Cognition and Behaviour –Cognitive Level:
Scientists from the humanities and natural sciences jointly study integrative brain functions and their development, underlying complex behaviours such as concepts of space and magnitude or theory of mind. Levels of analysis range from comparative studies of animal behaviour and cognition to creative processes in the fine arts.
The Sensory and Neuronal Basis –Network Level:The implementation of cognitive and behavioural functions in neuronal hardware is approached at the level of neuronal networks using state-of-the-art tools of molecular biology, electrophysiological and optical methods, as well as computational approaches. Examples of specific topics are the neuronal underpinnings of perception and the roles of attention, expectation and motivation.
Applications and Neuroprosthetics – Neurotechnology:To mitigate lost sensory organ or brain functions, neuroprosthetic devices must be developed. They replace receptors or neuronal networks destroyed by disease with technical systems interfacing with the brain or, alternatively, genetically altered cells. Research emphasises the neuroprosthetic restoration of vision and movement. The latter focuses on brain-computer interfaces, in which signals of cortical origin used to control external devices are studied in-depth.
Probing Integrative Brain Functions – Advanced Tools:Exploring and furthering the sensitivity and specificity of brain imaging techniques available and exploring the potential of novel approaches is a key interest at the CIN, both with regard to studies of the normal and the diseased brain. The aim is to advance the development of non-invasive imaging techniques with improved resolution, and to better understand the relationship between metabolic signals used in brain imaging and neuronal processing.
CIN R
ESEA
RCH AREASThe Sensory and Neuronal Basis – Cellular Level:CIN scientists seek to understand key principles of information processing in neuronal networks, trying to unravel their anatomical structure and the principles governing the archi-tecture of neuronal interactions. Topics of particular interest are the dynamics of inhibitory interactions or the role of long-range connections in establishing synchrony and the neuronal binding of representations.
CIN RESEARCH GROUPS
CIN Professorships:
• SystemsNeurobiology (Aristides Arrenberg)• VisionandCognition (Andreas Bartels)• ComputationalNeuroscience (Matthias Bethge)• OphthalmicResearch (Thomas Euler)• ComputationalSensomotorics (Martin Giese, jointly with HIH)
• PhysiologyofActiveVision (Ziad Hafed)• BiomedicalMagneticResonance (KlausScheffler, jointly with MPI Cyb)• SystemsNeurophysiology (Cornelius Schwarz)• LargeScaleNeuronalInteractions (Markus Siegel)• PhilosophyofNeuroscience (Hong Yu Wong)
Senior Research Groups:
• EcholocationinBats (Hans-Ulrich Schnitzler)• RetinalDegeneration (Eberhart Zrenner)
Independent Junior Research Groups:• CellularandSynapticBasisof Behaviour (Andrea Burgalossi)• PhysiologyofLearningandMemory (Ingrid Ehrlich, jointly with HIH)• FunctionalandComparative Neuroanatomy (Henry Evrard)• NeurobiologyofVocal Communication (SteffenHage)
• NeuronGliaInteraction (Maria Kukley)• RetinalCircuitsandOptogenetics (Thomas Münch)• NeurophysiologyofVisualand DecisionProcesses (Hendrikje Nienborg, jointly with ERC)• MolecularMechanismsofAxonal Injury (IvanaNikić-Spiegel, jointly with ERC)• StructureandFunctionofNeural Circuits (Takashi Sato)
ABOUT US
Illustrationen © Thomas Münch, Klaus Scheffler, Markus Siegel
Who We Are:
The Werner Reichardt Centre for IntegrativeNeuroscience(CIN)isthejointplatformofsystemsneuroscience Tübingen. The CIN is the UniversityofTübingen‘sclusterofexcellence,involvingthreeof its faculties, twoMaxPlanck Institutes and thelocal institutesof theHertie,Fraunhofer,BernsteinandHelmholtzcommunities.TheCINencompassescloseto90independentprincipalinvestigatorswiththeir teams. Based on CIN funding, 21 researchgroups are currently engaged in various areas ofsystemsneuroscience.
What We Do:
TheCINstrivesforabetterunderstandingofhowthebraingeneratesfunctionandhowbraindiseasesimpairfunction.Research at the CIN is guided by the convictionthatprogressintheunderstandingofthebraincanonlybeachievedbyan integrativeapproach.Thisrequires contributions from many different fieldssuchasCognitiveSciencesBiology,MedicineandPhysics,butalsofromtheHumanities.In this way, we combine knowledge from verydifferent sources, representing different levels oforganisationandcomplexity.
Contact Us:
WernerReichardtCentreforIntegrativeNeuroscience(CIN)Otfried-Müller-Straße25D–72076Tü[email protected]
http://www.cin.uni-tuebingen.de
Alumni:
• CorticalCircuitsofVisual Perception (Laura Busse)• Neuroprosthetics (Alireza Gharabaghi)• SensoryMechanotransduction (Jing Hu)• NeuralBasisofVisualBehaviour (SteffenKatzner)• PhilosophyofMindandCognition (Tobias Schlicht)• CorticalNeuroinformatics (Anton Sirota)• NeuralBasisofIntuition (Kirsten Volz)
CENTR
E FOR INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE
UNDERSTANDING HOW THE BRAIN GENERATES F
UNCTIO
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