The Poller lab investigates brain-body networks in cardiovascular and neurological diseases. We use state-of-the-art neurorecording and neuromodulation technologies, including fiber photometry, chemo-genetics and optogenetics, brain region-specific knockout mice, as well as mono- and polysynaptic viral tracing. Working at the crossroads of neuroscience, immunology, and cardiology, we aim at understanding how different brain regions control and are controlled by the immune and cardiovascular systems. Specific projects in the lab investigate brain-body crosstalk during myocardial infarction, the effects of prenatal stress on the offspring’s immune system, the role of central stress circuits and stress axis signaling in stroke-heart syndrome, as well as the effects of exercise and motor network activity on sepsis survival. Our lab strives to translate mouse findings into specific brain center manipulations in humans to shape the course of diseases using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and virtual reality (VR) approaches.
Research
Contact
For inquiries about open positions at the Poller lab, reach out directly to Dr Wolfram Poller at 
MGH Cardiovascular Research Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
185 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114