The Institute for Neuroscience (INS) focusses on important aspects of nervous system development, function and plasticity, and their perturbations in neuropsychiatric disorders.
The burden of neuropsychiatric disorders is substantial and constantly increasing, with an estimated 180 million people in Europe alone suffering from these diseases. In Western society, neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability, responsible for 30-40% of chronic sick leave and costing some 3% of GDP. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders, ideally in a highly personalized fashion.
Groups within INS aim to achieve a better understanding of nervous system function and dysfunction by performing fundamental research at the cellular, circuit and behavioural level in diverse model systems. Research priorities are the elucidation of molecular mechanisms – epigenetic, RNA-based and chromatin-associated – that regulate neural development and plasticity, the analysis of complex neural circuits that are involved in the control of behaviour, as well as the establishment of translational approaches to provide links between animal and human neuroscience. These goals are tackled by a highly multidisciplinary approach including collaborations with both academia and industry at the national and international level. The INS is further highly committed to educate Bachelor, Master and PhD students in a truly interdisciplinary setting in order to prepare them for a career in academia, industry or clinics.
Together, we have the mission that our efforts in both research and education meet the societal needs for the prevention, care and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.