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Prof. Dr. Tatiana Korotkova

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Univ.-Prof. Dr. Tatiana Korotkova

Kandidatin Sektionssprecherin "Verhaltensneurowissenschaften"

Institute for Systems Physiology
Faculty of Medicine
Robert-Koch-Str. 10
50931 Köln

Telefon: (+49) 0221 47815273

E-Mail: tatiana.korotkova@uk-koeln.de

Curriculum Vitae

  
Place of birth: 21.03.1979, Moscow (Russia)
Family status: two children
 

Employment and research experience

since 04/2019 Full Professor (W3), Director of Institute for Systems Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne
04/2017-03/2020 Max Planck Research Group Leader (W2), Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
08/2012-03/2017 Junior group leader, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence / Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP), Berlin
01/2011-07/2012 Project leader, NeuroCure / FMP Institute, Berlin
10/2009-12/2010 Postdoctoral researcher, Department „Physiology and Pathology of Ion Transport“ (Director: Prof. Dr. Dr. T.J. Jentsch), FMP Institute, Berlin
08/2005-09/2009 Postdoctoral fellow of the Ernst Schering Foundation; postdoctoral researcher, Department of Clinical Neurobiology, University Clinic for Neurology, Heidelberg, Germany (Director: Prof. Dr. H. Monyer)
08/2003-07/2005 Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Neurophysiology, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany (Director: Prof. Dr. H.L. Haas)


Education

1995-2000 Diploma, Biology, Physiology; Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. Honors degree.
2000-2003 PhD (Dr.rer.nat.), Institute of Neurophysiology, Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany. Supervisors: Dr. R.E. Brown, Prof. H.L. Haas. Ph.D. thesis "Hypothalamic modulation of the midbrain dopaminergic system". Magna cum laude.


Leadership and administration

since 10/2025 Managing Director, Center for Metabolism Research (elected, 11 institutes), University of Cologne
since 09/2025 Managing Director, Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology (elected, 4 institutes), Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne
since 01/2021 Executive Board member, Center for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne


Advisory boards and grant review panels

since 09/2025 Managing Director, Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology (elected, 4 institutes), Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne
since 01/2021 Executive Board member, Center for Molecular Medicine (CMMC), University of Cologne


Research Focus

Our Neuronal Circuits and Behavior group studies neuronal circuits regulating different aspects of innate behaviors, including feeding-related behaviors, social behaviors, and voluntary locomotion, as well as learning. The overall goal of our group is to unravel functions of hypothalamic neuronal circuits related to health, disease and healthy aging.
We focus on decoding neuronal mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders, associated with dysfunctions of hypothalamus, including eating disorders. To reveal and decode the influence of various neuronal groups and their inputs on innate behaviors, we combine state-of-the-art technologies, including multisite high-density neuronal recordings in transgenic behaving mice; optogenetics; chemogenetics; and novel computational and engineering approaches. 


Committee work

  1. Member of the Structural Commission, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne.
  2.  Member of Finances Commission, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne.
  3. Member of several faculty appointment committees (associated and full professors) of the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne.
  4. Chairperson of two faculty appointment committees (associate professors), Faculty of Medicine.
  5. Member of an MPI Director Selection Committee, Max Planck Society.
  6. Task Force "IT, preclinical institutes", Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne.
  7. Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Animal Facilities, University of Cologne.
  8. Deputy member of the doctoral committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne.
  9. Member of the examination board, BSc program "Neurosciences", Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Cologne.
  10. Member of the Animal Welfare Advisory Board, MPI for Metabolism Research, Cologne (2018-2020).
  11. Member of the Institute Council, Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin (2014-2017).

Awards

ERC Consolidator Grant (2018); GIF Regular Program Grant (2015); The Junior Brain Prize, Lundbeck Foundation (2013); The Human Frontier Science Program Grant (2012); short-listed for professor positions: W3 (I), in negotiations (2025); W3: I, accepted (2019); W2: III (2014); W1 (with tenure track to W2): I (2012); W2: III (2012); postdoctoral stipend of the Ernst Schering Foundation (2005-2007); postdoctoral stipend of DFG graduate college (2003-2005); doctoral stipend of DFG graduate college (2002-2003); stipend of "Open Society Foundations" (1998, 1999).
 

