CV Claudia Sommer

Name Prof. Dr. Claudia Sommer

Position Ltd. Oberärztin Affiliation

Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik

Universitätsklinikum Würzburg Josef-Schneider-Str.11 97080 Würzburg Tel. 0931-20124617 sommer@uni-wuerzburg.de Training and Positions

1977-1983 Studies of Medicine in Mainz/Germany and London/England

1984-1986 Residency in Psychiatry, Rheinische Landesklinik, Köln, Germany

1987-1988 Research fellow at the Institute of Neuropathology , University Hospital “Klinikum der RWTH “Aachen , Germany

1988 -1991

Residency in Neurology, Department of Neurology at the University of Aachen, Germany

1991 German Board certification in Psychiatry

1991-1993 Research fellow with the Peripheral Nerve Research Group, University of California, San Diego (R.R. Myers)

1993 German Board certification in Neurology

1993-1995 Staff Neurologist, Department of Neurology, University of Aachen, Germany

1995 - present

Professor of Neurology at the Department of Neurology, Würzburg University Hospital, Germany

1997 ‚Habilitation‘ (= qualification for professorship) in Neurology

2004 Qualification ‚Special pain treatment’

Research Fields

Pathophysiology of neuropathic pain. Diagnosis and pathophysiology of peripheral neuropathies. Antibody mediated diseases

Professional Activities

University: Coordinator of teaching; animal board; ethics committee; deputy women’s representative; teacher and principle investigator of the graduate schools GK emotions and GSLS. Member of SFB 581; Mentor in the program MENTORING med.

Others: Editorial Board member of PAIN, J. Periph. Nervous System, Info Neurologie & Psychiatrie Board of Directors Peripheral Nerve Society. Panel leader European Federation of Neurological Societies, Commitee-chair European Neurological Society. Guideline committees DGN, DGSS, EFNS and PNS. Mentor in the Max-Weber-program of the Studienstiftung (German National Merit Foundation).

CV Claudia Sommer

Selected Publications

1. Schäfers M, Geis C, Brors D, Yaksh TL, Sommer C. Anterograde transport of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the intact and injured rat sciatic nerve. J Neurosci 2002;22:536-545.

2. Sommer C, Weishaupt A, Brinkhoff J, Biko L, Wessig C, Gold R, Toyka KV.

Paraneoplastic stiff-person syndrome: Passive transfer to the rat with IgG antibodies to amphiphysin. Lancet 2005;365:1406-1411

3. Üçeyler N, Valenza R, Stock M, Schedel R, Sprotte G, Sommer C. Reduced levels of

antiinflammatory cytokines in patients with chronic widespread pain. Arthritis Rheum 2006;7:2656-2664.

4. Chen Y, Geis C, Sommer C. Activation of TRPV1 Contributes to Morphine

Tolerance: Involvement of the MAPK Signaling Pathway. J Neurosci 2008;28: 5836-5845

5. Geis C, Beck M, Jablonka S, Weishaupt A, Toyka KV, Sendtner M, Sommer C. Stiff

person syndrome associated anti-amphiphysin antibodies reduce GABA associated [Ca(2+)](i) rise in embryonic motoneurons. Neurobiol Dis 2009;36:191-199

6. Üçeyler N, Devigili G, Toyka KV, Sommer C. Skin biopsy as an additional diagnostic

tool in non-systemic vasculitic neuropathy. Acta Neuropathol. 2010;120:109-116

7. Üçeyler N, Schütt M, Palm F, Vogel C, Meier M, Schmitt A, Lesch KP, Mössner R, Sommer C. Lack of the serotonin transporter in mice reduces locomotor activity and leads to gender-dependent late onset obesity. Int J Obes (Lond), 2010:701-711.

8. Üçeyler, N, Kafke, W, Riediger, N, He, L, Necula, G, Toyka, KV, Sommer, C.

Elevated proinflammatory cytokine expression in affected skin in small fiber neuropathy. Neurology 2010;74:1806-1813.

9. Geis C, Weishaupt A, Hallermann S, Grunewald B, Wessig C, Wultsch T, Reif A, Byts N, Beck M, Jablonka S, Boettger MK, Üçeyler N, Fouquet W, Gerlach M, Meinck HM, Siren AL, Sigrist SJ, Toyka KV, Heckmann M, Sommer C. Stiff person syndrome-associated autoantibodies to amphiphysin mediate reduced GABAergic inhibition. Brain 2010; 133: 3166-80

10. Sommer C, Brandner S, Dyck PJ, Harati Y, Lacroix C, Lammens M, Magy L,

Mellgren SI, Morbin M, Navarro C, Powell H, Schenone A, Tan E, Urtizberea A. Peripheral Nerve Society Guideline on processing and evaluation of nerve biopsies. J Periph Nervous Syst 2010; 15: 164-75.