Inhibitory Neuron Development Lab

Special issue co-edited with Seth Blackshaw

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer co-edited a special issue of Current Opinion in Genetics & Development with Seth Blackshaw, bringing together reviews on developmental mechanisms, patterning and evolution.

Working with Seth was a pleasure, and we thank all the contributing authors for sharing their expertise and thoughtful perspectives through their reviews.

The collection is accompanied by our editorial overview, Specifying cell identity, shaping tissue diversity.

Read the full text via Elsevier (author link; free access may be time-limited) · DOI

Inhibitory neuron symposium in Freiburg

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer spoke at the symposium Inhibitory Neurons: From synapses and microcircuits to behavior in Freiburg.

Welcome to Seline Partsch

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Seline Partsch joined the lab for her master’s thesis.

EMBO Workshop on neurodevelopmental disorders in Otsu

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer presented the lab’s work on how risk genes affect developmental gene regulation at the EMBO Workshop on neurodevelopmental disorders in Otsu, Japan.

Decoding Brain Development and Function Through GABAergic Inhibitory Neurons

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A review with Renata Batista-Brito, Mercedes Paredes and Carla G. Silva brought together research on inhibitory neuron development and circuit function in European Journal of Neuroscience.

Read the review

Young Scientist Award for Ann Rose Bright

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ann Rose Bright received the Young Scientist Award of the MPI for Biological Intelligence, together with Inbal Shainer of the Baier lab, for her work on how the timing of neurogenesis shapes GABAergic neuron development.

Lab retreat in the Bavarian Alps

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lab retreat in the Bavarian Alps.

GABAergic neuron fate specification and lineage allocation: from development to disorder

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Our review in Current Opinion in Genetics & Development discussed how developmental lineage and gene regulation shape GABAergic neuron identity, and how these processes relate to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Read the review

Read the full text via Elsevier (author link; free access may be time-limited) · DOI

Research visit to INMED in Marseille

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer visited INMED in Marseille at the invitation of Stéphane Bugeon.

Stoichiometric transcription factor partnerships control GABAergic neuron fate allocation

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Our preprint examines how the relative levels of SP9 and DLX influence gene regulation and the production of distinct GABAergic neuron types.

Read the preprint

Revised on 8 July 2026 under the title shown above.

The lab at GOLGI III in Bordeaux

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The lab attended the GOLGI III conference in Bordeaux.

An endodermal subpopulation gives rise to neuromesodermal progenitors in the posterior chick embryo

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative preprint used lineage tracing to investigate the developmental potential of an endodermal cell population in the chick embryo.

Read the preprint

SFARI Investigator Meeting in New York

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer attended the SFARI Investigator Meeting in New York.

De novo H3.3K27M-altered diffuse midline glioma in human brainstem organoids to dissect GD2 CAR T cell function

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative study in Nature Cancer developed a human brainstem organoid model of diffuse midline glioma. Our group contributed plasmids and scientific input.

Read the paper

Research seminar at the ICM in Paris

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer presented the lab’s work at the ICM in Paris, hosted by Stéphanie Baulac and Bassem Hassan.

Ann Rose Bright invited to the SYNAPSES Symposium at Yale

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Ann Rose Bright was invited to present her research at the SYNAPSES Symposium at Yale University.

A conserved logic for the development of cortical layering in tetrapods

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative preprint explored the developmental organisation of cortical layering across tetrapods, including lineage tracing in salamander.

Read the preprint

Yana Kotlyarenko completes her PhD

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Yana Kotlyarenko successfully defended her doctoral thesis, Competence of Inhibitory Neuron Progenitors in the Telencephalon, at LMU Munich.

Dual lineage origins contribute to neocortical astrocyte diversity

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative study in Nature Communications used TrackerSeq to investigate the lineage origins of cortical astrocyte diversity.

Read the paper

Temporal control of progenitor competence shapes maturation in GABAergic neuron development in mice

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Our study in Nature Neuroscience showed how developmental timing influences neuronal maturation while progenitors retain the capacity to generate diverse neuronal identities.

Read the paper

Support for research on ASH1L and SETBP1

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Christian Mayer became a SFARI Investigator. The award, together with a grant from the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, began on 1 February 2025 and supports the lab’s work on the chromatin regulators ASH1L and SETBP1 in autism.

Applying single-cell and single-nucleus genomics to studies of cellular heterogeneity and cell fate transitions in the nervous system

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We contributed to a community review in Nature Neuroscience on the design and interpretation of single-cell and single-nucleus studies of the nervous system.

Read the review

Multiple parallel cell lineages in the developing mammalian cerebral cortex

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative study in Science Advances examined parallel cell lineages in the developing cerebral cortex. We contributed lineage-tracing expertise.

Read the paper

Spatial enhancer activation influences inhibitory neuron identity during mouse embryonic development

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Our study in Nature Neuroscience examined how MEIS2, DLX5 and LHX6 regulate enhancers in developing inhibitory neurons. The work introduced tCROP-seq.

Read the paper

Deciphering inhibitory neuron development: The paths to diversity

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Our review in Current Opinion in Neurobiology discussed the developmental processes that generate inhibitory neuron diversity.

Read the review

Transcriptomics reveals amygdala neuron regulation by fasting and ghrelin thereby promoting feeding

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A collaborative study in Science Advances examined how fasting and ghrelin influence gene expression in amygdala neurons and feeding behaviour.

