Our research strategy is based on an integrative approach, where physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms are investigated from the molecular and cellular level to the whole organism. We also aim to bring a strong evolutionary perspective in the study of CNS disorders. As pointed out in recent reviews (Kaila et al., 2014a, b), disease processes including those related to IRP functions have both adaptive and maladaptive components. Indeed, according to Rudolph Virchow’s famous statement, disease is “only a manifestation of life under modified conditions, operating according to the same laws that apply to the living body at all times”.