Neurobiology

How the smell of food triggers brain cells that make mice feel less hungry more

How the ELAV protein shapes the brain’s unique circular RNA landscape more

Nerve cells that tell to us we are full also make us crave sweets more

In the reptilian brain, networks for controlling movement determine the sleep rhythm more

Understanding why we delay tasks may help reclaim productivity more

Liraglutide benefits brain activity in people with obesity more

Birds show remarkably similar sleep patterns to humans and may experience flight in their dreams more

Researchers have shown that defective myelin actively promotes disease-related changes in Alzheimer’s disease. more

A tiny brain structure, the Locus coeruleus, is thought to regulate our brain's sensitivity to relevant information more

Dieter Oesterhelt, Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, is being honoured with the Lasker Basic Medical Research Award 2021 together with Peter Hegemann and Karl Deisseroth more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2022 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 12 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Mathias Grote, science historian and Heisenberg Fellow at Humboldt University, talks with Dieter Oesterhelt about his research more

Many publications by Max Planck scientists in 2020 were of great social relevance or met with a great media response. We have selected 13 articles to present you with an overview of some noteworthy research of the year more

Severed nerve tracts are very difficult to treat. If at all, the damage so far can only be repaired through complex operations. At the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, we have developed materials that stimulate damaged nerves into growth. Results from initial tests on mice show that nerve tracts can regenerate this way. more

Contrary to previous belief, learning processes do not occur exclusively in the cerebral cortex more

MRI study analyzes stress-processing brain regions in older city dwellers more

Scientists discover anatomical link for the loss of smell in Parkinson’s disease more

Scientists discover fundamental connectivity pattern in the brain more

Genetically modified mice deliver first indication that human intestinal bacteria can trigger multiple sclerosis more

Neurons in the amygdala link food consumption to reward more

Learning and Memory leave behind anatomically visible traces. Tobias Bonhoeffer was the first to observe them. Together with his team, he examines the contact points between nerves, so-called dendrical thorns, and synapses. The researcher discovered that during learning some thorns newly develop and others dissappear. more