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Dr. Uwe Mayer CURRICULUM VITAE
Born: Aktobe, Kazakhstan Nationality: German Languages: German
(fluent), English (fluent), Russian (native). Affiliation:
University of Trento Center for Mind/Brain Sciences Piazza
Manifattura 1 38068, Rovereto, Italy Contact:
[email protected]
2017 - present Assistant Professor, CIMeC, University of Trento,
Rovereto, Italy. 2013 – 2017 Postdoc, CIMeC, University of Trento,
Rovereto, Italy (Lab. of Prof. G. Vallortigara, ERC grant). 2012 –
2013 Postdoc, Bielefeld University, Germany (Lab. of Prof. J.
Engelmann). 2008 – 2012 Dr.rer. nat., Bielefeld University, Germany
(Adv. Prof. H-J. Bischof) 2006 – 2008 M.Sc. (Systems Biology of
Brain and Behaviour), Bielefeld University, Germany. 2003 – 2006
B.Sc. (Biology), Bielefeld University, Germany. 2001 –2002
Alternative civilian service, Von Laer Stiftung, Bielefeld,
Germany. 1998 – 2001 Biological Technical Assistant
(State-certified BTA), CSB, Bielefeld, Germany.
Research interests
My research interest is to provide missing information needed
for the comparative study of brain evolution and thus to contribute
to the understanding of general principles of the nervous system
that are not readily apparent from studies on mammals alone. The
focus of my current research is targeting the functional aspects of
the avian hippocampus and its anatomical structure, by using
japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) and domestic chicks (Gallus
gallus) as animal models. I am also interested in brain areas which
are involved in control of social behaviours and some aspects of
bird's visual system.
Methods
- Behavioural measurements and training of animals -
Neuroanatomical and histological preparations -
Immunohistochemistry and neuroanatomy - Mapping brain activities on
the basis of immediate early genes products - Brain lesioning and
tracing techniques - In vivo electrophysiology in anaesthetised and
in freely moving animals - DNA Isolation, micro-satellites
applications, PCR, SDS PAGE, Western Blot - Species: domestic chick
(Gallus gallus), japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), zebra finch
(Taeniopygia guttata),
elephant nose fish (Gnathonemus petersii), mouse (Mus
musculus)
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mailto:[email protected]
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Publications (peer-reviewed):
Research Articles:
11. Mayer U, Bhushan R, Vallortigara G, Lee SA (in revision).
Representation of environmental shape in the hippocampal formation
of domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). Brain Structure and
Function.
10. Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G (2017).
Dynamic features of animate motion activate septal and preoptic
areas in visually naïve chicks (Gallus gallus). Neuroscience.
354:54-68
9. Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Morbioli F, Vallortigara G (2017). The
motion of an alive conspecific activates septal and preoptic areas
in naive domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). European Journal of
Neuroscience. 45(3):423-432
8. Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G (2017). First exposure
to an alive conspecific activates septal and amygdaloid nuclei in
visually-naïve domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). Behavioural Brain
Research. 317:71-81
7. Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Lorenzi E, Vallortigara G (2016).
Social predisposition dependent neuronal activity in the
intermediate medial mesopallium of domestic chicks (Gallus gallus
domesticus). Behavioural Brain Research 310: 93-102.
6. Bischof HJ*, Eckmeier D*, Keary N*, Löwel S*, Mayer U*,
Michael N* (2016). Multiple Visual Field Representations in the
Visual Wulst of a Laterally Eyed Bird, the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia
guttata). PLoS ONE 11(5): e0154927. * These authors contributed
equally to this work and are listed in alphabetical order
5. Mayer U, Pecchia T, Bingman VP, Flore M, Vallortigara G
(2015). Hippocampus and medial striatum dissociation during goal
navigation by geometry or features in the domestic chick: an
immediate early gene study. Hippocampus 26(1):27-40.
4. Mayer U, Bischof HJ (2012). Brain activation pattern
depending on the strategy chosen by zebra finches to solve an
orientation task. The Journal of Experimental Biology 215:
426-434.
3. Watanabe S, Mayer U, Bischof HJ (2011). Visual wulst analyses
"where" and entopallium analyses "what" in zebra finch visual
system. Behavioural Brain Research 222(1):51-56.
2. Mayer U, Watanabe S, Bischof HJ (2010). Hippocampal
activation of immediate early genes zenk and c-Fos in zebra finches
(Taeniopygia guttata) during learning and recall of a spatial
memory task. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 93(3):322-9.
1. Watanabe S, Mayer U, Bischof HJ (2008). Pattern
discrimination is affected by entopallial but not by hippocampal
lesions in zebra finches. Behavioural Brain Research 190:
201-205.
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Review articles:
3. Di Giorgio E*, Loveland JL*, Mayer U*, Rosa-Salva O*, Versace
E*, Vallortigara G (2017). Filial responses as predisposed and
learned preferences: Early attachment in chicks and babies.
Behavioural Brain Research. 325:90-104 * These authors had equal
contribution to the work and are listed in alphabetical order.
2. Rosa Salva O, Mayer U, Vallortigara G (2015). Roots of a
social brain: developmental models of emerging animacy-detection
mechanisms. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 50:150-68.
1. Mayer U, Watanabe S, Bischof HJ (2013). Spatial memory and
the avian hippocampus: research in zebra finches. Journal of
Physiology – Paris 107 (1-2): 2-12.
