B02

There is increasing evidence that inhibitory connections represent essential components in neural circuits that process precise temporal information, e.g. in audition. However, the importance of the timing of the inhibition itself is controversial. We want to study the role and the temporal nature of inhibition in different neural circuits in the mammalian auditory system in vivo by (1) directly measuring its timing using patch-clamprecordings, (2) experimentally driving or manipulating firing of inhibitory neurons using light-actuated molecules, and (3) means of genetic manipulations.

B13

Glycinergic neurons in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) target several auditory nuclei involved in precise spatio-temporal auditory processing. MNTB neurons as well as their source of inputs show many specializations for fast and high-fidelity processing (e.g. the calyx of Held) indicating that timing of the provided inhibition itself matters. However, many crucial aspects of transmission in the MNTB itself are unclear e.g.
absolute delays and the question of contingent failures in action potential firing). We want to solve these questions in vitro and develop methods that bridge to MNTB functions in vivo.

Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
Division of Neurobiology
Chair of Systems Neurobiology
Biocenter Martinsried
Großhaderner Str. 2
82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Germany

Phone: 089-2180-74302
Fax: 089-2180-74304

Email: grothe@lmu.de
Website: Prof. Dr. Benedikt Grothe

• Lesica NA, Lingner A, Grothe B (2010)

Population coding of interaural time differences in gerbils and barn owls. [Abstract]
J Neurosci. 2010 Sep 1;30(35):11696-702

• Siveke I, Leibold C, Kaiser K, Grothe B, Wiegrebe L (2010)

Level dependent latency shifts quantified through binaural processing. [Abstract]
J Neurophysiol. 2010 Aug 11

• Hofer SB, Mrsic-Flogel TD, Horvath D, Grothe B, Lesica NA (2010)

Optimization of Population Decoding with Distance Metrics. [Abstract]
Neural Netw. 2010 Aug;23(6):728-32

• Hassfurth B, Grothe B, Koch U (2010)

The Mammalian Interaural Time Difference Detection Circuit is Differentially Controlled by GABA_B Receptors During Development. [Abstract]
J Neurosci. 2010 Jul 21;30(29):9715-27

• Grothe B, Pecka M, McAlpine D (2010)

Mechanisms of Sound Localization in Mammals. [Abstract]
Physiol Rev. 2010 Jul;90(3):983-1012

• Schebesch G, Lingner A, Firzlaff U, Wiegrebe L, Grothe B (2009)

Perception and Neural Representation of Size-Variant Human Vowels in the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). [Abstract]
Hear Res. 2010 Mar;261(1-2):1-8

• Pecka M, Siveke I, Grothe B, Lesica NA (2010)

Enhancement of ITD Coding within the Initial Stages of the Auditory Pathway. [Abstract]
J Neurophysiol. 2010 Jan;103(1):38-46

• Rautenberg PL, Grothe B, Felmy F (2009)

Quantification of the Three-Dimensional Morphology of Coincidence Detector Neurons in the Medial Superior Olive of Gerbils during Late Postnatal Development. [Abstract]
J Comp Neurol. 2009 Nov 20;517(3):385-96

• Meffin H and Grothe B (2009)

Selective Filtering to Spurious Localization Cues in the Mammalian Auditory Brainstem. [Abstract]

J Acoust Soc Am. 2009 Nov;126(5):2437-54