Maria Lee

About me

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Psychiatry Research and a licensed clinical psychologist. My research focuses on individuals with psychosis and schizophrenia.

My main research focus is cognition in individuals with psychosis and how
this relates to brain function, genetics and functional outcome. To study
this I utilize methods such as molecular brain imaging, cognitive testing and
the national Swedish registries. The clinical platform for my studies is the
Karolinska Schizophrenia Project (KaSP), an ongoing multidisciplinary
collaboration between several research groups and several psychiatric clinics
in Stockholm. To read more about the project, please
visit https://ki.se/en/research/the-karolinska-schizophrenia-project-kasp
or https://www.psykiatriforskning.se/kasp
Ultimately I hope that my research can lead to a better understanding of the biological underpinnings of cognitive impairment in psychosis, and
potentially to new effective treatments for these symptoms.

I am responsible for a course in psychosis and psychotic disorders for clinical psychologists within Region Stockholm psychiatry in specialist training. Additionally, I have teaching activities at the undergraduate programme for psychologist at Stockholm Universite, at the undergraduate programmes for medical students and psychologists at the Karolinska Institutet as well as for case managers and residents in psychiatry in Region Stockholm. The topics include: introdution to psychotic disorders, cognitive function and cognitive assessment in psychotic disorders and psychotherapy in psychotic disorders.

Article: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2024;81(5):468-476
Cognitive Function and Variability in Antipsychotic Drug-Naive Patients With First-Episode Psychosis
Lee M; Cernvall M; Borg J; Plaven-Sigray P; Larsson C; Erhardt S; Sellgren CM; Fatouros-Bergman H; Cervenka S
Article: HELIYON. 2022;8(9):e10424
Facial affect recognition in first-episode psychosis is impaired but not associated with psychotic symptoms
Larsson C; Lee M; Lundgren T; Erhardt S; Sellgren CM; Cervenka S; Borg J; Bolte S; Fatouros-Bergman H
Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2022;27(2):1233-1240
Thalamic dopamine D2-receptor availability in schizophrenia: a study on antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode psychosis and a meta-analysis
Plaven-Sigray P; Ikonen Victorsson P; Santillo A; Matheson GJ; Lee M; Collste K; Fatouros-Bergman H; Sellgren CM; Erhardt S; Agartz I; Halldin C; Farde L; Cervenka S
Article: NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2021;7(1):46
No association between cortical dopamine D2 receptor availability and cognition in antipsychotic-naive first-episode psychosis
Lee M; Fatouros-Bergman H; Plaven-Sigray P; Victorsson PI; Sellgren CM; Erhardt S; Flyckt L; Farde L; Cervenka S

Phd Student, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2024

PhD, Clinical Neuroscience, Cognitive Function in First Episode Psychosis: Trajectories and Biological Markers, Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, 2024
Master of Science in Psychology, Psychology, Stockholm University, 2013