Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

Departments

• For the brain to be able to recognize sensory information as such and to process them accordingly, its nerve cells need to be connected in a specific way. The department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, led by Professor Herwig Baier investigates how the information flow in such neuronal circuits steers the behavior of the organism. The central research focus lies thus on the genetic, molecular and cellular foundations of animal behavior.
• The department Synapses - Circuits - Plasticity, led by Professor Tobias Bonhoeffer pursues the question “what happens, when the brain learns?”. Unlike a static object, the structure of the brain constantly changes according to current requirements. For example, in order to learn something, the contact between single nerve cells needs to be strengthened. This is accomplished in part through the creation of new contact sites and their information-transmission sites, the synapses. The basic principles and mechanisms of this plasticity are explored in this department.
• How optical input is processed in a fly’s brain is investigated in Professor Alexander Borst’s department Circuits - Computation - Models. The “cockpit” of a fly is amazing: During its speedy flight, optical information is analyzed and processed and aversion maneuvers induced within split seconds – and all of this is done with a brain that fits easily inside a pin head. The scientists investigate how these cells accomplish their complex tasks through a combination of physiological measurements, the latest techniques in microscopy, and computer simulations. The observed circuits prove interesting also for applications in robotics.
• A real understanding of biological processes is generally only possible when these processes are studied at the site of their occurrence - in the living tissue. Optical microscopy allows the high-resolution visualization of such processes on the cellular and molecular level. The department Electrons - Photons - Neurons, led by Professor Winfried Denk, works on the enhancement of existing microscopes and the development of new microscopic methods.
• The department Molecules - Signaling - Development, led by Professor Rüdiger Klein investigates the molecular mechanisms of cell communication in the nervous system. The development of something so complex like the nervous system is only possible with a highly functional cell communication. Likewise, an effective communication between neighboring as well as between more distanced cells is essential for day-to-day survival. Part of the investigations to unravel these functions includes the role of receptor tyrosine kinase in the growth and function of nerve cells.

Research Groups

• The best microscopes are only of little aid if the cells or processes to be investigated are hardly discernible from their background. Dr. Oliver Griesbeck and his Research Group Cellular Dynamics develop biosensors, which stain specific cells or change their fluorescent hue when something goes on in the investigated nerve cell.
• How the brain integrates sensory information to generate an appropriate behavioral response remains laregely unknown. The Research Group Sensorimotor Control, led by Dr. Ruben Portugues, is aiming to understand how brain circuits take sensory input into account and how this information is used to improve behavior and performance.
• The ability to recognize and to discriminate between particular odors is only possible through the precise wiring between neurons in the periphery and neurons in higher brain centers - connections, which are instrumental in driving important behaviors. How neurons on smell organs are specified and integrated into functional neuronal networks is the focus of the Max Planck Research Group Sensory Neurogenetics, led by Dr. Ilona Kadow.
• Our behavior is governed by basic emotions and internal states. Learning from experience helps to regulate emotions in order to allow for adaptive behavior. The Max Planck Research Group Circuits of Emotions, led by Dr. Nadine Gogolla, seeks to decipher neuronal circuit mechanisms allowing for emotion regulation.

Emeritus and External Scientific Members

The institute’s scientific reputation is also based on six well-known professors, who work regularly or permanently at the institute. The institute’s webpage provides more information about the Emeritus Scientific Members (Prof. Albert Herz, Prof. Georg W. Kreutzberg, Prof. Bert Sakmann and Prof. Hartmut Wekerle) and the External Scientific Members (Prof. Yves-Alain Barde, Prof. Reinhard Hohlfeld and Prof. Edvard Moser).