Frankfurt has Brains

What connects brain research and Frankfurt: apple cider, Alzheimer's or the appearance of squids? Find out here why all three answers hold true.

Every minute, 750 to 1,000 milliliters of blood flow through the human brain. That is roughly equivalent to the contents of a bottle of apple wine. It was in Frankfurt that Alois Alzheimer, the "mad doctor with the microscope," discovered the neurodegenerative changes in the brain that are now named after him. Cuttlefish can change their appearance at lightning speed to camouflage themselves from enemies or swim up to prey unnoticed. Scientists in Frankfurt are using this effect to look into the brain of the cuttlefish by analyzing their skin patterns. These and many other exciting facts can now be found at the German website frankfurt-hat-hirn.de.

The project is a joint initiative of Frankfurt's neuroscience institutes on the occasion of Brain Awareness Week. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research.

To show the Frankfurt public how much brain Mainhattan has, the following scientific institutions have joined forces on the initiative of the non-profit Hertie Foundation, which has been promoting brain research since the 1970s: the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Goethe University and the Ernst Strüngmann Institute.

In addition to these institutions, the history of the city of Frankfurt also has much to offer: important personalities, events, and research results related to neuroscientific topics. Some of them date back to the 19th century and thus, virtually originate from the cradle of modern brain research.