Prof. Dr. Diethelm Wolfgang Richter, long-time director of the Institute of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), passed away on July 23, 2025 at the age of 81. This was announced by the UMG today. From 1988 to 2014, he held the University Professorship for Neurophysiology and Sensory Physiology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Göttingen.

Richter had a decisive influence on neuroscience in Göttingen. His research on respiratory rhythm regulation in the central nervous system has gained international recognition. He was significantly involved in the development of the neuroscience research focus of the UMG and promoted networking with non-university research institutions on the Göttingen Campus. As spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Centre 406 “Synaptic Interaction in Neuronal Cell Assemblies” and initiator of the European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen (ENI-G), he contributed to the promotion of excellent junior research groups. He also chaired the Executive Board of ENI-G from 2006 to 2009. As the initiator of the DFG Research Center “Molecular Physiology of the Brain”, the Cluster of Excellence 171 “Microscopy at the Nanometer Range” and the “Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration”, he strengthened the visibility of Göttingen’s neurosciences.

Born in 1943 in Neubistritz, Czech Republic, Richter studied human medicine at the LMU Munich, where he received his doctorate in 1970. His career took him to Göttingen in 1988 via stations at Saarland University, LMU Munich and the University of Heidelberg. There he headed the Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology and the Institute of Neurophysiology and Sensory Physiology until his retirement.

His research focused on molecular mechanisms of signal processing in neuronal networks, especially in respiratory networks, with a focus on diseases such as Rett syndrome. A central concern was the prevention of respiratory arrest as a side effect of opiate therapies. Richter’s research group showed that serotonin receptors can cancel the opiate-induced inhibition of respiratory center neurons, which enables safe pain therapy. He also contributed to the development of high-resolution microscopy methods and to the study of transmitter release mechanisms.

With Prof. Richter, the University Medical Center Göttingen has lost an outstanding scientist and promoter of neuroscience.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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