Georg Kreutzberg
Encyclopedia
Georg W. Kreutzberg is a German
neuromorphologist
. Kreutzberg was long-serving director at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
in Martinsried near Munich.
He remains active as emeritus
director at that institute.
His various research interests have included microglia
cells, neuropathology
and nerve regeneration
following trauma (especially paraplegia
and quadriplegia
), fraud
in science, correct report
ing of scientific research to laypeople
and the history of neuroscience
in Germany.
, at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn, the Albert Ludwig’s University in Freiburg, the Medical University in Innsbruck and the University of Vienna. In 1961 he graduated as doctor from the University of Freiburg in Breisgau.
After working as post-doctoral scientific assistant, first at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
in Cambridge (Massachusetts) as well as at the Rockefeller University in New York City
, he graduated with Habilitation
in Neuropathology at the Technical University of Munich in 1971.
In 1977 Kreutzberg received a call to the position of Adjunct Professor for Neuropathology at the medical faculty of the Technical University of Munich. In 1978 he was scientific member and director at the theoretical section of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich (from 1984 situated at Planegg-Martinsried), which became the independently administered Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in 1998. In 1993 he worked as visiting professor at the Brain Research Institute of Zurich University. In 2000 Kreutzberg received emeritus status, nevertheless has continued working there with lectures, honorary appointments and advisory activities.
He has memberships in numerous national and international research organizations. Between 1981 and 1985 he was elected President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie (DGZ), from 1994 to 1997 of the International Society of Neuropathology and from 1997 to 2000 of the German Neurowissenchaftlichen Gesellschaft. In 1991 he was founding member, and from 1994 to 2008 chairman, of the Scientific Committee of the “International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia” (IFP) in Zurich. From 1991 to 1998 Georg Kreutzberg was initiator, joint instigator and director of the European Initiative for Communicators of Science (EICOS). Since 1991 he has been member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. From 2007 to 2008 he was president of the “International Society for the History of the Neurosciences”
cells in brain diseases. He was regarded as a leader in the investigation of microglia
cells - the crucial defense cells of brain tissue. He discovered the blocking effect of colchicine
on axonal and dendritic
transport in nerve cells. Using the experimental model provided by the facial motor nucleus
following axotomy
Kreutzberg and his fellow workers discovered essential parameters of the regeneration program of nerve cells. Here, he developed also the activation concept of microglia cells, which revealed new directions for the understanding of many brain diseases.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
neuromorphologist
Neuromorphology
Neuromorphology is the study of nervous system form, shape, and structure. The study of its structure includes looking at the organ system from a physiological and anatomical point of view, as well as on a molecular and cellular level...
. Kreutzberg was long-serving director at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology
The Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology is a research institute of the Max Planck Society located in Martinsried, a suburb of Munich in Germany. Research centers on the basic mechanisms and functions of the developing and adult nervous system. Main focus areas include the mechanisms of...
in Martinsried near Munich.
He remains active as emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
director at that institute.
His various research interests have included microglia
Microglia
Microglia are a type of glial cell that are the resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, and thus act as the first and main form of active immune defense in the central nervous system . Microglia constitute 20% of the total glial cell population within the brain...
cells, neuropathology
Neuropathology
Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole autopsy brains. Neuropathology is a subspecialty of anatomic pathology, neurology, and neurosurgery...
and nerve regeneration
Nerve regeneration
Neuroregeneration refers to the regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells or cell products. Such mechanisms may include generation of new neurons, glia, axons, myelin, or synapses. Neuroregeneration differs between the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system by the functional...
following trauma (especially paraplegia
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
and quadriplegia
Quadriplegia
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms...
), fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
in science, correct report
Report
A report is a textual work made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable form....
ing of scientific research to laypeople
Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
and the history of neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
in Germany.
Biography
Georg Kreutzberg studied Medicine, later specializing in NeuropathologyNeuropathology
Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole autopsy brains. Neuropathology is a subspecialty of anatomic pathology, neurology, and neurosurgery...
, at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University in Bonn, the Albert Ludwig’s University in Freiburg, the Medical University in Innsbruck and the University of Vienna. In 1961 he graduated as doctor from the University of Freiburg in Breisgau.
After working as post-doctoral scientific assistant, first at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in Cambridge (Massachusetts) as well as at the Rockefeller University in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, he graduated with Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in Neuropathology at the Technical University of Munich in 1971.
In 1977 Kreutzberg received a call to the position of Adjunct Professor for Neuropathology at the medical faculty of the Technical University of Munich. In 1978 he was scientific member and director at the theoretical section of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich (from 1984 situated at Planegg-Martinsried), which became the independently administered Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in 1998. In 1993 he worked as visiting professor at the Brain Research Institute of Zurich University. In 2000 Kreutzberg received emeritus status, nevertheless has continued working there with lectures, honorary appointments and advisory activities.
