About our research
Research institute
This Master’s specialisation is tightly connected to the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (DI) and Donders Centre for Neuroscience (DCN). The Donders Institute is a world-class research centre devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of human cognition and behaviour in health and disease. Its mission includes conducting interdisciplinary research of excellence at the unique interface between genetic, molecular, and cellular processes at one end and computational, system-level neuroscience with cognitive and behavioural analysis at the other end.
Research departments
As a Neurobiology student, you will perform research at the Donders Institute during your internship(s). You are free to choose the research topic of your interest, and a specific approach that matches your background. Relevant groups are:
The aim of this group is to understand the molecular basis of developing brain areas, specifically those involved in neurodevelopmental disorders, using state-of-the-art in vitro and in vivo approaches, like in utero electroporation.
How does sleep influence memory processing in whole brain networks? This group aims to understand sleep and memory mechanisms using molecular, physiological, and behavioural approaches.
This lab discovers key principles of brain functioning using computational modeling and neurophysiological experiments. They develop and apply advanced analysis to real-world conditions.
The physical structure of the brain (its ‘hardware’) shapes our information processing and vice versa: the computations needed for information processing (the ‘software’) are adapted to the physical structure of the hardware. In the ‘Biophysics of Neural Computation’ group, we study the relationship between the physical properties of the brain and its information processing: how are neurons and networks formed so that they can perform functions such as perception? Which characteristics of neurons and networks enhance or limit information transfer? We collaborate closely with experimental neuroscientists, studying neurons, networks, and behaviour, unraveling together the fundamental functions of the brain.
Researchers
Get to know our researchers and their work, you could be working alongside them in this Master's!
Research projects
Discover what our researchers are currently working on.
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ProMiSe
In the multidisciplinary ProMiSe project, researchers intend to make a blueprint for how the integration of neurobiological and clinical knowledge can lead to improvement of care for patients with rare genetic syndromes.
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RNA Sequencing of the Neuromuscular Junction in FUS-associated ALS
The project's goal is to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuromuscular junction defects in ALS in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.
Research facilities
To study the complex neural networks underlying perceptual, motor and cognitive brain functions in ever greater detail, our campus has several state-of-the-art facilities, and we're taking the lead in developing and implementing new techniques.