Benedikt Grothe

Prof. Dr. Benedikt Grothe serves as Professor of Neurobiology at the Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, and is also affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence where he leads the Circuits of Spatial Hearing research group. He holds multiple leadership roles including MCN & GSN Speaker, Head of the GSN Examination Board, and Chair of the Division of Neurobiology. His research spans cellular and systems neuroscience with a particular focus on auditory processing mechanisms.

Prof. Grothe's research interests center on the structure, physiology, and function of neuronal circuits processing spatio-temporal information, with research topics spanning from ion-channels and biophysics to circuit structure and function, in vivo single cell responses, population coding, and psychoacoustics. His laboratory employs a wide range of techniques including electrophysiology (in vitro and in vivo), pharmacology, laser-uncaging, optogenetics, comparative anatomy, immunohistochemistry, calcium imaging, and animal and human psychophysics. He takes a comparative approach, studying animals with different 'auditory worlds' including bats, short-tailed opossums, gerbils, mice, and rats.

Analysis of Prof. Grothe's recent publications reveals a strong focus on auditory neuroscience, particularly examining the role of myelination, neural circuitry, and inhibitory mechanisms in sound processing and localization. His work demonstrates how neural adaptations occur in response to environmental stimuli and how these adaptations affect auditory perception. The research spans multiple levels from molecular and cellular mechanisms to systems-level processing and behavioral outcomes, with an increasing emphasis on computational approaches to understanding neural coding.

Prof. Grothe has mentored numerous students throughout his career, including both current and graduated GSN students. His laboratory serves as an important training ground for neuroscientists, with students working on diverse projects related to auditory processing, neural development, and sensory systems. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, his extensive publication record suggests sustained research funding supporting his laboratory's work.

Prof. Grothe leads the Circuits of Spatial Hearing research group at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, which works closely with research teams led by Tobias Bonhoeffer and Alexander Borst. His laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining optical, electrophysiological, and behavioral methods to investigate the fundamental circuit mechanisms underlying auditory spatial representation in the brain.