The Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences (MPI CBS) is an internationally renowned research institute into the fundamentals of human cognition. The main focus of the research is on fundamental mechanisms of human thinking and the neural foundations of higher brain functions such as language, memory, orientation, music, and communication. Furthermore, the plastic change capacity of the brain and its influence on various cognitive abilities are examined, as well as the neuronal and hormonal basis of diseases of civilization such as high blood pressure and obesity.