Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology
| Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology | |
|---|---|
| Category: | research Institute |
| Carrier: | Max Planck Society |
| Legal form of the carrier: | Registered association |
| Seat of the wearer: | Munich |
| Facility location: | Planegg - Martinsried |
| Type of research: | Basic research |
| Subjects: | Natural sciences |
| Areas of expertise: | Neuroscience , human biology |
| Basic funding: | Federal government (50%), states (50%) |
| Employee: | about 300 |
| Homepage: | www.neuro.mpg.de |
The Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology is a non-university research facility for research into the development and function of nervous systems . The main focus is on the mechanisms of processing and storing information. As one of eleven Max Planck Institutes in the Munich area , the institute is sponsored by the Max Planck Society (MPG).
history
The Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology emerged in 1998 as an independent institute from the sub-institute of the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry . The Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry itself has its roots in the "German Research Institute for Psychiatry" founded in 1917.
Since 1984 the institute has been based in Martinsried, a district of the municipality of Planegg in the south-west of Munich .
Scientific focus
Scientific work at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology is thematically divided into five departments and a number of independent research groups. The many content-related interfaces between the individual groups lead to a lively exchange and many collaborations within the institute. Around a third of the current 300 employees come from abroad.
Departments
- In order for the brain to be able to perceive sensory impressions as such and interpret them correctly, nerve cells must be linked to one another in a very specific way. The Genes - Circuits - Behavior department , headed by Herwig Baier, is investigating how the processes in such neural circuits control the behavior of the organism. Research centers on the molecular and genetic basis of animal behavior.
- In the Synapses - Circuits - Plasticity department headed by Tobias Bonhoeffer , the question of what happens when the brain learns is investigated. The brain is not a rigid structure, but adapts its structure to the current conditions. For example, if something new is learned, the contact between individual nerve cells is strengthened through the establishment of new connections. Conversely, if the number of connections is reduced, information is lost and what has been learned is forgotten again. The circumstances and mechanisms of this construction and breakdown of cell connections and their information transfer points, the synapses , are analyzed in this department.
- How optical impressions are processed in the fly's visual center is investigated by the Circuits - Information - Models department under the direction of Alexander Borst . The fly's brain has to evaluate and process optical information during the rapid flight and initiate evasive maneuvers in good time. How the nerve cells cope with this, the department's scientists use physiological recordings in the brain, the latest microscopy techniques and computer simulations to study . The interconnections, some of which are impressive in their simplicity, are also of interest for use in robot systems.
- The fundamentals of biological processes can only be properly understood if they are examined where they take place - in living tissue. With the help of optical microscopy, such processes can be shown in high resolution on a molecular and cellular level. The electron - photons - neurons department , headed by Winfried Denk , is developing new microscopy methods against this background.
- The Molecules - Signals - Development department , headed by Rüdiger Klein, examines the molecular mechanisms of communication between cells of the nervous system. The healthy development of a nervous system is only possible with almost smooth cell communication. However, even in adulthood, the functioning exchange of information is essential for daily survival - both between neighboring cells and between structures that are further away. In this context, the department investigates the role of receptor tyrosine kinases in the growth and function of nerve cells.
Emeritus and External Scientific Members
Last but not least, the scientists working there also contribute to the reputation of the institute. Further details on the Emeritus Scientific Members ( Bert Sakmann and Hartmut Wekerle ) and the External Scientific Members (Yves-Alain Barde, Reinhard Hohlfeld and Edvard Moser ) can be found on the Institute's website .
Cooperations
In addition to the institute's internal collaborations, the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology maintains connections with its neighboring institutes on the Martinsried campus. The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry , the Gene and Bio Centers of the Ludwig Maximilians University , the Biomedical Center (BMC) of the LMU, the Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) and the Großhadern Clinic are all within walking distance .
There is close cooperation with the Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation (ICNC) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (Munich, Germany). The Max Planck - Hebrew Center “Sensory Processing of the Brain in Action” was founded in 2013 together with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem .
International exchange is promoted through various doctoral programs. Membership in the Graduate School of the German Research Society for System-Oriented Neurobiology and the work of the two International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) contribute to the training of doctoral students.
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 6 ′ 18 ″ N , 11 ° 27 ′ 39 ″ E