We yearn to grasp the method by which the brain develops into an abnormally functioning unit of matter manifesting itself in an array of psychiatric and neuronal based diseases. The Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research centre opened on Tuesday with the specific goal of utilizing computational models to bridge the gap between neuroscience and psychiatric disorders. Professor Ray Dolan, academic co-leader of the centre, said: "The brain is at some level an information processing machine and we have to understand what it's doing and how that information processor is working. We are trying to understand normal cognition with respect to the type of processes that go awry in psychiatric disorders and in ageing, we then intend to apply these models to understand ageing, depression or any other psychiatric disorders where we think the models may be appropriate. " The ability to develop computational models which directly highlight neuronal areas that deteriorate with ageing or disease will enable us to create personalized drugs to halt the progressions of these brain diseases.
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