The team
Our lab is part of the Division of Neurobiology of the LMU Biology
People currently working in the lab
PD Dr. Michael Pecka
Position PI
I strive for a functional understanding of the neural mechanisms of auditory scene analysis. Current particular interests of the lab are spatial hearing under real-world circumstances, the role of context for predictive coding and goal-oriented behavior during active sensing, as well as studying the circuits of selective listening. A longstanding goal is to help improving the effectiveness and design of cochlear implants and other hearing aids.
Dardo Ferreiro, PhD
Position Post-Doc www.dardoferreiro.com
Our brain interprets reality through our sensory systems, through active sensing. How this is done in terms of neuronal mechanisms is what I am most curious about, especially in early sensory areas of the cortex. I also believe that the best way forward in the study of neuroscience is with more complex, naturalistic experimental paradigms, and to compare across species. So I study freely moving gerbils and humans performing naturalistic tasks, to better understand the behavioural and neural basis of sensory perception, as well as decision making and social interaction. For more information please visit www.dardoferreiro.com
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Andrey Sobolev, PhD
Position Postdoc
In the brain, building and maintenance of mental representations share mechanisms with spatial localization. Hearing plays a key role in spatial localization and enables to study not only the perception of complex sounds but also how this sensory modality is used in spatial encoding. The current goals are to use optogenetics to understand which areas of the brain are involved in spatial modulation in the primary auditory cortex.
Valentin Winhart
Position PhD student
I am a trained economist turned neuroscience student. I work on developing a two-alternative forced choice paradigm in freely behaving animals to study the precedence effect. In the future, I aim to implement optogenetic manipulations during taks performance to probe the role of midbrain structures in the formation of localization dominance.
Gökce Dogu
Position GSN Master student
During my bachelor’s thesis I have studied the sensitivity of freely behaving animals to duration differences in auditory cues. I am currently interested in how social interactions between animals during a perceptual discrimination task influence task learning.
Miguel Bengala
Position PhD student
I am interested in developing quantitative behavioral analysis tools in the context of the Sensory Island Task. In my master’s thesis, I investigate state dependency during the performance of the task, correlating the animal’s behavior with data from electrophysiological recordings. Additionally, I collaborate in an ongoing project to study sound duration discrimination
Ziying Tang
Position PhD student
TangTang has secured a LMU-CSC scholarship to investigate signatures of active sensing in human subjects using EEG recordings adn the SIT paradigm.
William Symmans
Position Fulbright Research Award recipient
Will has joined the team with a Fulbright Research Award to study Auditory Perception in a Humanistic Context. In co-supervision with Dr. Bahrami (LMU Psychology) and Prof Deroy (LMU Philosophy), he is investigating metacognitive aspects of waiting time during sensory-based decision making. Also, he is known for eating Texas-sized portions during lunch...
Sergio Conde-Ocazionez, PhD
Position Collaborator
Conde joined the lab in winter 2022 for a few months on a DFG stipend. He established a pipeline for assembly coding analyses of our neural data recorded during free exploration. While Conde has since moved on to a new position in Amsterdam, he will remain a dear collaborator and "honorary" group member
ALUMNI
