All a question of age? How the brain and behaviours develop over time
Max Planck Forum at the British Embassy in Berlin
Date: 9.4.2014
Time: 20.00
Venue: British Embassy Berlin, Wilhelmstraße 70, 10117 Berlin
Why do some people become depressed when subjected to stress while others do not? Why don’t all people remain sharp in old age? With a wealth of new data from empirical studies in neuroscience and behavioural science, scientists are increasingly able to describe such differences. But viable explanations for the causes of such differences remain elusive. The ability to learn, make decisions or experience curiosity changes over the course of a person’s life as the brain changes. But the question of what neurological processes influence what behaviour – and how all this changes during a person’s lifetime – remains unanswered.
The new Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research is now seeking answers to this question. In April, the Max Planck Society and University College London will open a new research centre which uses computer models based on large amounts of data to simulate neuronal processes and disruptions to these processes.
The Forum will consider what scientists understand about the connections between age, brain development and cognition. Can computer models allow us to describe ageappropriate behaviour for adults? Could this help us to better understand or perhaps even take pre-emptive action against neurodegenerative illnesses such as dementia? And what visions and expectations do scientists themselves have?
Panel discussion with:
- Prof. Dr. Raymond Dolan, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London
- Prof. Dr. Ulman Lindenberger, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
Presented by: Steve Ayan, Science Journalist, Gehirn & Geist
