Max Planck Institute for Brain Research

The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research is a fundamental research and scientific training institution focused on understanding the brain. The human brain is a formidably complex machine, composed of about one hundred billion neurons and trillions of connections, or synapses between them. Out of such a system, as if magically, arise perception, behavior and thought. The brain is often described as the most complex machine in the known universe. Research at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research focuses on the operation of brain circuits. It is currently carried out in three scientific departments (Helmstaedter, Schuman and Laurent), four Max Planck Research Groups (Barker, Ito, Gjorgjieva, and Stempel) and a Max Planck Fellow Group (Acker-Palmer) located in our new Institute building (Riedberg), as well as in the Emeritus Department of Wolf Singer located in the old Institute building (Niederrad). Neuroscience is an archetype of interdisciplinary science: a typical project...