He has memberships in numerous national and international research organizations. Between 1981 and 1985 he was elected President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zellbiologie (DGZ), from 1994 to 1997 of the International Society of Neuropathology and from 1997 to 2000 of the German Neurowissenchaftlichen Gesellschaft. In 1991 he was founding member, and from 1994 to 2008 chairman, of the Scientific Committee of the “International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia” (IFP) in Zurich. From 1991 to 1998 Georg Kreutzberg was initiator, joint instigator and director of the European Initiative for Communicators of Science (EICOS). Since 1991 he has been member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. From 2007 to 2008 he was president of the “International Society for the History of the Neurosciences”
Research
Georg Kreutzberg researched as experimental neuropathologist on the cellular mechanisms of brain and nerve disorders, especially on regeneration and repair mechanisms in the brain as well as the role of gliaGlial cell
Glial cells, sometimes called neuroglia or simply glia , are non-neuronal cells that maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurons in the brain, and for neurons in other parts of the nervous system such as in the autonomous nervous system...
cells in brain diseases. He was regarded as a leader in the investigation of microglia
Microglia
Microglia are a type of glial cell that are the resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, and thus act as the first and main form of active immune defense in the central nervous system . Microglia constitute 20% of the total glial cell population within the brain...
cells - the crucial defense cells of brain tissue. He discovered the blocking effect of colchicine
Colchicine
Colchicine is a medication used for gout. It is a toxic natural product and secondary metabolite, originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum...
on axonal and dendritic
Dendrite
Dendrites are the branched projections of a neuron that act to conduct the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project...
transport in nerve cells. Using the experimental model provided by the facial motor nucleus
Facial motor nucleus
The facial motor nucleus is a collection of neurons in the brainstem that belong to the facial nerve . These lower motor neurons innervate the muscles of facial expression and the stapedius.-Anatomy:...
following axotomy
Axotomy
An axotomy is the cutting or otherwise severing an axon. Derived from axo- and -tomy . This type of denervation is often used in experimental studies on neuronal physiology and neuronal death or survival as a method to better understand nervous system diseases.Axotomy may cause neuronal cell...
Kreutzberg and his fellow workers discovered essential parameters of the regeneration program of nerve cells. Here, he developed also the activation concept of microglia cells, which revealed new directions for the understanding of many brain diseases.
Honors and Prizes
- 1987: Rudolf F. Weiss Prize for fundamental research in neurology
- 1991: K. J. Zuelch Prize from the Gertrud Reemtsma Foundation
- 1991: Honorary doctorate of Dr. med. h. c. of the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical UniversityAlbert Szent-Györgyi Medical UniversityAlbert Szent-Györgyi Medical University was originally established in Cluj-Napoca, then in Austria-Hungary, nowadays Romania, in 1872. After World War I, it was moved to Szeged. Between 1921 and the present, great advances have been made in the development of the University...
Szeged, Hungary - 1992: GSF Prize for interdisciplinary cooperative research
- 1999: "Science in Dialogue" PUSH Prize for Public Understanding of Science and Humanities, together with Helmut Kettenmann, for the “German Neuroscience Society”
- 2006: Honorary member of the International Society of Neuropathology
- 2006: Visiting Professor and Orator for the 20th Peter Lampert Memorial Lecture, University of California, San Diego
- 2007: Recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
with “Cross of Merit, First class”.
Writings (selection)
- Cellular Biology of Ectoenzymes. Springer, Heidelberg 1986, jointly with Martin Reddington and Herbert Zimmermann, ISBN 3540157468.
- The Neurosciences at the Turn of the Century. Thieme, Stuttgart 2001, jointly with Norbert Elsner, ISBN 3131297611.
- Kreutzberg, G. W. (1996) "Microglia: a sensor for pathological events in the CNS", Trends in Neurosciences 19 (8) 312-318.
- Graeber, M. B., Blakemore, W. F. and Kreutzberg, G. W. (2002) "Cellular pathology of the central nervous system" in: Greenfield's Neuropathology, 7th edition, Graham, D. I. and Lantos, P. L. (Eds). Vol. 1, 123.191, Arnold, London ISBN 0340762217.
- Kreutzberg, G. W. (1987) "Dendrites, Transport and Secretion" in: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Adelman, G. (Ed.), Vol. 1, 319-320 Birkhäuser Boston ISBN 3764333359.
- Kreutzberg, G. W. (1987) "Microglia" in: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Adelman, G. (Ed.), Vol. 2 661-662, Birkhäuser Boston ISBN 3764333359.
- Kreutzberg, G. W. (1995) "Reaction of the neuronal body to axonal damage" In: The Axon: Structure, Function and Pathophysiology. Waxman, G. G., Kocsis, D. & Stys, P. K. (Eds.) Oxford University Press, New York. Ch. 19, Pp 355–374 ISBN 0195082931.
- "Kreutzberg", In: Lexikon der Neurowissenschaft (2000) Vol. 2 270. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, ISBN 3827404525
External links
- Web page of Georg Kreutzberg (Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology)
- Kreutzberg named as "ISI highly cited researcher" in 2001. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISI_highly_cited_researcher
- Interview with Georg Kreutzberg in Neuroforum 3/2008 (PDF file; 4,09 MB)