function of chandelier cells in neural circuits, we may be able to use this information to develop new diagnostics and treatments for brain disorders,” Dr. Taniguchi said while explaining the potential impact of his research.

Dr. Hyungbae Kwon was awarded a grant from the Brain & Behavior Re-search Foundation for work related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Kwon, who joined the Institute in 2012, is studying neuroligins, proteins that may be involved in neural com-munication disruptions in the brain in autism.

Specifically, Dr. Kwon’s work explores how neuroligins contribute to the formation of synapses, the structures responsible for communication be-tween brain cells. The Kwon Lab’s work will help answer questions about the development of neural circuits and their functions related to the development of autism.

Dr. Jason Christie has been award-ed a grant from the National Ataxia Foundation to support his research

on the etiology of Episodic Ataxia Type 1 (EA1) – a rare neurological dis-order causing uncontrolled movements induced by physical or emotional stress.

Dr. Christie joined MPFI in 2010 and is best known for his work on basic brain function, in particular the fundamental aspects of neurotransmission, which is the cell-to-cell signaling that occurs between neurons. The grant will help the Christie Lab to extend their research to also focus on disease.

“Ataxia is a debilitating disease, affect-ing a person’s movements, including the ability to walk or to pick up ob-jects,” said Dr. Christie. “The grant pro-vides an opportunity to take a closer look and examine Episodic Ataxia Type 1 with the hope that any discovery will help therapeutic treatments of this disorder.”

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Over $8.1 million in grants awarded to MPFI researchers in the past year, including awards from the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the National Institutes of Health

MAX PLANCK SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING

Dr. David Fitzpatrick, Scientific Director and CEO of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, delivered the keynote presentation at the Max Planck Society’s 64th Annual Meeting in Potsdam, the state capital of Brandenburg, Germany. In his speech, “Building cortical representations with experience: Insights from visual cortex,” Dr. Fitzpatrick provided an overview of the current challenges faced in neuroscience research and a review of the research currently underway at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.

Dr. Fitzpatrick’s keynote was a meaningful contribution to the meeting’s Plenary Assembly topic of internationality, which was celebrated with speeches from Max Planck Society President, Dr. Peter Gruss, and Germany’s Federal Research Minis-ter, Dr. Johanna Wanka.

The meeting included a presentation of the Stifterverband Science Award to Dr. Jens Frahm for pioneering research in diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging.

The Max Planck Florida Foundation welcomes new trust-ee, Howard Lester, a Palm Beach resident and lawyer. After graduating from Yale and serving in the U.S. Army, Lester enjoyed a long and successful career as the senior partner of a national law firm.

Mr. Lester and his wife, Patricia, also an MPFF Trustee, are longtime supporters of MPFI. The Lester family made a significant contribution to MPFF in 2012 and the MPFI’s lobby is named in their honor.

Mr. Lester says he enjoys supporting institutions like Max Planck and Mayo Clinic because their work is beneficial to everyone.

“All of the advances in medicine over the last 20 to 30 years have resulted from basic research, and that’s exactly what MPFI does,” Lester said. “This is why it’s so important to us to support the foundation. This research advances the world’s knowledge, moving us closer to cures for devastating neurological diseases that strike millions. We’re helping to make the world a better place.”

Mr. Lester serves on the boards of the Arthritis Foundation and the Palm Beach Opera and is Chairman of the David Minkin Foundation, supporting a variety of initiatives in Palm Beach County. Now retired from the active practice of law, Lester assists in operating several family real estate and investment businesses.

NEW LEADERSHIP

Foundation welcomes new trustee

MPFI Director delivers keynote

Barbara Suflas Noble has joined the executive leadership team at Max Planck Florida, bring-ing key experience and leadership to both the foundation and institute.

Ms. Noble serves as President of the Max Planck Florida Foundation and as Vice President for Advancement of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.

In her role as president of the foundation, Suflas Noble oversees all fundraising efforts to support the institute’s research and education programs. As Vice President for Advancement at MPFI, she develops and implements plans for future growth and manages external relations.

“As the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience continues to establish

itself as a world-class research center, Barbara joins us at a pivotal time,” said George Elmore, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “Her extensive fundraising experience and skills, exemplary reputation and network of professional and personal relationships in South Florida are key to achieving major scientific advancements here in the future.”

Barbara Noble joins leadership team BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. Fitzpatrick presents in Potsdam, Germany

A chandelier cell

Dendritic spines of the neuron

Howard Lester

Barbara Suflas Noble

The advent of serial block-face electron microscopy (SBEM), developed by Max Planck researcher Dr. Winfried Denk, has allowed scientists to image the volume of an entire block of tissue at a very high resolution, resulting in the reconstruction of a 3D section of brain tissue. While this imaging technique allows researchers to view neurons in a completely new way, we don’t yet have the technology to automatically and accurately map the

network connections of the neurons depicted in the reconstructed images.

Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter of the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany has developed a solution to this time-intensive task of manually mapping neuron circuits from imaging data: a mobile app.

The lab used SBEM to image a section of retinal tissue of about 1,000 neurons in size. The imaging process took roughly 8 weeks and consisted of 13,000 images. It took two years for the lab to analyze the neuron circuits of the sample. Now imagine how long it would take to map a sample of neocortex of the brain about 10,000 neurons in size. To generate the most useful data from this technology, we must find a way to analyze the data more efficiently. The Helmstaedter Lab’s new game, Brainflight, allows users to help dis-cover the neuron circuits of the neocortex by incorporating the challenge into a game simulating a flight through the brain.

“This work is incredibly important, but it’s also tedious and would take scientists hundreds of thousands of hours,” said Dr. Helmstaedter. “Brainflight is an engaging way for the public to help us with this enormous task. We’re crowd-sourcing work that, in the end, could literally map the brain’s entire neuronal circuit.”

With Brainflight, Helmstaedter is exploring new and unconventional ways to accelerate research progress and creating an extraordinary way for the public to directly engage in neuroscience research. For more information on Brainflight, visit brainflight.org or www.neuro.mpg.de

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Science teachers go back to the lab

SPRING 2014 | The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Newsletter

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER WORKSHOP WINTER LECTURE SERIES

High school teachers participated in MPFI’s first teacher workshop last year, which included scientific lectures and training experiments that guided participants through techniques used in modern neuroscience. MPFI’s workshop offers teach-ers an opportunity to further explore their subjects and get practical experience in an advanced lab setting, developing insights to take back to their students.

MPFI also offers summer internships and an annual career panel to showcase science professions and will launch its first internship program for teachers next summer.

“It’s a priority for the institute to make a significant impact in our community’s science education,” said Dr. Ana Fiallos, Head of Education Outreach and Director of the teacher workshop program. “Providing teachers with advanced lab training gives them something they can bring to the classroom for years to come.”

For the musician and the scientist, striving to reach new frontiers, discipline, perfection and attention to the finest detail are as important as curiosity, courage and inspiration. This winter, MPFI conducted a new experiment in public lectures: scientific presentations from Max Planck researchers alongside performances from young, award-win-ning musicians.

In four lectures, scientists from three different Max Planck institutes presented developments laying the groundwork for technological advances and treatments for disease.

Scientific speakers included MPFI’s Dr. David Fitzpatrick and Dr. Ryohei Yasuda, Dr. Bill Hansson (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany), and Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany).

The young musicians performing in the series were: violinist Itamar Zorman, winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia (American Friends of Kronberg Academy); Yoonie Han, a South Korean pianist and international award-winning Steinway Artist; cellist Ella van Poucke, who has studied at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague and the Conservatory of Amsterdam (American Friends of Kronberg Academy); and Virginia Mims, an award-winning vocalist from the Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

The art of science and music

Max Planck Florida hosted its third annual Brain Bee Challenge in March during Brain Awareness Week, a national initiative to increase public interest in brain research. Led by MPFI’s Head of Education Outreach, Dr. Ana Fiallos, high school students toured the Institute’s labs, took part in demonstrations with neuroscientists and competed in a brain science quiz.

Previously an independent challenge, Dr. Fiallos changed the format of the Brain Bee Challenge this year to a group effort, allowing students to compete in teams of two to three.

“Collaboration is an important part of the scientific process and a core value of the Max Planck Society and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience,” said Dr. Fiallos. “We were excited to incorporate that through the new format this year.”

For the third year in a row, Max Planck Florida’s Brain Bee Chal-lenge was funded by the Mary and Robert Pew Public Educa-tion Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to positively impacting chil-dren’s lives by, among other initiatives, providing access to exceptional opportunities in education.

“The reality is, some schools just have more resources available to them than others,” said Louise Grant, the Pew Fund’s Executive Director. “We

support the Brain Bee because it gives all students an equal opportunity to be challenged and to realize the full potential they have outside of the classroom.”

Seniors Christopher Aguirre of Atlantic High School and Cynthia Colas of Olympic Heights High School took home the first place title. Michael MeCabe, Sienna Young and Chandni Rana of Jupiter High School came in second place and Olivia Williams and Camila Yepes of Seminole Ridge High School and Oliver Levy of Jupiter High School made up the third place team. Each high school that placed in the top three received monetary donations to their science departments.

