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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
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• International symposium: From June 29 to July 1, 2026, leading neuroscientists will convene at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen.
• An evolving research field: new directions for computational neuroscience.
• Focus on brain functions: The event pays tribute to the legacy of Valentino Braitenberg.
This year would have marked the centennial of the birth of Valentino Braitenberg, one of the first directors of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and a preeminent figure in 20th-century neuroscience. To commemorate this milestone, the institute is hosting the international symposium “Braitenberg 100: Computational Neuroscience — Past, Present, Future” from June 29 to July 1, 2026. The event will bring together leading figures in computational neuroscience to honor Braitenberg's legacy and to discuss future directions of the field.
Valentino Braitenberg (1926–2011) played a key role in bringing cybernetics to Italy after a formative stay at Yale, where he met pioneers Norbert Wiener and Warren McCulloch. In 1968 he joined the newly founded Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen as one of its first directors. His research asked how brain structure gives rise to complex behavior, spanning the visual systems of fruit flies to the cortices of vertebrates. He is best remembered for Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology (1984), still widely read in robotics, showing how simple circuits can produce behaviors that look like fear, aggression, or love.
Shaping the future of computational neuroscience
The three-day symposium in his honor will bring together renowned computational neuroscience researchers from around the world to explore topics ranging from memory and spatial navigation to vision, sensorimotor control, and reinforcement learning. The first day is dedicated to Braitenberg’s work and the principles of his thinking. Additionally, the evening program includes a screening of the new documentary “Forschungsobjekt Gehirn” (Research Object Brain) by Italian filmmaker Stefan Nicolini. Starting on the second day, the program will focus on the present and future of the field. At the same time, the symposium remains committed to the core question that never ceased to fascinate Braitenberg: How do complex mental functions arise from the physiology of neural networks?
“Braitenberg advocated for a close examination of the relationship between structure and function”, said Li Zhaoping, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and the lead organizer of the symposium. “This resonates with many of us. Neural mechanisms underlie our natural intelligence. Theoretical ideas are increasingly helping us link neural and behavioral findings, supported by ever evolving computational and mathematical tools. Experimental and computational neuroscience are coming ever closer to help us decipher the language of the brain.”
Dr. Li Zhaoping
braitenberg100@tuebingen.mpg.de
Valentino Braitenberg
Quelle: Alfred Wegener
Copyright: Alfred Wegener
Fear, aggression, love: Braitenberg vehicles use simple mechanisms to generate complex behaviors.
Quelle: Christian Gasser
Copyright: Christian Gasser / RAI Südtirol
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