The German Research Foundation (DFG) has announced the five-year funding of the project “Investigating the neurobiology of large brains using the example of the elephant” by Prof. Dr. Michael Brecht from the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. 1.25 million euros will be made available for the innovative research project, which is due to start in July 2025. Michael Brecht is one of five scientists in Germany who have been awarded the current Reinhart Koselleck project funding.

Grasping with the trunk requires unique neuronal structures

“In recent years, cellular neurobiology has become very narrowly focussed on the study of small brains. However, I have been interested in animals with large brains all my life and I am happy that we now have the opportunity to study the cell biology of large brains in these unique elephants,” says Michael Brecht, head of the study.

Previous study results indicate that the cellular structure of elephant brains differs significantly from the structure of rodent brains and that elephants have haptic and cognitive abilities that are only found in very few mammals. Elephants grasp with their trunks, which requires unique neural control. It is based on the gross control of thousands of muscles that receive different inputs from motor neurones. This type of control differs greatly from grasping in primates, which is based on the fine control of a few dozen muscles. Based on the neuroanatomy, the researchers expect different muscle recruitment patterns in elephants than in primates. To test this assumption, they will examine the elephant’s trunk using electromyography (EMG) measurements – a method that is also used in medicine to assess muscle and nerve function.

Bridging the gap between cellular and systems neuroscience

“Our work aims to make the elephant brain the best-studied very large brain,” explains Michael Brecht. The aim is to develop methods for analysing large brains and to build a bridge between the cellular and systems neuroscience of large brains.

Michael Brecht has already attracted widespread international attention with his behavioural experiments on the grasping behaviour of zoo elephants. His research team has the world’s largest collection of elephant brains and collaborates with field researchers. To investigate the neurobiology of large brains, the researchers will combine established methods such as histology (post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging) with new methods such as synchrotron X-ray tomography (microCT/DiICT), which have previously been adapted to the special features of elephant brains.

About Michael Brecht

Michael Brecht’s career is closely linked to two of the world’s most renowned German neurobiologists and cell biologists: After studying biology in Tübingen in 1994 and a research stay in San Francisco, Michael Brecht completed his doctorate with Wolf Singer in Frankfurt and habilitated with Nobel Prize winner Bert Sakmann in Heidelberg. Since 2006, he has been a professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin and spokesman for the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience Berlin. His research focuses on the sense of touch, play and the neurobiology of elephants.

About the Reinhart Koselleck Programme

With the Reinhart Koselleck Project Funding Programme, the German Research Foundation (DFG) offers more scope for particularly innovative and, in a positive sense, risk-taking research. Funding is provided for researchers who are char
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has announced the five-year funding of the project “Investigating the neurobiology of large brains using the example of the elephant” by Prof. Dr. Michael Brecht from the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. 1.25 million euros will be made available for the innovative research project, which is due to start in July 2025. Michael Brecht is one of five scientists in Germany who have been awarded the current Reinhart Koselleck project funding.