Perceptuell neurovetenskap – Johan Lundströms forskargrupp

Gruppen Perceptuell neurovetenskap bedriver grundforskning som syftar till en bättre förståelse av den neurala och perceptuella grunden för luktsystemet samt hur luktsystemet interagerar med våra andra sinnen för att tolka vår omvärld.

En del av:

Psykologisk luktforskning

Icke-invasiv mätning av luktbulben

Forskningsnyheter

Johan Lundström får ERC Synergy Grant
Dekorativ bild. Foto: getty images,Getty Images/iStockphoto

Johan Lundström får ERC Synergy Grant

Johan Lundström får ERC Synergy Grant för utveckling av digital doftöverföring

In the brain, bursts of beta rhythms implement cognitive control
Lundqvist figure Foto: N/A

In the brain, bursts of beta rhythms implement cognitive control

Bursts of brain rhythms with “beta” frequencies control where and when neurons in the cortex process sensory information and plan responses. Studying these bursts would improve understanding of cognition and clinical disorders, researchers argue in a new review.

Mer från Perception Neuroscience Lab

Lundstrom funding 2024 Foto: N/A

Finansierat av

Forskningsområden

Kognition i luktsinnet

Luktsinnet studeras till stor del ur ett sensoriskt bearbetningsperspektiv. Här studerar vi istället beteendemässiga och neurala konsekvenser av luktkognition. Genom neural avbildning och beteendestudier vill vi fastställa gränserna för mänsklig luktkognition och de underliggande neurala mekanismerna. Hur behåller vi temporärt luktintryck i minnet, och kan vi omforma dessa intryck för att underlätta i vårt agerande? Har vi liknande uppmärksamhets- och top-down-processer i luktsinnet som i andra sensoriska modaliteter? Är analoga hjärnregioner involverade i den kognitiva bearbetningen av luktsintryck som i den mer utforskade visuella kognitionen?

 

Tidig upptäckt av Parkinsons sjukdom

Luktbulben är platsen i hjärnan där Parkinsons sjukdom börjar. Baserat på vår nya metod för att mäta signal från luktbulben utvärderar vi för närvarande om måttet kan användas som en tidig detektor för debut av Parkinsons sjukdom. Om detta fungerar skulle det innebära att vi förmodligen kan upptäcka Parkinsons sjukdom många år före de karaktäristiska motoriska symtomen, som är så typiska för sjukdomen, debuterar. Vi utforskar också för närvarande om vi kan vända måttet för att stimulera luktbulben och potentiellt sakta ner sjukdomens spridning.

 

Luktbulbens processer i människan

Nyligen demonstrerade vi en ny metod för att mäta signaler från den mänskliga luktbulben, en del av den mänskliga hjärnan som tidigare inte varit tillgänglig utan att behöva tillgripa intrakraniella mätningar. I detta projekt, under ledning av Dr. Johan Lundström, utvärderar vi vilken roll luktbulben har i mänsklig luktbearbetning. Vi utvärderar också om detta mått kan fungera som en tidig indikator på Parkinsons sjukdom.

 

Länkar mellan andning och prestanda

Andning är en av de grundläggande rytmerna i livet, med effekter som sträcker sig långt bortom grundläggande syresättning. Nyligen har studier visat att andning modulerar hur vi bearbetar grundläggande perceptuella stimuli och preliminära bevis indikerar också att andning kan reglera kognitiva processer. I detta projekt, under ledning av Dr. Artin Arshamian, utvärderar vi hur denna rytmiska aktivitet, vilken upprepas 9-24 gånger per minut, formar grundläggande uppfattning och kognition, samt vilka neurala mekanismer som tillåter denna integration mellan andning och perception/kognition.

