When we open our eyes, it is very easy for us to see the different objects, people and animals around us. Traditionally, the dominant view in research has been that a central goal of our perception is to recognize objects and assign them to different categories - for example, is this object we see a dog and do dogs belong to the category of…
It is widely known in neuroscience that males have larger brains than females on average. However, how the brain differs functionally between the sexes is less well understood. Based on the premise that brain structure supports function, Bianca Serio and Sofie Valk from MPI CBS in Leipzig and Forschungszentrum Jülich investigated whether sex…
Mental illness often occurs for the first time during puberty and in young adulthood. This is because during adolescent brain development, a pronounced remodeling of cognitive networks takes place. On the one hand, this remodeling promotes the maturation of more complex cognitive functions and the ability to fit into the social environment. On the…
Every year, the Max Planck Society honors young scientists with the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding scientific achievements. This year, Rachel Zsido from the Department of Neurology and Markus Frey from the Department of Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) received two of the coveted awards. Here…
Scientists around Malte Brammerloh and Evgeniya Kirilina from MPI CBS in Leipzig describe a new technique for measuring the magnetic properties of metals within cells in the Journal “Physical Review X”. The method is providing a powerful tool for studying how metal accumulation in cells contributes to certain diseases such as Parkinson’s and…
The question of how the human brain has developed over the course of evolution can possibly only be answered through comparisons with our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, together with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology…
Feelings or emotions have not yet been systematically described in neuroscience. The best-known theories on why emotions significantly influence our brain and how they arise were put forward at the end of the 1970s. The Human Affectome Project has now presented a comprehensive and integrated model for emotions and feelings that is intended to serve…
In most decision-making situations we need to plan well ahead as values of choice options often change over time. How does our brain manage to make good predictions in such situations and select the best option for the future? Alexander Nitsch and Christian Doeller from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS)…
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have unearthed fascinating evidence that the brain undergoes important changes in wiring when we embark on the journey of learning a new language in adulthood. They organized a large intensive German learning program for Syrian refugees and studied their brains…
Optimal windows exist for action and perception between the two consecutive heart beats, according to a study published in PLOS Biology by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) in Leipzig. The sequence of heart contraction and relaxation is linked to changes in the motor system and its ability to…
"I'll have another coffee!" During an everyday conversation, listeners need to quickly and efficiently extract different types of information from what is being said in order to understand the message being conveyed. The complex process of language processing is controlled by the interaction between widely distributed regions in the brain. But how…
