Department of Clinical Neuroscience

Viable predictors of psychiatric treatment response are often sought, but remain elusive. It remains a central challenge in psychiatry to reliably judge whether a patient will respond to treatment. In a new study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers show that moment-to-moment fluctuations in brain activity can reliably predict whether patients with social anxiety disorder will be receptive to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

The ability to detect and react to the smell of a potential threat is a precondition of our and other mammals’ survival. A study, published in PNAS by researchers at CNS, indicates that negative smells associated with unpleasantness or unease are processed earlier than positive smells and trigger a physical avoidance response.

Janina Seubert, researcher in psychology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, has been elected to Sveriges unga akademi, an organization that brings together younger, leading researchers from all fields. On 22 September, the new members were welcomed to the academy. Out of a total of eight researchers, two were from Karolinska Institutet. The term of office of the Member is limited to five years. During her time as a member Janina plans, among other things, to work for clear career paths for young independent researchers who despite high scientific performance have ended up outside the BUL system.

Eva Kosek has been researching pain mechanisms for many years. Now she and her colleagues have developed criteria for calling in so-called nociplastic pain. It is a condition in which pain is not just a symptom but a disease in itself.