 

Multisensorisk integration med dofter

Utanför den begränsade laboratoriemiljön upplevs dofter mycket sällan isolerade utan den kontextuella information som tillhandahålls av våra andra sinnen. Detta projekt, under ledning av Dr. Johan Lundström, handlar om två grundläggande frågor inom perceptuell neurovetenskap; hur påverkar kongruent information från våra andra sensoriska modaliteter bearbetningen av dofter och vilken roll har luktkortex i detta?

 

Luktplasticitet

Luktsinnet är ett sensoriskt system som präglas av både stora inter- och intra-individuella skillnader. Luktsinnet är också mycket plastiskt och känsligheten gentemot specifika dofter kan skifta både snabbt och över tid. Under ledning av Dr. Lundström är det övergripande målet med detta projekt att förstå vilka de neurala mekanismer, samt dess beteendemässiga konsekvenser, som tillåter luktsinnet att anpassa sig så snabbt till vår miljö. Vi använder beteendemässiga och neurala mått både hos friska individer och kliniska populationer med olika etiologi.

 

Arbetsminne och generalisering

I detta projekt studerar vi primaters förmåga att generalisera. Arbetsminne syftar till vår förmåga att temporärt hålla en begränsad uppsättning information i ett särskilt tillstånd som gör det möjligt för oss att komma åt och manipulera den. Dessa förmågor är generaliserad till all information och inte bara den vi tidigare tränat för att utföra sådana manipulationer på. Vi testar den nya teorin att dessa förmågor, tillsammans med många andra aspekter av generalisering, bygger på en användning av hjärnbarkens spatiala struktur. För att testa detta studerar vi hjärnaktivitetens rumsliga och tidsmässiga dynamik. Vi utför också nätverkssimuleringar där vi utforskar beräkningsmässig power hos denna teori.

