The Medical University of Vienna is the largest establishment of its kind in Central Europe, with more than 1,800 researchers and 1,600 medical doctors being active at its 31 departments and 12 centers. The Centrum for Brain Research is a research-dedicated organizational unit, and draws its heritage from populating the very building in which Karl Landsteiner discovered the blood groups.
The Center for Brain Research at present hosts six departments, which individually address the structure, function, and diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems throughout the lifespan. Particular emphasis is on clinically-oriented and human-relevant topics, including acute and chronic pain (Department of Neurophysiology), immune survaillance, neuro-immune interactions and cellular origins of brain cancers (Department of Neuroimmunology), peroxisome function and dysfunction (Department of the Pathobiology of the Nervous System), neuronal and glial heterogeneity and neuroendocrine brain-periphery interactions (Department of Molecular Neurosciences), synaptic mechanisms of learning and mindfulness (Department of Neuronal Cell Biology), and the neuronal basis of cognition (Department of Cognitive Neurobiology). The hierarchical arrangements encompassing molecular, cellular, network-level and brain-wide mechanisms of information processing, their sensitivies to genetic and environmental factors, and resilience provide a vibrant, interactive environment for multidisciplinary research.