Invited Talks:
- Mayer U (2017). ’Different Structure, Same Function? Avian
Hippocampus and Spatial Memory’. Meeting of the
German Zoological Society (DZG), devision of neurobiology,
Bielefeld, Germany.
- Mayer U (2015). ‘Brain Activity Pattern Lateralisation in
Chicks: Some Examples from Immediate Early Genes Studies’. Mini
Symposium on Laterality, CIMeC, Rovereto, Italy.
- Mayer U (2012). ’Spatial memory and the avian hippocampus:
Research in zebra finches’. Application talk at CIMeC, Rovereto,
Italy.
- Mayer U (2011). ‘Brain Activation Pattern Depending on the
Strategy Chosen by Zebra Finches to Solve an Orientation Task’.
Neuroethology satellite symposium at the meeting of the German
Zoological Society (DZG), Saarbrücken, Germany.
- Mayer U (2010). ‘Pattern Discrimination vs. Spatial Learning
in Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata)’. 21. NeuroDoWo, Bielefeld,
Germany.
Poster presentations (2014-2017):
- Rosa Salva O, Mayer U and Giorgio Vallortigara. Innate social
predispositions for animate motion and their neural correlates in
newly-hatched chicks (Gallus gallus). DZG Meeting 2017, Bielefeld,
Germany.
- Mayer U, Bhushan R, Vallortigara G, Lee SA. Representation of
environmental shape in the hippocampal formation of domestic
chicks. Cogevo 2016, Rovereto, Italy
- Morbioli F, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Septal
response to the motion of an alive conspecific in visually naive
chicks (Gallus gallus). Cogevo 2016, Rovereto, Italy
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- Mayer U, Bhushan R, Vallortigara G, Lee SA. Representation of
environmental shape in the hippocampal formation of domestic
chicks. iNAV 2016 - Bad Gastein, Austria.
- Mayer U, Chiandetti C, Boschetti E, Trainito C, Vallortigara
G. Hippocampal formation involvement in encoding quantities in
domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) revealed by c-Fos as neuronal
activity marker. CAOs 2016 - Rovereto Workshop on Concepts,
Actions, and Objects, Rovereto, Italy.
- Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Morbioli F, Vallortigara G. Septal
Response to the First Exposure to the Motion of an Alive
Conspecific In Naive Domestic Chicks. ECCN 2016 - 8th European
Conference on Comparative Neurobiology, Munich, Germany.
- Rosa Salva O, Mayer U and Giorgio Vallortigara. Brain activity
in chicks exposed to a predisposed or a non-predisposed social
stimulus: an immediate early gene expression study. ECCN 2016 - 8th
European Conference on Comparative Neurobiology, Munich,
Germany.
- Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Grassi M, Regolin L,
Vallortigara G. Higher activity in the right septum of chicks
(Gallus gallus) exposed to elementary motion cues related to
animacy perception. The XII International Congress for
Neuroethology: (ICN) – March 30 - April 3, 2016 – Montevideo,
Uruguay
- Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Dorigatti S, Vallortigara G. Lateral
Septum responds to the first exposure to a live social partner in
naive domestic chicks (Gallus gallus). EBBS - European Brain and
Behaviour Society Joint Meeting 2015, Verona, Italy
- Lorenzi E, Rosa Salva O, Mayer U, Grassi M, Regolin L,
Vallortigara G. Neural correlates of animate motion predispositions
in chicks (Gallus gallus). SIE 2015 - XXVI Convegno Nazionale della
Società Italiana di Etologia, Parma, Italy
- Boschetti E, Mayer U, Trainito C, Chiandetti C, Vallortigara
G. Neuronal basis of numerical cognition in the domestic chick
(Gallus gallus). Trieste Symposium on Perception and Cognition
2015, Italy
- Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Lateral
Septum in visually naïve chicks responds to animacy. Neuroethology:
Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology (GRS) – June 27-28,2015 –
Lucca (Barga), Italy
- Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Septum in
visually naïve chicks responds to animacy. workshop - INSECT models
of BEHAVIOUR – 4th September, 2015 – Rovereto (TN), Italy
- Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Lateral
septum responds to self-propelled motion in naïve chicks. EBBS -
European Brain and Behaviour Society joint meeting – September
12-15, 2015 – Verona, Italy
- Lorenzi E, Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. A neuronal
activity marker c-Fos reveals higher activity in septum of chicks
exposed to animacy motion cues. Trieste Symposium on Perception and
Cognition (TSPC) – November 13, 2015 – Trieste, Italy
- Bhushan R, Mayer U, Vallortigara G, Lee SA. Environmental
novelty and c-Fos activation in the avian hippocampus.
Conference/Course: Aging Brain, Torino, 2015, Italy
- Bhushan R, Mayer U, Vallortigara G, Lee SA. Environmental
novelty and c-Fos activation in the avian hippocampus. Donders
Discussions 2015, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Social predisposition
in chicks and their neuronal correlates as revealed by immediate
early gene expression. Cogevo 2014, Rovereto, Italy
- Gianni E, Mayer U, Lee SA, Vallortigara G. Behavioral and
neural correlates of reorientation by boundaries and features.
Cogevo 2014, Rovereto, Italy
- Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Unlearned social
predisposition in chicks and their neuronal correlates as revealed
by immediate early gene expression. ISIS, Conference 2014 - Berlin,
Germany
- Mayer U, Rosa Salva O, Vallortigara G. Different brain
activity, measured by immediate early genes (IEGs) expression, in
chicks exposed to a predisposed or a non-predisposed social
stimulus. 11th international congress of neuroethology 2014,
Saporo, Japan
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