From Signal Processing to Behaviour: University of Leipzig

Research into the biological foundations of mental processes has a long-established tradition at Leipzig University. Neuroanatomic studies and analyses of the quantification of mental processes led the way to the establishment of experimental psychology. In recent years, modern cognitive science has centred on the interface of fundamental molecular and cellular functions of the brain (neuroscience) and their mental implications. This approach is being refined by the behavioural sciences. In the area of prevention and rehabilitation behaviourist scientists combine studies in medicine and social as well as sports studies. The inclusion of evolutionary anthropology eventually initiated an interdisciplinary method ranging from zoology to linguistics.

In the IPP From Signal Processing to Behaviour the cognitive sciences take an intermediary position between neuroscience, biological behavioural science and the analysis of lifestyles. Cognitive faculties such as learning, memory and language will be assessed as to their functionality and their impact on behaviour. The fundamental processes of neuronal communication are of particular significance if macro level phenomena are to be understood at a micro level. Still, a cognitive ability such as language can also be observed from an evolutionary perspective. Scientific disciplines such as evolutionary genetics, comparative primatology and palaeontology provide vital findings regarding the nature of language. A differential method, finally, examines the problem as to whether the cognitive processes of experts differ from those of non-experts. By combining the different angles of research the IPP arrives at a holistic perspective and thus provides a crucial factor for the academic training of prospective postgraduates in the various branches of life science.

The subject Neuronal Interactions conjoins neuroscience and cognitive science. Concerning Behavioural and Neuronal Plasticity, this conjunction is in turn connected with the studies of lifestyles in medicine, sports science and social science. The connection between cognitive science and anthropology centres on the area Imaging Genomics. All three fields of research are currently experiencing a continuous boom and Leipzig has the potential to enter both the national and the international competition.

The following research profiles are focal points of our interdisciplinary research groups:

• Molecular and functional cell biology
• From molecule to behaviour: Neurosciences, Cognitive Sciences, Behavioural Sciences
• Prevention and rehabilitation

Congruent with the wide range of subjects at Leipzig University, we bridge the gap between medicine, the natural sciences and the social sciences with these research profiles. This is reflected in a concentration of potentials in interdisciplinary centres and thus provides a network of academic studies and resident research institutes.

The IPP consists of four interdisciplinary research groups:

• Cognitive processes in the human brain
• Neural and interneuronal communication
• Disease, Health and lifestyles
• Human Origins