Labs at the Institute

How do hormones, enzymes, and the microbiome influence the human body? How do environmental factors influence general health? Answers to these questions can be found by analyzing biological samples in the institute's own bio lab. [more]

Billions of nerve cells work together in the brain to coordinate sensory input, thoughts, and emotions at any given moment. The nerve cells communicate with each other by means of electrochemical transmission. Electroencephalography (EEG) makes it possible to record the electrical activity of clusters of nerve cells as reflected in changes in electric potential at various locations on the scalp. [more]

Do younger and older people use the same brain regions to perform cognitive tasks? Can brain activity and structure be changed by mental or physical training? How do environmental factors influence the development and individual characteristics of brain function and brain structure? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development investigate these and other questions using the Institute’s two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners: a 3-Tesla system and a mobile 1.5-Tesla MRI system. Tesla is the unit used here to describe the strength of the magnetic field used for MRI [more]

What decisions do people make when faced with sudden dangers in road traffic? Which routes do they use to escape burning buildings? How does the weather affect people’s driving? In 2018, a Virtual Reality Lab was set up at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, allowing researchers to investigate these kinds of situations as realistically as possible but under controlled conditions. [more]

Discover the world of sound in our wave field synthesis laboratory!
Wave field synthesis is a technology that reproduces sounds as if they are coming from different directions in space to create an immersive listening experience. [more]