Nervous System and Mental Health

There is a growing incidence of nervous and mental illnesses. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over one billion people worldwide suffer from disorders of the central nervous system, such as brain and spinal chord injuries or Parkinson's syndrome, dementia, stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia or depression. The quality of life of patients with chronic pain is also considerably impaired. These illnesses not only cause great human suffering, but also enormous costs for the healthcare system. Medical research must therefore urgently be improved.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over one billion people worldwide suffer from illnesses of the central nervous system. Besides injuries of the brain and the spinal chord, these include a large number of neurological or mental illnesses, such as Parkinson's syndrome (150,000 to 200,000 patients in Germany), dementia (estimated 1.2 million), stroke (about 250,000 p.a.) and epilepsy (400,000 to 800,000). These illnesses do not only cause great human suffering, but are also linked with enormous costs - stays in hospital, loss of working hours, early retirement and, in many cases, life-long care. It is therefore urgently necessary to improve medical research in this field for ethical and social as well as economic reasons.

Methodical and technological innovations have facilitated a further understanding of the development and course of neurological and mental illnesses. New findings enable better opportunities for diagnosis and therapy: Human genome research has improved our knowledge of genetic influences on different illnesses of the nervous system and has provided approaches for developing entirely new medical drugs. The impact of medical drugs can now be studied using functional imaging methods. Modern imaging techniques enable a non-invasive study of brain functions.

New insights

Research on the senses has made great progress in recent years. Biomedical and chemical methods provide new insights into the functioning of our senses. Research into seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling is clearly illustrated in the BMBF's new brochure "Die Erforschung der menschlichen Sinne". This also shows how patients benefit from research results: by more precise diagnosis of diseases, by innovative procedures of relief and healing, by targeted support in everyday life.

Neuroscientific topics are funded under the "Health Research - Research for People" programme. Furthermore, the BMBF supports neuroscientific research under other programmes, such as "Biotechnology", "Microsystem Technology" and "Information Technology".

Research projects on diseases of the central nervous system are funded under different funding priorities within the framework of health research programmes:

Competence Networks in Medicine

Competence Networks in Medicine are transregional networks dealing with defined clinical syndromes which closely interlink research and care. The first four competence networks in the neurosciences were established in 1999: Depression and Suicidality, Schizophrenia, Stroke and Parkinson's Syndrome. The Dementia competence network was established in 2002.

Brain-Net is the German reference centre for diseases of the central nervous system. It centrally archives biological material in a biomaterial bank (e.g. nervous tissue, serum and liquor samples) and stores disease-specific clinical patient data in an anonymized form, which is then available for further research.

The competence networks in the neurosciences receive funding totalling about 71 million Euro for up to nine years. After this, they are to continue their work self-sufficiently and attract research funding.

Genome networks in the area of "Diseases of the Central Nervous System" (NGFN)

Functional genome research provides new opportunities for combating illnesses which it has not been possible to treat sufficiently in the past. In addition to obtaining a better understanding of hereditary diseases, which are caused by mutations within an individual gene, we expect to gain a better understanding of those diseases which result from the complex interaction of changes in many genes and disease-specific environmental influences.

The BMBF funds three genome networks within the framework of the National Genome Research Network (NGFN). They deal, for example, with questions of schizophrenia, migraine, epilepsy, bipolar affective disorders (manic depressive diseases), Alzheimer's disease as well as neurological influences in illnesses, such as eating disorders or dyslexia. The BMBF will make about 41 million Euro available for functional genome research into diseases of the nervous system up to mid 2008.
Further information on the study of neurological and mental illnesses is available under http://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/en/143.php