Organisation

 

Since 1987 the Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN) represents and coordinates the (interfaculty) neuroscience research of the University of Groningen. Its interdisciplinary research activities are performed at five different faculties: the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science (FWN), the Faculty of Medical Science/University Medical Center Groningen (FMW/UMCG), the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences (GMW), the Faculty of Philosophy (FW) and the Faculty of Arts (LET).

 

 

The Research School BCN stimulates the integration of fundamental research and education addressing the neurobiological basis of behavioural and cognitive events. BCN researchers study the physiological and pathological processes of the nervous system using cellular, behavioural and modelling techniques. The research relates specifications of brain activity at molecular/cellular levels to analysis of physical and mental operations, up to the complex level of information processing. The questions that BCN researchers have set out to resolve are of crucial importance to our understanding of how the central nervous system regulates behaviour and cognition. BCN seeks to clarify in what way control systems are organized at different levels of behavioural processing, how these mechanisms affect neural circuits by changing local parameters (neurotransmission), and how the characteristics of behavioural control are affected under pathological conditions. The Research School BCN offers excellent master and PhD students a stimulating environment and an integrated programme of education, research training and research projects both at master and PhD level.

 

Although research groups within BCN address basic neuroscience questions from different points of view, their common goal is to unravel the regulation of mental and physical behaviour by the central nervous system in a multidisciplinary approach. Our mission is to bring together behavioural, cognitive and neuroscience research at levels ranging from the molecular or cellular perspective up to the information processing and complex behaviour. 

Participating faculties, Research Institutes and Departments 

Five Faculties of the University of Groningen participate in the School for Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience (BCN) with a number of research institutes:

1. The Faculty of Medical Science (FMW) / University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) participates with the Research Institute BCN-BRAIN

2. The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science (FWN) participates with its Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences (CBN) and its Johann Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (JBI)

3. The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences (GMW) takes part with the Heymans institute (HI)

4. The Faculty of Philosophy (FW) with its Groningen Research Institute of Philosophy (GRIPh)

5. the Faculty of Arts (LET) takes part with the Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG)

  

The majority of the FMW/UMCG researchers of BCN (BCN-BRAIN) are active within the disciplines of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Neurogenetics, Neurology, Neuropathology, Movement Sciences, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Cell Biology or Paediatrics. BCN researchers of the FWN are active within the disciplines of Animal Behaviour, Molecular Neurobiology, Chronobiology, Molecular Chronobiology and Neuroendocrinology. BCN researchers of GMW are active within the disciplines of Neuropsychology and Experimental Psychology. BCN researchers of the FW participate within the disciplines of Theoretical Philosophy. And finally, BCN researchers of LET are active within the disciplines of Neurolinguistics, Theoretical Linguistics and Computational Linguistics