Quo Vadis translational neuroscience?

Translational neuroscience is a research discipline that aims to transfer findings from basic research in neuroscience into clinical applications. The main goal of this research discipline is to gain molecular and mechanistic insight into brain diseases and to devise novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic applications. This review is organized in three major sections which address recent developments in diagnostic innovation, therapeutic translation and integrative modelling. Furthermore, the most urgent problems and challenges of translational neuroscience as a research discipline are presented and viable solutions are discussed. Promising novel methods are presented, and suggestions for new research approaches are made. Although translational neuroscience deals with diseases of the most complex human organ that there is, the brain, it is likely to turn out to be one of the few disciplines in life sciences that will continue to see steady progress and discoveries.