I have been studying cellular and circuit-level changes in animal models of fear and anxiety via combining different approaches including electrophysiology, behaviour and pharmacogenetics (DREADDs). My current research focuses on identification of physiological and pathological alterations in the hippocampal activity patterns and their relation to modulation of hippocampal engrams in animal models of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. I am also interested in the impact of environmental factors and their interactions with the immune system in mediation of affective behaviour.
Education
B.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey 2006
M.Sc. in Medical Neurosciences, Humboldt University, Charité Medical Faculty, Berlin, Germany 2008
Ph.D. in Medical Neurosciences, Humboldt University, Charité Medical Faculty, Berlin, Germany 2015
Contact information
E-mail: guersel.caliskan[at]ovgu.de
Telephone: +49(391)-67 55108
Publications
26: Caliskan G, Demiray Y, Stork O. Comparison of three common inbred mouse strains reveals substantial differences in hippocampal GABAergic interneuron populations and in vitro network oscillations. Authorea. November 17, 2022.
25: Brandner S, Schroeter S, Çalışkan G, Salar S, Kobow K, Coras R, Blümcke I, Hamer H, Schwarz M, Buchfelder M, Maslarova A. Glucocorticoid modulation of synaptic plasticity in the human temporal cortex of epilepsy patients: Does chronic stress contribute to memory impairment? Epilepsia. 2021 Oct 23.
24: Çalışkan G#, French T, Enrile Lacalle S, Del Angel M, Steffen J, Heimesaat MM, Rita Dunay I, Stork O. Antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis leads to activation of microglia and impairment of cholinergic gamma oscillations in the hippocampus. Brain Behav Immun. 2021 Oct 18;99:203-217.# Corresponding Author
23: Annamneedi A, Del Angel M, Gundelfinger ED, Stork O, Çalışkan G#. (2021) The Presynaptic Scaffold Protein Bassoon in Forebrain Excitatory Neurons Mediates Hippocampal Circuit Maturation: Potential Involvement of TrkB Signalling. Int J Mol Sci 22(15):7944.# Senior/Corresponding Author
22: Madencioglu DA, Çalışkan G, Yuanxiang P, Rehberg K, Demiray YE, Kul E, Engler A, Hayani H, Bergado-Acosta JR, Kummer A, Müller I, Song I, Dityatev A, Kähne T, Kreutz MR, Stork O. (2021) Transgenic modeling of Ndr2 gene amplification reveals disturbance of hippocampus circuitry and function. iScience 24(8):102868.
21: Çalışkan G, Müller A, Albrecht A. (2020) Long-Term Impact of Early-Life Stress on Hippocampal Plasticity: Spotlight on Astrocytes. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21(14):E4999. doi:10.3390/ijms21144999
20: Çalışkan G, Raza SA, Demiray YE, Kul E, Sandhu KV, Stork O. Depletion of dietary phytoestrogens reduces hippocampal plasticity and contextual fear memory stability in adult male mouse. Nutritonal Neuroscience 2019, Epub ahead of print Dec 9:1-12. doi:10.1080/1028415X.2019.1698826.
19: Ivens S*, Çalışkan G*, Papageorgiou I, Cesetti T, Malich A, Kann O, Heinemann U, Stork O, Albrecht A. Persistent increase in ventral hippocampal long-term potentiation by juvenile stress: A role for astrocytic glutamine synthetase. Glia 2019; 67(12):2279-2293. doi: 10.1002/glia.23683. * Equal Contribution
18:Çalışkan G, Stork O. Hippocampal network oscillations at the interplay between innate anxiety and learned fear. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2019; 236(1):321-338. doi: 10.1007/s00213-018-5109-z.
17: Annamneedi A*, Caliskan G*, Müller S, Montag D, Budinger E, Angenstein F, Fejtova A, Tischmeyer W, Gundelfinger ED, Stork O. Ablation of the presynaptic organizer Bassoon in excitatory neurons retards dentate gyrus maturation and enhances learning performance. Brain Struct Funct. 2018;223(7):3423-3445. doi: 10.1007/s00429-018-1692-3. * Equal Contribution
16:Çalışkan G, Stork O. Hippocampal network oscillations as mediators of behavioural metaplasticity: Insights from emotional learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2018;154:37-53. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.02.022.
15: Raza SA, Albrecht A, Çalışkan G, Müller B, Demiray YE, Ludewig S, Meis S, Faber N, Hartig R, Schraven B, Lessmann V, Schwegler H, Stork O. HIPP neurons in the dentate gyrus mediate the cholinergic modulation of background context memory salience. Nat Commun. 2017;8(1):189. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00205-3.