Read the paper

Single-cell delineation of lineage and genetic identity in the mouse brain

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Our study in Nature introduced TrackerSeq to connect cell ancestry with molecular identity and investigate how individual progenitors produce diverse neuron types.

Read the paper

Christian Mayer

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

christian.mayer@bi.mpg.de · Curriculum vitae (PDF) · ORCID · Google Scholar

I am a developmental neuroscientist studying how inhibitory neurons acquire their identities and become part of brain circuits. My background combines mouse genetics, developmental neurobiology and single-cell genomics. Since 2018, I have led an independent Max Planck Research Group in Martinsried, where we develop experimental and computational approaches to connect gene regulation, cell lineage and neuronal differentiation.

The group is based at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, formerly the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology.

Contact

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Inhibitory Neuron Development Lab
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence
Am Klopferspitz 18
82152 Martinsried
Germany

Christian Mayer · christian.mayer@bi.mpg.de · +49 89 8578 2057

Institute profile · GitHub · Matrix channel · Fediverse

Joining the lab

We are not currently advertising any positions.

When doctoral positions are available, applications are handled through the graduate programmes listed below, where Christian Mayer is a faculty member:

Bachelor’s and master’s students interested in a research project, and postdoctoral researchers considering a fellowship application, are welcome to contact Christian Mayer directly.

Imprint and privacy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Website operator and contact

Dr. Christian Mayer
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence
Am Klopferspitz 18
82152 Martinsried
Germany

christian.mayer@bi.mpg.de · +49 89 8578 2057

Information provided under § 5 DDG. Responsible for the content under § 18 (2) MStV: Christian Mayer, address as above.

This research group website is maintained by Christian Mayer. It is not an official publication of the Max Planck Society or the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. Statements on this website do not represent the policies or opinions of those institutions.

Publications

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Listed by year, most recent first. Selected publications are marked with an orange bar and include a short summary. Preprints, reviews, perspectives and editorials are labelled. An asterisk (*) indicates equal contribution.

Download the publication list (PDF) · Google Scholar · ORCID

2026

Blackshaw S, Mayer C
Editorial overview: Specifying cell identity, shaping tissue diversity

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development 101, 102547 (2026) Editorial · DOI · PubMed

Read the full text via Elsevier (author link; free access may be time-limited).
Batista-Brito R, Mayer C, Paredes M, Silva CG
Decoding Brain Development and Function Through GABAergic Inhibitory Neurons

European Journal of Neuroscience 64, e70650 (2026) Review · DOI · PubMed
Dvoretskova E^*, Lynch C^*, Bright AR^*, Babal YK, Isaev S, Kharchenko P, Adameyko I, Mayer C
Stoichiometric transcription factor partnerships control GABAergic neuron fate allocation

bioRxiv (2026) Preprint · DOI
This preprint examines how the relative levels of SP9 and DLX influence regulatory activity and the production of distinct GABAergic neuron types.
Dvoretskova E, Mayer C
GABAergic neuron fate specification and lineage allocation: from development to disorder

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development 100, 102504 (2026) Review · DOI · PubMed

Read the full text via Elsevier (author link; free access may be time-limited).
This review connects gene regulation and lineage allocation to inhibitory neuron diversity. It examines how disease-associated variants can shift developmental timing and the balance of neuronal subtypes.
Oikonomou P, Calvary L, Du D, Polansky J, Gattoni G, Lynch C, Shi L, Mayer C, McFaline-Figueroa J, Nerurkar NL
An endodermal subpopulation gives rise to neuromesodermal progenitors in the posterior chick embryo

bioRxiv (2026) Preprint · DOI
Bessler N^*, Wezenaar AKL^*, Ariese HCR^*, Honhoff C^*, Dommann N, Wehrens EJ, Ruiz Moreno C, van den Broek TJM, Collot RVU, Kloosterman DJ, Keramati F, Roosen M, de Blank S, van Vliet E, Barrera Román M, Gatti LCDE, Ertürk A, Kuball J, Sebestyén Z, Kool M, Patrizi S, Miele E, Künkele A, Kranendonk MEG, Cornel AM, Nierkens S, Mayer C, Stunnenberg HG, Alemany A, Alieva M, Rios AC
De novo H3.3K27M-altered diffuse midline glioma in human brainstem organoids to dissect GD2 CAR T cell function

Nature Cancer 7, 316–333 (2026) · DOI · PubMed

Research

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Illustration: Julia Kuhl

Many inhibitory neurons of the forebrain originate in the ganglionic eminences, transient regions of the embryonic brain. Progenitors in these regions generate both local interneurons and GABAergic projection neurons, including those of the striatum. We study how related progenitors give rise to different neuronal identities, primarily in the developing mouse forebrain.

Resources

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Interactive atlas

The Mouse Inhibitory Neuron Development atlas lets you explore gene expression across developing cell states in the mouse ganglionic eminences. Search for a gene and compare its expression across developmental trajectories, without writing code.

Open the atlas, hosted on a Max Planck server.

TrackerSeq

TrackerSeq combines heritable lineage barcodes with single-cell transcriptomics. The protocol describes how to prepare barcode libraries, deliver them by in utero electroporation and recover the barcodes from single-cell data.