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The Institute was originally founded in 1914 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in Berlin-Buch, which in turn had been preceded by the Neurological Central Station established in 1898 by Oskar Vogt. In 1948 the Institute was incorporated by the Max Planck Society. Research at the Institute addresses the principles of the organization of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) at many different levels of analysis, ranging from molecular to behavioural studies. Anatomical, biochemical and physiological methods are applied to identify general principles of organization which are shared by the brains of animals and humans.
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The different research departments of the Institute can be seen in a hierarchy of rising complexity.
The  Neurochemical Department is engaged in basic questions of neuronal connectivity and examines the molecular processes on individual synapses.
In the Emeritus Group Neuroanatomy, a simple network of neurons (the retina) is explored in order to understand its structure, function and complexity.
Finally, the Neurophysiological Department is concerned with the question of how a highly complex structure like the cerebral cortex is organized and accomplishes cognitive functions.
Areas of research in key words: Synaptic mechanisms, vesicle-associated proteins, structure of transmitter receptors, function of transmitter receptors, pharmacology of transmitter receptors, ion channels, axonal pathfinding, synaptogenesis, neuron differentiation, Alzheimer's disease, retina, neurotransmitters in the retina, transmitter receptors in the retina, vision in darkness, rod signal, visual system, colour vision, comparative anatomy of the retina, agrin and synapse development, visual cortex, brain development, neuronal plasticity, learning and memory, visual perception, neuronal networks, development of cognitive functions.
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