Selected publications

  • Figge-Schlensok R, Petzold A, Hugger N, Bakhareva A, Abdallah AT, Wissing C, Witt MY, Awad DE, Korotkova T (2025). A lateral hypothalamic neuronal population expressing leptin receptors counteracts anxiety to enable adaptive behavioral responses. Nature Neuroscience, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-02078-y.
  • Tolve M, Tutas J, Özer-Yildiz E, Fritz V, Overhoff M, Klein I, Silverman Q, Koletsou E, Petzold A, Liebsch F, Schwarz G, Korotkova T, Valtcheva S, Gatto G, Kononenko N (2025). Endocytic adaptor AP-2 maintains Purkinje cell function by balancing cerebellar parallel and climbing fiber synapses. Cell Reports, 44, 115256.
  • Chen C, Altafi M, Corbu M-A, Trenk A, van den Munkhof H, Weineck K, Bender F, Carus-Cadavieco M, Bakhareva A, Korotkova T§*, Ponomarenko A§*. The dynamic state of a prefrontal-hypothalamic-midbrain circuit commands behavioral transitions (2024). Nature Neuroscience. doi: 10.1038/s41593-024-01598-3 (*equal contribution, corresponding authors).
  • Petzold A, van den Munkhof HE, Figge-Schlensok R, Korotkova T. Complementary lateral hypothalamic populations resist hunger pressure to balance nutritional and social needs (2023). Cell Metabolism 35, 1-16. IF: 31.37. Featured in Ledford H. Sex, food or water? How mice decide. Nature News, Nature. 2023 Feb 23. doi: 10.1038/d41586-023-00521-3.
  • Gao X, Bender F, Soh H, Chen C, Altafi M, Schütze S, Heidenreich M, Gorbati M, Corbu MA, Carus-Cadavieco M, Korotkova T, Tzingounis AV, Jentsch TJ, Ponomarenko A. Place fields of single spikes in hippocampus involve Kcnq3 channel-dependent entrainment of complex spike bursts (2021). Nat Commun. Aug 10;12(1):4801. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24805-2. IF 17.69.
  • Jais A, Paeger L, Sotelo-Hitschfeld T, Bremser S, Prinzensteiner M, Klemm P, Mykytiuk V, Widdershooven PJM, Vesting AJ, Grzelka K, Minère M, Cremer AL, Xu J, Korotkova T, Lowell BB, Zeilhofer HU, Backes H, Fenselau H, Wunderlich FT, Kloppenburg P, Brüning JC. PNOC-ARC Neurons Promote Hyperphagia and Obesity upon High-Fat-Diet Feeding (2020). Neuron. 106 (6), S. 1009 - 1025.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.022. IF 18.69.
  • Ponomarenko A, Korotkova T. Hunger is a gatekeeper of pain in the brain. News and views for Alhadeff et, Cell 2018. Nature, 556(7702):445-446. IF 69.5. Übersetzung: Hunger kontra Schmerz, Spektrum der Wissenschaft, 2018.
  • Carus-Cadavieco M, Gorbati M, Ye L, Bender F, van der Veldt S, Kosse C, Börgers C, Lee SY, Ramakrishnan C, Hu Y, Denisova N, Ramm F, Volitaki E, Burdakov D, Deisseroth K, Ponomarenko A, Korotkova T (2017). Gamma oscillations organize top-down signaling to hypothalamus and enable food seeking. Nature, 542(7640):232-236. IF 69.5.
  • Herrera CG, Carus-Cadavieco M, Jego S, Ponomarenko A, Korotkova T, Adamantidis A (2016). Hypothalamic feed-forward inhibition of thalamocortical network controls arousal and consciousness. Nature Neuroscience, 19(2):290-8. IF 28.77.
  • Bender F, Gorbati M, Carus-Cadavieco M, Denisova N, Gao X, Holman C, Korotkova T*§, Ponomarenko A*§ (2015). Theta oscillations regulate speed of locomotion via hippocampus to lateral septum pathway. Nature Communications, 6:8521 doi: 10.1038/ncomms9521 (*- equal contribution, § - corresponding authors). IF 17.69.
  • Fidzinski P*, Korotkova T*, Heidenreich M*, Maier N, Schuetze S, Kobler O, Zuschratter W, Schmitz D, Ponomarenko A, Jentsch TJ (2015). KCNQ5 K+ channels control hippocampal synaptic inhibition and fast network oscillations. Nature Communications, 6:6254 doi: 10.1038/ncomms7254 (* - equal contribution).
  • Korotkova T, Fuchs EC, Ponomarenko A, von Engelhardt J, Monyer H (2010). NMDA receptor ablation on parvalbumin-positive interneurons impairs hippocampal synchrony, spatial representation and working memory. Neuron, 68(3):557-69. IF 18.69.