Publikationer

Utvalda publikationer

Alla gruppmedlemmars publikationer

Finansiering

Forskningsbidrag

  • Digitising Smell: From Natural Statistics of Olfactory Perceptual Space to Digital Transmission of Odors
    HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
    1 February 2024 - 31 January 2030
    This proposal is framed by a technological goal: We aim to digitize smell. Achieving this is currently prevented by gaps in basic science. We aim to fill these gaps, culminating in a proof of concept for our model. The primary gap we identify is lack of data on what humans typically smell. Phrased conceptually, in Aim 1 we ask what are the natural statistics of human olfactory perceptual space. We address this in a series of three experiments, highlighted by one where we equip participants with a wearable sampling apparatus we designed and built for this proposal. The apparatus measures sniffing behaviour to identify odor sampling, measures neural activity to verify olfactory perception, takes video of the visual scene, analyses total levels of volatile organic compounds in real time, and collects odor samples for detailed analysis off line. In other words, we generate an olfactory equivalent of Google Street View, with the addition of chemical, perceptual and neural data. Using this we will characterise the natural statistics of human olfactory perceptual space. Moreover, a major contribution of this proposal will be in posting this massive data as a publicly available recourse. Next, in Aim 2 we will use this data to digitize human olfactory perceptual space. We build on a model that allows us to recreate odors using a restricted set of odor primaries. We will test our model in two frameworks: One we call SmelloVision, where we develop the algorithmic framework to generate an odor to match any digital image, and one we call TelleSmell, where we develop a device to sense the environment, the algorithmic framework to transfer the data, and a device to generate the corresponding odor remotely. We provide pilot data for Aim 2 where we sensed an odor in Mainz (Germany), transmitted the data over IP to Rehovot (Israel), where we successfully recreated the smell. This was, as far as we know, the first transmission of odor over IP.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2026
    The flexible control over the contents of our working memory (WM) frees us from reflexive behavior and supports central cognitive behaviors such as planning and language comprehension. WM capacity is strongly correlated with individual intelligence and it is one of the most studied aspects of human cognition. A major limitation of previous research on visually related WM is that it has typically required experimental subjects to not move their heads or gaze to create a tightly controlled environment. In everyday life, however, gaze position constantly changes as we walk around, turn our heads, and make eye-movements. The focus of this project is to start mapping the mechanisms that underlie WM processes in real-life, dynamic environments. We will conduct a series of behavioral and EEG experiments that utilize instructed eye-movements while subjects use their WM. This will allow us to determine the impact of gaze shifts while maintaining the experimental control of classical WM experiments. We will simultaneously record behavior, EEG, and gaze shifts to allow direct inference. The goal is to understand how WM representations are transformed following gaze shifts to account for the new frame of reference, and how this impacts behavior. This will ultimately provide us with fundamental insights on how we update contents of WM to serve future behavior. The project will therefore provide important insights into the workings of working memory in real life scenarios.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2025
    How our perception works is well explored, and yet we do not understand how the human brain accomplishes the high degree of plasticity demonstrated by our perceptual systems. Here, we will determine the central mechanisms that regulate human perceptual plasticity. This basic question of sensory psychology has remained largely unanswered due to methodological hindrances, among which the unfeasibility of a within-person design stands out, when exploring plastic changes due to sensory loss or gain. Utilizing a unique patient population that undergoes cyclic periods of olfactory dysfunction due to nasal blockage, we will use a multimodal neuroimaging approach and determine what neural changes are linked to behavioral change in sensory functions. Specifically, we will combine a new electro-cortical measuring method, which allows us to assess functional connectivity with millisecond resolution, with that of classic magnetic resonance methods to assess mechanisms of perceptual plasticity at multiple levels of processing. The proposed studies will answer the basic questions of what central mechanisms govern perceptual plasticity as well as whether sensory gain and sensory loss are merely opposite sides of the same mechanistic coin.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2021 - 30 November 2025
    More than half of all individuals with confirmed COVID-19 experience smell dysfunctions at some point during the disease. Critically, recent data show that for individuals who had mild to medium acute COVID symptoms, a reduced or distorted sense of smell is the most prevalent symptom (34%) eight months after serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, few treatments exist for smell dysfunction, an affliction associated with a range of negative long-term health outcomes. A transdisciplinary research team including primary and secondary care clinics as well as basic scientists will in the proposed project address two overarching aims. First, we will determine the prevalence, symptomatology, and pathogenesis of post-COVID olfactory dysfunctions in a serologically highly controlled longitudinal cohort study. Second, we will assess the efficacy of three novel therapeutic treatments for two common post-COVID olfactory dysfunctions, hyposmia and parosmia. These online treatments are scalable and easily implemented in the primary care system at little cost for both patients and the health care system. If successful, the treatment for hyposmia will help many individuals regain their sense of smell. Likewise, the treatment for parosmia, which will be the first and only treatment available, will provide individuals with medium to severe parosmia some potential refuge from the often debilitating difficulty they experience when eating and interacting with odors in their life.
  • European Research Council
    1 June 2021 - 31 May 2026
    Working memory (WM) is a fundamental cognitive capability. It refers to our ability to hold, select and manipulate several objects in mind simultaneously. It allows us to engage in flexible behavior and is tightly linked to fluid intelligence. This project will answer an essential, yet unsolved aspect of WM: How can primates use their WM in a generalized way and control what they think about? If you hear apple, stone and pear in sequence, and then you are asked to imagine the first fruit, how is it that you do not confuse apples with pears? There are many competing models of WM, but no biologically detailed models are capable of generalization. Neural networks can be trained to perform similar WM tasks as primates do, a major difference is that primates generalize their training. They can learn the task on a set of objects, then perform it on a novel set. Computational models typically rely on changing the connections between units to achieve the desired activity patterns to solve the task. Since these activity patterns depend on the objects held in WM, the training does not translate to novel objects. I propose a new solution to this problem, the Hot-Coal model of WM. It relies on a novel computational principle in which spatial location of information, rather than connectivity, is controlled by excitatory bursts to support cognition. I will explore this principle and test it in data. Preliminary tests suggest that the Hot-Coal theory is supported by electrophysiological data from primates. By implementing the theory in computational networks I aim to demonstrate the generalization mechanism and provide more detailed predictions. Finally, I will use the theory to resolve seemingly conflicting findings regarding the mechanisms underlying WM, by reproducing them in a single model. The new theory could constitute a significant advance in the mechanistic understanding of one of the most central and puzzling components of cognition.
  • Wallenberg Academy Fellow – fortsättningsanslag.
    Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2014
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2018 - 31 December 2020
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2018 - 31 December 2021
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2015 - 31 December 2017
  • Wallenberg Academy Fellow
    Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
    1 June 2013 - 31 May 2018
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
    1 January 2009 - 31 December 2012
Lundstrom funding 2024
Lundstrom funding 2024 Foto: N/A

