Neurobiological computations and natural behavior
From songs to neural computations
Dr Pepe Alcami
© Carolin Bleese
Groupleader
© Pepe Alcami
We are interested in the plastic neural mechanisms by which animals perform plastic behaviors in challenging environments. In songbirds, we ask how neurons, synapses and circuits generate flexible vocalizations.
Our Research:
Songbirds are a great neuroethological model. They learn their songs culturally from tutors, similarly to the way we learn human language, and in some species, they maintain a high level of plasticity into adulthood. Songbirds evolved specialized mechanisms in their brain that we can interrogate to understand how cells, synapses and circuits lead to the production and plasticity of birdsong. Among these mechanisms, we are particularly interested in synapses, specifically electrical synapses, and neuronal biophysical properties, foremost those contributed by axons and their myelinating cells. At the behavioral level, we keep interrogating this neutoethological model in order to get behavioral insights into the plasticity of the function of their neural circuits, from songs to brains and their computations. For example, we described a novel type of behavioral plasticity induced by social contexts, 'duels', whose neural basis we are currently investigating.
© Santhosh Totiger
Our research is characterized by a strong multidisciplinarity, combining theoretical modeling and experiments. Our experimental toolkit includes electrophysiology (whole-cell recordings, extracellular recordings) anatomy, imaging with light (confocal microscopy) and electrons (electron microscopy).
Publications:
Castelfranco A, Alcami P. (2025) Mitochondria delay action potential propagation. : 28.534468. Communications Biology 8:1341.
Alcami P., Ma S., Gahr M. (2025) Telemetry reveals rapid duel-driven song plasticity in a competitive social environment. Frontiers in Psychology 15:1468782.
Alcami P., Totagera S., Sohnius-Wilhelmi N., Leitner S., Grothe B., Frankl-Vilches C., Gahr M. (2021) Extensive GJD2 Expression in the Song Motor Pathway Reveals the Extent of Electrical Synapses in the Songbird Brain. Biology 10: 1099.
Alcami P., Pereda A. (2019) Beyond plasticity: the dynamic impact of electrical synapses on neural networks. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 20 (5): 253-271.
Alcami P. (2018) Electrical synapses enhance and accelerate interneuron recruitment in response to coincident and sequential excitation. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 12:156.
Group members:
| Name | Title | Tel | Responsibility | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcami, Pepe | Dr. | alcami@bio.lmu.de | +49 89 2180 74316 | Groupleader |
| Izquierdo Ayala, Pablo | ayala@bio.lmu.de | Phd Student | ||
| Totagera, Santhosh | totagera@bio.lmu.de | +49 (0)89 218-74341 | Phd Student |
Open Positions:
We value curiosity, patience, and meaningful collaboration over fast results. If this resonates, we'd love to hear from you!
We are currently looking for Master's students for internships or Master's thesis on both experimental and theoretical projects.
We you are interested in exploring possibilities to pursue a PhD or a postdoc in the lab, drop us an email!
Contact: alcami@bio.lmu.de
News:
September 2025: New publication on Communications Biology with Ann Castelfranco on how mitochondria may act as 'road bumps' on propagating action potentials along axons: Communications Biology
March 2025: New publication on a novel form of socially-induced plasticity of singing behavior in canaries, using telemetric recordings, with Shouwen Ma and Manfred Gahr: Frontiersin Psychology
March 2025: New publication describing the complex interactions of intrinsic neuronal properties and electrical coupling with our collaborators from Uruguay, Sebastian Curti and Federico Trigo: Neuroscience
January 2025: The article on changes of canary songs between the winter and spring season with Santhosh Totiger is out on bioRxiv: BioRxiv
Funding:
