As human life expectancy increases, so does the risk of neurological and psychiatric disease. The Helmholtz Association’s basic neuroscience research extends our knowledge of the causes of these disorders. In the first round of programme-oriented funding, research focused on degenerative diseases of the central nervous system such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s as well as epilepsy, brain tumours or cognitive function disorders resulting from strokes. In order to analyse the relevant mechanisms, individual signal-transmitting molecules and cells must be examined as well as the neural system as a whole.

Scientists use large-scale facilities to analyse normal and pathologically transformed mechanisms in the living human brain and employ the state-of-the-art non-invasive imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance tomography, positron emission tomography and magneto-encephalography as well as genome research, cell biology and significant animal models.