Figure: Florian Hetsch

Disorders of the Nervous System

The nervous system is fundamental to the body’s ability to maintain itself, to sense the environment, to move and react to stimuli, and to generate and control behavior.

Neuroscience researchers at the MDC work on understanding these processes on a cellular and molecular level. The themes covered include ion channels, interactions between neuronal and glial cells, somatosensory circuits, neurodegeneration, and muscle formation and function.

We explore different fields to answer these questions, from developmental and cell biology to behavioral science, using a variety of techniques such as model organisms, electrophysiology or proteomics.

Diseases of the nervous system constitute an ever-greater medical problem, as they are increasing in frequency parallel to the altered age-structure of the population. By understanding normal and pathophysiological processes in the nervous system, we are working on the long-term development of new approaches for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

MDC news: neuroscience