Christoph Giez

Cross-species comparative connectomics reveals the evolution of an olfactory circuit

This study uses cross-species connectomics to show that olfactory circuits have conserved core elements and species-specific rewiring linked to ecological differences.

Assembly of a functional neuronal circuit in embryos of an ancestral metazoan is influenced by environmental signals including the microbiome

The paper studies neural circuit self-assembly in Hydra embryos, showing environmental factors influence neural development and suggesting universal nervous system architecture.

A functional network model for body column neural connectivity in Hydra

The paper constructs a model connectome for Hydra's N3 nerve net and shows it can generate both short-lived and persistent activity patterns related to behavior.

The internal metabolic state controls behavior in Hydra through an interplay of enteric and central nervous system-like neuron populations

The paper shows that in Hydra, two neuronal populations control feeding-related behaviors, with N4 neurons resembling the enteric nervous system and N3 neurons resembling the central nervous system.

Prototypical pacemaker neurons are immunocompetent cells

The paper identifies and characterizes prototypical pacemaker neurons in Hydra that express immune-related genes and interact with the microbial environment.