Benedikt Grothe

Prof. Benedikt Grothe is a Professor of Neurobiology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and a Max Planck Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. He leads the Systems Neurobiology lab, focusing on auditory processing mechanisms, particularly sound localization and temporal processing in mammals. His work investigates how neural inhibition and myelination contribute to precise temporal coding in the auditory brainstem, using comparative approaches across species like gerbils, bats, and mice.

Research interests include the role of glycinergic inhibition in interaural time difference (ITD) coding, adaptation mechanisms in auditory circuits, and the impact of environmental factors like noise exposure on neural plasticity. Grothe's lab employs techniques such as in vivo electrophysiology, multi-electrode recordings, optogenetics, and transgenic models to study these processes.

Key findings include the critical role of inhibition in tuning ITD sensitivity and the dynamic adjustment of auditory space representations based on behavioral context. His work has advanced understanding of how sound localization circuits develop and adapt across species.

• Scientific Awards: Max Planck Fellow, Leopoldina Membership
• Labs/Teams: Systems Neurobiology Lab at LMU, Collaboration with MPI Biological Intelligence researchers (Tobias Bonhoeffer, Alexander Borst)
• Advising: Supervises PhD students like Katharine Krueger and Oskar Markkula