Benedikt Zott, PhD
Academic Career and Research Areas
Benedikt Zott (*1989) is a senior physician and clinician scientist at the Department of Neuroradiology and the Institute of Neuroscience at TUM. He obtained his medical de gree from TUM in 2016. Starting in 2013, he pursued a PhD in neuroscience at TUM (group of Arthur Konnerth), which he finished in 2019. In the same year, he joined the Department of Neuroradiology at the Rechts der Isar Hospital to start his clinical training as a radiologist. In parallel to his clinical duties, he continued his research as a clinician scientist. In 2021, he was awarded the TUM IAS Albrecht Struppler Clinician Scientist Scholarship allowing him to establish an independent research group. In 2025, he was awarded an ERC starting grant.
Benedikt Zott is interested in the organization of brain circuits and their breakdown in neuropsychiatric diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease. In his previous work, he discovered a mechanism of neuronal hyperactivity caused by the accumulation of β-amyloid in the brain. He identified a promising treatment strategy to prevent neuronal hyperactivity. Currently, he is exploring how the interplay between neurons and glial cells in health and disease shapes neuronal circuit activity. Additionally, he is investigating the mechanisms of impaired brain waste clearance, a key contributor to the accumulation of toxic substances in neurodegenerative diseases.
Awards
- ERC Starting grant (2025)
- ISMRM Summa cum Laude award (2024)
- TUM IAS Albrecht Struppler Clinician Scientist Fellowship (2021)
- SfN Trainee Professional Development Award (2020)
Key Publications (all publications)
J. Zimmermann, C. Boudriot, C. Eipert, G. Hoffmann, R. Nuttall, V. Neumaier, M. Bonhoeffer, S. Schneider, L. Schmitzer, J. Kufer, S. Kaczmarz, D. M. Hedderich, A. Ranft, D. Golkowski, J. Priller, C. Zimmer, R. Ilg, G. Schneider, C. Preibisch, C. Sorg, B. Zott, Total cerebral blood volume changes drive macroscopic cerebrospinal fluid flux in humans. PLOS Biology 23, e3003138 (2025).
J. Zimmermann, C. Sorg, L. Müller, F. Zistler, V. Neumaier, M. Bonhoeffer, A. Ranft, D. Golkowski, J. Priller, C. Zimmer, R. Ilg, C. Preibisch, G. Schneider, R. Nuttall, B. Zott, Impaired macroscopic CSF flow by sevoflurane in humans - both during and after anesthesia. Anesthesiology, (2025).
B. Zott, L. Nästle, C. Grienberger, F. Unger, M. M. Knauer, C. Wolf, A. Keskin-Dargin, A. Feuerbach, M. A. Busche, A. Skerra, A. Konnerth, β-amyloid monomer scavenging by an anticalin protein prevents neuronal hyperactivity in mouse models of Alzheimer’s Disease. Nature Communications 15, 5819 (2024).
F. Unger, A. Konnerth, B. Zott, Population imaging of synaptically released glutamate in mouse hippocampal slices. STAR Protoc 2, 100877 (2021).
B. Zott, M. M. Simon, W. Hong, F. Unger, H.-J. Chen-Engerer, M. P. Frosch, B. Sakmann, D. M. Walsh, A. Konnerth, A vicious cycle of β amyloid–dependent neuronal hyperactivation. Science 365, 559-565 (2019).
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