PD Dr. Michael Wehr

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder affecting about 1% of the worldwide population and is considered to be a neurodevelopmental disorder with a high polygenic risk profile in the individual patient. The disease is characterised by positive symptoms (e.g. delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech), negative symptoms (e.g. lack of motivation, social withdrawal, flat affect) and cognitive deficits (e.g. poor working memory, deficits in attention, processing speed and function). Dr Wehr and his team use molecular, biochemical and cell biology techniques and mouse models to investigate how molecular mechanisms are altered by schizophrenia candidate risk genes. In particular, they analyse the impact of selected schizophrenia risk genes on changes in signalling pathway activities and synaptic plasticity. In addition, they establish cell-based assays to perform drug repurposing screens (i.e., the repurposing of approved drugs for new disease indications) to identify new treatment options for schizophrenia.

Accepting PhD students in 2025: To be determined.

Website at Dep. of Psychiatry, University Hospital, LMU Munich:

http://www.klinikum.uni-muenchen.de/Klinik-und-Poliklinik-fuer-Psychiatrie-und-Psychotherapie/de/ueber_uns/team/wehr/index.html

Publications:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=wehr+mc&sort=date

Science Social Media:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Wehr