Medarbetare och kontakt

Gruppledare

Alla medarbetare i gruppen

Besöksadress

Karolinska Institutet, Clinical Neuroscience / Division of Psychology, Nobels väg 9, Stockholm, 17177, Sweden

Postadress

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience/Division of Psychology, Nobels väg 9, Stockholm, 17177, Sverige

Perceptual neuroscience

Alumni

Grigorios Iakovidis, Research engineer

Arnika Pehl, Master’s student

Jonatan Nordmark, Postdoc

Anna-Laura Toth, Research assistant

Moa Peter, PhD student

Johannes Frasnelli, Guest professor

Laura Dukek, Master’s student

Marie Michaels, Master’s student

Behzad Iravani, PhD student

Putu Agus Khorisantono, Postdoc

Andri Savva, PhD Student

Janina Seubert, Senior Researcher

Kathi Prenner, Master’s Student

Andreas Westerdahl, Lab manager

Danja Porada, PhD student

Robin Fondberg, PhD student

Amy Gordon, PhD student

Cécilia Tremblay, PhD student

Milena Di Chira, Master’s Student

Christina Rossi, Master’s Student

Georgia Sarolidou, PhD student

Caitlin Hrysanidis, Master’s Student

Ida Siemens Lorenzen, Master’s Student

Daphnée Poupon, Master’s Student

Alessandro Davoli, Bachelor’s Student

Riccardo Bertaccini, Bachelor’s Student

Christina Schmitter, Bachelor’s Student

Alberto Frigieri, Bachelor’s Student

Barbara Feytl, Master’s Student

Harald Melin, Research assistant

Emilia Johansson, Research engineer

Belinda Miggitsch, Master’s Student

Mirella Engelhardt, Master’s Student

Sissie Carlsen, Master’s Student

Sidney Lind, Internship Student

Anna Belska, Visiting Student

Saskia Borg, Visiting Student

Team

Team Arshamian
Artin Arshamian Foto: Bildmakarna

Team Arshamian

Artin Arshamians team "The Embodied Perception and Cognition Group" studerar luktsystemet vid skärningspunkten mellan psykologi, kultur, neurovetenskap och medicin. Genom att utnyttja de distinkta egenskaperna hos luktsinnet får vi insikter i hur våra förkroppsligade upplevelser påverkar perception och kognition.

Team Lundqvist
Mikael Lundqvist Foto: Johan Liljefors

Team Lundqvist

Mikael Lundqvists team "The Computational Cognition Group" är intresserad av de neurala mekanismer som ligger till grund för kognition. Vi studerar hur neural dynamik stödjer förmågor såsom att temporärt hålla saker i minnet, planera eller prioritera sensorisk information. Vi har en teoribaserad approach där vi använder neurala nätverkssimuleringar för att skapa prediktioner som vi sedan testar i experimentella data från människor och djurmodeller.

Nyckelord:
Anosmi Beteende och beteendemekanismer Elektroencefalografi Funktionell neuroavbildning Korttidsminne Visa alla
Innehållsgranskare:
Andrea Aejmelaeus-Lindström
2025-09-04