The neuroglial basis of brain function and resilience.

Oligodendrocytes build the myelin sheaths that surround axons. Maintaining these cells and their sheaths requires a sustained supply of energy and molecular building blocks. We study oligodendrocyte metabolism as both a requirement for myelin maintenance and a means of supporting the axons within it.

A central question is how oligodendrocytes adjust their metabolic activity when neurons become more active. Our published work shows that oligodendrocytes detect axonal activity and respond by increasing glucose metabolism, linking neuronal demand to glial metabolic support. We investigate how this coupling helps preserve axonal function over time.

• Looser et al., Nature Neuroscience 2024

Astrocytes are metabolically active cells connected to one another through gap junctions. These intercellular channels allow small molecules to pass between cells, creating networks through which astrocytes can coordinate their functions. We study how astrocyte metabolism and network organization contribute to neuronal support.

Our work and collaborative studies connect this question across scales: activity-related lactate release from astrocytes, the role of intact astrocyte networks in synaptic plasticity and learning, and the selective connections that astrocyte networks form between brain regions. We ask how the way these networks are organized shapes metabolic cooperation in the brain.

• Zuend et al., Nature Metabolism 2020
• Hösli et al., Cell Reports 2022
• Cooper et al., Nature 2026

Neurohomeostasis is the maintenance of conditions that allow brain cells to function over time. From a metabolic perspective, this means meeting changing energy demands while preserving the cells and structures that make neural communication possible. We ask how astrocytes and oligodendrocytes sustain this balance, and how it changes during aging, inflammation and neurodegeneration.

Metabolic flexibility is an important part of this question. Studies from our group and collaborations examine how astrocytes adapt their glucose metabolism and how oligodendrocytes use lipid-derived energy when glucose is limited. We investigate how these forms of glial adaptation relate to tissue resilience and the response to injury, including stroke.

• Thieren et al., Nature Communications 2025
• Asadollahi et al., Nature Neuroscience 2024

We study glial metabolism across cells and tissue. Live imaging follows metabolic changes over time, while microscopy places these changes in their cellular and structural context. Electron microscopy provides a view of myelin and axons, and mass spectrometry imaging maps the spatial distribution of metabolites in brain sections.

By bringing these perspectives together, we aim to understand how metabolic processes within glia contribute to the function and resilience of the brain.