 It is one of 83 institutes in the Max Planck Society (Max Planck Gesellschaft).Research at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research focuses on the operation of networks of neurons in the brain.The institute hosts three scientific departments (with directors Moritz Helmstaedter of the Helmstaedter Department, Gilles Laurent of the Laurent Department, and Erin Schuman of the Schuman Department), the Singer Emeritus Group, two Max Planck Research Groups, namely Johannes Letzkus' Neocortical Circuits Group and Tatjana Tchumatchenko's Theory of Neural Dynamics Group, as well as several additional research units.