How we think, perceive, react and enjoy life, all depend on complex signaling between the billions of neurons within the brain. This is made possible through brain circuits involving subpopulations of neurons and local contacts between their neuronal processes. The way neurons are embedded and communicate within these networks is shaped by development and learning. We believe that the key to understanding brain function lies in understanding these building blocks of the nervous system, the neuronal circuits.

The Neurobiology research groups at the FMI use cutting-edge technology and computational approaches to study the formation and function of neuronal circuits in different model systems. Using techniques to measure and manipulate neuronal activity, to reconstruct the anatomy, and to study the molecular fingerprints of neurons, they seek to understand how neuronal circuits develop and function, how they are maintained or remodeled by learning, and how they give rise to cognitive functions.

This research furthers understanding of how the nervous system functions both in healthy and diseased states. We envision that these insights will eventually help to treat psychiatric conditions and age-related degeneration of the nervous system such as dementia and Parkinson's.