14: Albrecht A, Müller I, Ardi Z, Çalışkan G, Gruber D, Ivens S, Segal M, Behr J, Heinemann U, Stork O, Richter-Levin G. Neurobiological consequences of juvenile stress: A GABAergic perspective on risk and resilience. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017;74(Pt A):21-43. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.005.
13:Klaft ZJ, Hollnagel JO, Salar S, Calişkan G, Schulz SB, Schneider UC, Horn P, Koch A, Holtkamp M, Gabriel S, Gerevich Z, Heinemann U. Adenosine A1 receptor-mediated suppression of carbamazepine-resistant seizure-like events in human neocortical slices. Epilepsia. 2016; doi: 10.1111/epi.13360.
12:Albrecht A, Ivens S, Papageorgiou I, Çalışkan G, Saiepour N, Brueck W, Richter-Levin G, Heinemann U, Stork O. Shifts in excitatory/ inhibitory balance by juvenile stress: A role for neuron-astrocyte interaction in the dentate gyrus. Glia. 2016;64(6):911-22. doi: 10.1002/glia.22970.
11:Çalışkan G, Müller I, Semtner M, Winkelmann A, Sporbert A, Raza A, Hollnagel J, Rösler A, Heinemann U, Stork O, Meier JC. Identification of Parvalbumin Interneurons as Cellular Substrate of Fear Memory Persistence. Cereb Cortex. 2016;26(5):2325-40. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhw001
10:Gruber D, Gilling K, Albrecht A, Bartsch JC, Çalışkan G, Richter-Levin G, Stork O, Heinemann U, Behr J. 5-HT receptor-mediated modulation of granule cell inhibition after stress recovers after a second exposure to stress in adulthood. Neuroscience. 2015;293:67-79. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.02.050. E
9:Çalışkan G, Albrecht A, Hollnagel JO, Rösler A, Richter-Levin G, Heinemann U, Stork O. Long-term changes in the CA3 associative network of fear-conditionedmice. Stress. 2015;18(2):188-97. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2015.1004628. E
8:Çalışkan G, Schulz SB, Gruber D, Behr J, Heinemann U, Gerevich Z. Corticosterone and corticotropin-releasing factor acutely facilitate gammaoscillations in the hippocampus in vitro. Eur J Neurosci. 2015;41(1):31-44.doi: 10.1111/ejn.12750.
7:Müller I, Çalışkan G, Stork O. The GAD65 knock out mouse – a model for GABAergic processes in fear- and stress-induced psychopathology. Genes Brain Behav. 2015;14(1):37-45. doi: 10.1111/gbb.12188.
6:Winkelmann A, Maggio N, Eller J, Caliskan G, Semtner M, Häussler U, Jüttner R, Dugladze T, Smolinsky B, Kowalczyk S, Chronowska E, Schwarz G, Rathjen FG, Rechavi G, Haas CA, Kulik A, Gloveli T, Heinemann U, Meier JC. Changes in neural network homeostasis trigger neuropsychiatric symptoms. J Clin Invest. 2014; 124(2):696-711. doi: 10.1172/JCI71472.
5:Calişkan G, Albrecht A. Noradrenergic interactions via autonomic nervous system: a promising target for extinction-based exposure therapy? J Neurophysiol. 2013;110(11):2507-10. doi: 10.1152/jn.00502.2013.
4:Albrecht A*, Çalışkan G*, Oitzl MS, Heinemann U, Stork O. Long-lasting increase of corticosterone after fear memory reactivation: anxiolytic effects and network activity modulation in the ventral hippocampus. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2013;38(3):386-94. doi: 10.1038/npp.2012.192.* Equal Contribution
3:Fano S*, Çalışkan G*, Heinemann U. Differential effects of blockade of ERG channels on gamma oscillations and excitability in rat hippocampal slices. Eur J Neurosci. 2012;36(12):3628-35. doi: 10.1111/ejn.12015. * Equal Contribution
2:Fano S, Caliskan G, Behrens CJ, Heinemann U. Histaminergic modulation of acetylcholine-induced γ oscillations in rat hippocampus. Neuroreport. 2011;22(11):520-4. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32834889dd.
1:Liotta A*, Caliskan G*, ul Haq R, Hollnagel JO, Rösler A, Heinemann U, Behrens CJ. Partial disinhibition is required for transition of stimulus-induced sharp wave-ripple complexes into recurrent epileptiform discharges in rat hippocampal slices. J Neurophysiol. 2011; 105(1):172-87. doi: 10.1152/jn.00186.2010. * Equal Contribution
CBBS Science Campus, project group 6
CBBS NeuroNetwork: CBBScircuitS – A Neuronetwork for functional analysis of the engram connectome
PIs: Gürsel Çalışkan, Anne Bayrhammer (IPT), Guilherme Monteiro Gomes (LIN)