Dr. Fiallos heads 3rd annualBrain Bee Challenge

If you want to map the brain, there's an app for that

"We're crowd-sourcing work that, in the end, could literally map the brain's entire neuronal circuit."

— Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter,

Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology

Kathy Roberts of Palm Beach Gardens HS and Susan Shepard of Jupiter HS.

950 neurons reconstructed in a block of mouse retina

MAX PLANCK AROUND THE WORLD BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter

Chandni Rana and Sienna Young

Judges Drs. Chris Baker, Erzsebet Szatmari and James Schummers

Dr. Ryohei Yasuda

Ella van Poucke

T H E M A X P L A N C K F L O R I DA

INSTITUTE FOR NEUROSCIENCE

N E W S L E T T E R

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Newsletter | SPRING 201404

1. Hillie Mahoney and Dr. Peter Gruss celebrate with fellow MPFI major donors and special

guests at a private home in Palm Beach. 2. Becky and Jimmy Mayer enjoy MPFI’s acclaimed

‘Science Meets Music’ series. 3. Dr. Ryohei Yasuda and Hiroko Nakamoto enjoying MPFI’s

acclaimed ‘Science Meets Music’ series. 4. Maria Eugenia Haseltine, Dr. Peter Gruss and

Cathie Black at an MPFI supporters event held at the Knickerbocker Club, New York City.

5. Carroll Carpenter, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Nasser Kazeminy and Lisa Oz celebrate with fellow

MPFI major donors and special guests at a private home in Palm Beach. 6. William

McDonough, Diahn McGrath, Suzanne McDonough and Thomas McGrath at an MPFI

supporters event held at the Knickerbocker Club, New York City. 7. Alex Dreyfoos presents

a gift to Dr. Peter Gruss at an MPFI major donors and special guests event at a private

home in Palm Beach. 8. Diane Perrella, Delphine Poussot and Danyele Garnier celebrate

with fellow MPFI major donors and special guests at a private home in Palm Beach.

Photo credit: Tracey Benson Photography & LILA Photo

P One Max Planck Way • Jupiter, FL 33458

q (561) 972-9000 Bmaxplanckflorida.org

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SCIENCE SUPPORT OVER THE SEASON

Alex & Renate Dreyfoos give $1 millionAlex and Renate Dreyfoos, beloved com-munity leaders in Palm Beach County who are known for their generous support of the arts, education, and scientific research, gave a $1 million gift to the Max Planck Florida Foundation in March to support research focused on understanding the structure and function of the brain - work that is crucial for the development of treatments and cures for brain disorders.

“Renate and I consider it an honor and a responsibility to support MPFI and

its world-renowned scientists who are advancing the world’s knowledge of neuroscience every day,” said Mr. Dreyfoos. “The Institute’s presence here puts Palm Beach County on the global map of scientific achievement, which is dear to my heart and interests. Max Planck is important to our economy and educational resources, but most importantly it is moving us closer to cures for Alzheimer’s, autism, Parkinson’s and other diseases of the brain. What could be more important than that?”

Mr. Dreyfoos, a resident of Palm Beach, is an entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. After graduating from MIT, he served in the U.S. Air Force in Germany where he managed a photo reconnaissance laboratory. He earned an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and went on to found the Photo Electronics Corporation in 1963. It was there that he invented the Video Color Negative Analyzer (VCNA), marketed worldwide by Kodak and now part of a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution. A motion picture version of the VCNA earned his company an Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Mr. Dreyfoos is well known for his leadership role in establishing the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and owned WPEC TV-12 from 1973 to 1996.

In honor of the Dreyfoos’s support of neuroscience research, MPFI has designated the institute’s atrium as the Alexander and Renate Dreyfoos Atrium.

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

Sloane family of Palm Beach makes donationCarolyn and Richard Sloane, residents of Palm Beach, have made a $150,000 contribution to the Max Planck Florida Foundation.

“It is our honor to be associated with the growth and development of the Max Planck Florida Institute,” said Richard Sloane, managing partner of Ocean Via Realty in Palm Beach. “Their exception-al scientists, state-of-the-art research facility, and groundbreaking research in the critical field of neuroscience positions them as an important addition to the top research institutes now calling South Florida home.”

Originally from Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, the Sloanes are known for sup-porting many successful organizations in the technology, transportation, manu-facturing and real estate industries, as well as nonprofits, including the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Aging and the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.

In honor of the generous gift, the fountain located outside of the entrance of the research center has been named “The Carolyn and Richard Sloane Water Feature.”

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Alex and Renate Dreyfoos

Richard and Carolyn Sloane

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