Michael Pecka

PD Dr. Michael Pecka is a Senior Lecturer and neurobiologist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), affiliated with the Division of Neurobiology under Prof. Benedikt Grothe. His research focuses on understanding how neural circuits process sensory information during natural behaviors, particularly auditory processing and active sensing. He leads the Pecka Lab, which develops innovative paradigms like the Sensory Island Task (SIT) to study sensory-based navigation, decision-making, and spatial processing in both rodents and humans.

Research Interests:

• Neural mechanisms of active sensing
• Spatial processing in auditory systems
• Behavioral neuroscience and naturalistic environments
• Role of inhibition and temporal precision in sensory coding
• Cochlear implants and neural adaptation

Lab Projects:

• Active Listening: Auditory circuit analysis during self-motion
• HippoSIT: Hippocampal spatial representations during navigation
• spa-CI-al: Spatial processing with cochlear implants

Grants & Collaborations: Secured funding for projects on spatial coding and cochlear implants. Collaborates with researchers at Oldenburg University, Florence (Kreuz lab), and others.

Labs & Teams: Pecka Lab at LMU’s Biocenter, part of the broader Neurobiology Division.