The understanding of nervous system activity in its physiological and pathophysiological conditions constitutes a fundamental goal of the neurosciences. Recent experimental advances in molecular, cellular and network neurosciences have allowed researchers to gain in-depth insights into many aspects of neuron and nervous system function.

However, the complexity of nervous systems often forces researchers to focus on single, highly restricted aspects of nervous system function. Therefore the central goal of this RTG is to teach graduate students how to integrate data from the molecular to the neural network level to obtain a deeper understanding of nervous system function. The research focus is on sensory processing, control of energy homeostasis and motor control, reflecting the major strengths in the Cologne Neuroscience community.
A central feature of this program is the tandem supervision of graduate students by two principal investigators from different fields, e.g. physiology and genetics, or applied mathematics and neurology.