Conny Kopp-Scheinpflug

Dr. Conny Kopp-Scheinpflug is an Associate Professor (PD) at the Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where she leads a research group focused on auditory neuroscience. Her laboratory investigates the function and mechanisms of activity-dependent neuromodulation in the mammalian auditory system, with particular interest in how ambient sensory stimulation activates neuromodulators and how these influence neural processing of relevant information.

Dr. Kopp-Scheinpflug's research spans auditory neuroscience, neuromodulation, neuronal excitability, and synaptic transmission. She employs electrophysiological (single cell in vivo and patch clamp in brain slices), anatomical, and optogenetic techniques to study how hyper- or hypo stimulation lead to acquisition or loss of function in the auditory system. Her work has significant implications for understanding and potentially treating functional disorders of neuronal excitability. Current research examines potassium channels, nitric oxide signaling, and neuromodulators like urocortin 3 in auditory processing.

Analysis of Dr. Kopp-Scheinpflug's recent publications (2016-2022) reveals consistent focus on auditory processing mechanisms, particularly potassium channels (Kv3.1, Kv3.3, Kv1.1), nitric oxide signaling, and activity-dependent changes in myelination. Her research spans molecular mechanisms to systems-level auditory processing, with emphasis on sound localization, temporal processing, and recovery from hearing impairment. Key findings include how sound-evoked activity influences myelination, how nitric oxide regulates postsynaptic excitability, and how urocortin 3 aids hearing recovery.

Dr. Kopp-Scheinpflug has secured funding from multiple research agencies. She maintains active collaborations with researchers at Lehigh University (Michael Burger Lab), University of Edinburgh (Matthias Hennig Lab), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Michal Hershfinkel Lab), and UCL (Dr. Jennifer Linden).

Her laboratory currently includes Ezhilarasan Rajaram, Dr. Mihai Stancu, Oskar Kalle Juhani Markkula, Sara Pagella, and Katharine Krueger. Past lab members who have completed their training include Dr. James Sinclair, Dr. Matthew Fischl, Max Bayer, Alkmini Damkou, Alyahyay Mansour, Leander Mrowka, Joseph Kroeger, and Myriam Schmidt-Pauly.