Alexander Groh Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology Im Neuenheimer Feld 326 69120 Heidelberg Germany   Phone:  +49-6221-54-4050 eMail:  groh@uni-heidelberg.de Website:  http://www.medizinische-fakultaet-hd.uni-heidelberg.de/WG-Medical-Biophysics-small.biophysik0.0.html?&L=en

Research Summary

The cerebral cortex is the ‘cognitive’ headquarter of the brain and is instrumental for transforming sensory signals into action. But how does the cortex communicate with the rest of the brain to fulfil this function and how are impairments to this communication expressed in brain diseases? Our lab investigates the structure and the functional mechanisms underlying the interplay between the cortex and subcortical networks that give rise to cognitive functions, including sensori-motor transformations, salience encoding and pathological pain. We are leveraging a combination of in vivo deep-brain electrophysiology, optogenetics, synaptic physiology and behavioural approaches in the mouse model system.

Structure of the Group