He received the Parkinson Frosst Award (1986) and the Dingebaur Award (2004) of the German Society of Neurology (DGN), the Wilhelm Humboldt Plaque (2009) of the German Parkinson Society (DPG) and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA – 2018). He initiated the „Referenzzentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen“ in München und das „Hertie Institute für Klinische Hirnforschung“ in Tübingen.