Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics

02/06/2026

What can brain scans tell us about how the brain works?
In this short excerpt, Robert Ohlendorf talks about functional MRI (fMRI), one of the key tools used in neuroscience research today.
This clip is part of our new video portrait, where he discusses his work, the questions that motivate his research, and how new imaging methods could help us learn more about the brain.
▶️ Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/ml8uwd70dS8

28/05/2026

Fish sleep a lot like us! Read the NY times article about the most recent result of the RoLiLab:

By tracking eye movements in zebrafish, researchers identified four different types of sleep, analogous to the complex sleep patterns of humans and other animals.

26/05/2026

Does cannabis really “delete” your dreams? 🌙

Our latest myth-busting reel with Chiara Zanonato, we explore how THC and CBD may influence sleep architecture and dreams.

Research suggests THC can suppress REM sleep — the sleep phase most strongly linked to vivid dreaming — which may explain why some people report fewer dreams while using cannabis. At the same time, the relationship between cannabinoids and sleep is complex, dose-dependent, and still actively being studied.

Clear science communication matters — especially around topics surrounded by myths and oversimplifications.

13/05/2026

🧠 AI meets Brain Research
Out now: interview with Gabriele Lohmann about neuroscience and artificial intelligence. She shares insights on using AI as a research tool, decoding brain activity, and why large language models don’t truly understand what they do.

Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/dKvhQfTf

Curious to learn more? Come to her talk on May 20 in Tübingen:
https://lnkd.in/d8pUmMhX

06/05/2026

New research sheds light on sleep — in fish.

A new study reveals that larval zebrafish exhibit four distinct sleep states, identified by analysing eye movement patterns across the full circadian cycle. This is the first time such complex sleep architecture has been documented in fish. Three of the four states involve characteristic eye movements; one does not, a pattern reminiscent of sleep stage distinctions seen in mammals. The findings were made possible by a tracking microscope that allows observation of freely swimming larvae.
Read the full press release: https://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/fish-sleep-architecture

28/04/2026

Are dead brain cells gone forever? 🧠 😵 Here's a new reel with Chiara Zanonato for anyone wants to find out!

20/04/2026

📌Poster Day 2026 — science in full swing! Last Thursday, our institute's hallways and seminar rooms transformed into a buzzing hub as our young researchers took center stage at this year's Poster Day. Dozens of posters, countless conversations, and not a quiet corner in sight!
🏆 We're thrilled to announce the winners of the Best Poster Award:
🥇 1st prize: Elena Cavani
🥈 2nd prize: Madhushree Pethe and Albina Farkhutdinova
Huge congratulations to all three, and a warm thank you to everyone who presented, stopped to listen, and kept the discussions going.

15/04/2026

Can a device read your thoughts — and help heal your brain?

We spoke with neuroscientist Pascal Fries about brain-computer interfaces: how they work, their potential for treating neurological and psychiatric conditions, and the ethical questions we can't ignore.

📖 Interview: www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/bci
🎤 Catch him live on April 29 — details below.

01/04/2026

We are pleased to share that Roxana Zeraati has been awarded the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund.
The two-year grant will support her research on how humans adapt their decisions to changing environments.
While many decision-making studies rely on short, highly controlled laboratory experiments, this project moves toward more naturalistic settings: using gamified continuous tasks, participants will interact with dynamic environments in which resources appear, disappear, and change in value over time.
This approach may also help improve understanding of disrupted decision-making processes, including behaviors such as gambling or excessive social media use, where evaluating when to stop or switch strategies can become impaired.
The Klaus Tschira Boost Fund provides flexible support for excellent early-career researchers and is designed as a step toward scientific independence and leadership.
🔗 https://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/zeraati-tschira


Photo: Friedhelm Albrecht / University of Tübingen

31/03/2026

🍷Does alcohol kills brain cells? 🧠

Watch the reel and see what’s really happening in your brain when you empty a glass of wine…

Chiara Zanonato