Prof. Dr. Harald Luksch

Research focus: My focus is on sensory integration in the vertebrate midbrain - the central hub for sensorimotor integration in the brainstem, which we study in bird species (mostly chicken). Here, a multimodal map of sensory space is constructed that, together with additional circuitry, enables fast responses to sensory stimulation. Bottom-up control of attention, stimulus competition, and target detection are functions that can be traced to specific network properties. Currently, we are interested in the dynamics of the system during self-movement and the role of the tecto-isthmic network.

Key words: midbrain, multimodal integration, circuitry, bottom-up attention

Current and graduated GSN students: Dr. Hamed Yeganegi, Dr. Maximilian Bothe

Selected publications:

Garrido-Charad, F*, Vega-Zuniga, T*., Gutiérrez-Ibáñez, C., Fernandez, P., Lopez-Jury, J., González-Cabrera, C., Karten, H.J., Luksch, H.², Marin, G.J.² (2018): Shepherd’s crook neurons drive and synchronize the enhancing and suppressive mechanisms of the midbrain stimulus selection network. PNAS 115 (32), 7615 - 7623. 2018 | DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1804517115

Vega-Zuniga T, Trost D, Schicker K, Bogner EM, Luksch H. (2018): The medial ventrothalamic circuitry: Cells implicated in a bimodal network. Front Neural Circuits 12. DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00009

Niederleitner, B., Gutierrez-Ibanez, C., Krabichler, Q., Weigel, S., and Luksch, H. (2017) A novel relay nucleus between the inferior colliculus and the optic tectum in the chicken (Gallus gallus) J Comp Neurol 525:513-534.| DOI: 10.1002/cne.24082

Schnyder HA, Vanderelst D, Bartenstein S, Firzlaff U, Luksch H. (2014): The avian head induces cues for sound localization in elevation. PLoS One. 2014 Nov 12;9(11):e112178. | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112178

Verhaal J, Luksch H. (2013) Mapping of the receptive fields in the optic tectum of chicken (Gallus gallus) using sparse noise. PLoS One. 8 (4): e60782. | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060782