The Carl Ludwig Institute of Physiology is divided into three departments in which the physiology and pathophysiology of nerve and glial cells is investigated using modern electrophysiological, microscopic and molecular biological methods. It is one of the world's leading institutes in terms of the development of new methods for studying synaptic transmission.
The institute is integrated into the research priorities of the University of Leipzig "Diseases of the Brain and Soul" and "Molecular and Cellular Communication"; Doctoral students are networked in the Graduate School "Brain dynamics". Research at the institute is generously supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the European Research Council (ERC).
The institute is involved in several collaborative projects, e.g. the research group FOR3004 "SYNAPS" and the priority program SPP1757. There are close collaborations with the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen and internationally with groups in Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel and the United States.
The institute teaches several hundred students of human medicine, dentistry and pharmacy every year. Lectures, internships and seminars with clinical relevance are offered in the compulsory and elective subject areas.