Genetically modified rats lacking protein Nogo-A, which inhibits the growth of nerve fibers. The model has been crated in CIMH Mannheim and ETH Zurich. (photo: T. Petrasek)
Our department has been involved in learning, memory and cognitive functions studies for a long time. For instance, spatial orientation is now considered a type of so-called declarative memory (the ability to remember facts and events). This capability is dominantly affected in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia. These are conditions for which we do not know details of their physiology, so we actually treat only symptoms but not causes. Using neuroanatomical, neuropharmacological, cellular, molecular, and behavioural approaches we investigate brain function in relation to behavior, both in health and disease. In an intense collaboration, we also work on development of novel therapeutics focused on the brain diseases.
