Neuroscience and Mental Health
Neuroscientists at Karolinska Institutet strive to make fundamental discoveries about nervous system function, to teach and train the next generation of scientists and clinicians, and to translate research findings into improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Interviews and features
She wants to decode the brain
She wants to decode the brain
Sherlock Holmes was an idol when she was a child and her mother suggested the research profession early on. But it was not a straight path to science for Marie Carlén. Today she leads advanced studies on the part of the brain that shapes us as individuals.
Supporting those with chronic pain
Supporting those with chronic pain
Thanks to research by Eva Kosek, there has been an increased understanding of the pain disorder fibromyalgia – and patients today encounter less suspicion.
Are you dead tired?
Are you dead tired?
Tiredness can be completely normal or a symptom that turns life into an ordeal. Researchers at KI want to find out more about what happens when our energy runs out.
She studies rude behaviour at work
She studies rude behaviour at work
Previous studies indicate that rude behaviour at work is a growing problem. Karin Villaume intends to survey the current situation in the Swedish retail trade.
The fragile memory
The fragile memory
Do you and your brother have different recollections of which one of you knocked over the Christmas tree when the cat ran away and the Christmas porridge got burnt? Perhaps you are both wrong. This according to researchers who study how we remember our lives.
The reawakening of depression research
The reawakening of depression research
The antidepressant ketamine has lead to a reawakening within the field. This according to Johan Lundberg who sees new possibilities to find a cure for one of the world’s most widespread disorders.
When you blow a fuse
When you blow a fuse
Why do some people get angrier than others in the same situation? And why do some people go far beyond the social boundaries, causing harm to others and to themselves? There are no simple answers – but we have talked to some of the people who know the most about aggression.
Exploring the feeling of jealousy
Exploring the feeling of jealousy
Most people know what jealousy feels like. But science has not given this feeling much attention. There is an almost total lack of research on jealousy in clinical psychology, says researcher Johan Åhlén, who has now started an exploratory study on the subject.
Can AI be useful to psychologists?
Can AI be useful to psychologists?
Within psychological treatment, it is important to determine if the patient is receiving the right kind of therapy early on. Viktor Kaldo is set to study if artificial intelligence, AI, can help us with this.
How is the brain affected by culture?
How is the brain affected by culture?
Fredrik Ullén is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and an internationally recognized concert pianist. He is also the Scientific Director of a new centre for Culture, Cognition and Health.
A picture is worth a thousand words
A picture is worth a thousand words
Internal mental images could have a strong influence on our emotions. Emily Holmes is using this knowledge to develop psychological treatments that can reach sufferers of trauma.
ADHD and autism
ADHD and autism
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – ALS
Chronic pain
Chronic pain
Eating disorders
Eating disorders
Multiple sclerosis – MS
Multiple sclerosis – MS
Obsessive-compulsive disorder – OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder – OCD
Preventing suicide
Preventing suicide
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Stroke
Stroke
Treatment for depression
Treatment for depression
The art of keeping calm
The art of keeping calm
Everyone worries at times, but when thoughts of disaster get the upper hand, it might be a good idea to seek help. Researchers at KI knows how to become a little calmer.
Who do you believe?
Who do you believe?
A cordial smile and a warm gaze – yep, that’s enough for us to make an immediate assumption that someone is trustworthy. However, some find it easier to trust than others. Researchers are trying to find out why.
Loneliness a danger to our health
Loneliness a danger to our health
Feeling alone is tough, and it also appears to be detrimental to our physical health, possibly to the same extent as smoking. Now, research shows that loneliness can be beaten.
Ten action points for better mental health
Ten action points for better mental health
In spring 2018, researchers gathered at KI to discuss the challenges of the future for research on psychological treatments. Read more at KI News.
News in neuroscience
Some of our professors in this area
Changing the image of ALS
Changing the image of ALS
Much of Fang Fang’s research concerns ALS. Although her background is in epidemiology, she likes to integrate other types of research. In her view, multidisciplinary collaboration is key to understand and, in the long run, to cure the disease.
Investigating affective learning
Investigating affective learning
When we draw conclusions in our everyday lives, what we learn is often linked to emotions – such as that a particular matter is important, a person has a high status, or that an environment is frightening. Andreas Olsson studies how this learning takes place in social situations.
Changing our view of persistent pain
Changing our view of persistent pain
Living with chronic pain is challenging – not least because of the limited number of good treatments. Camilla Svensson is researching the mechanisms behind persistent pain in rheumatic diseases and how it can be tackled in new, more effective ways.
Insurance medicine and mental disorders
Insurance medicine and mental disorders
Mental disorders, such as depressive and anxiety disorders, can lead to long-term sick leave – but excessively prolonged sick leave can also aggravate the illness. Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz conducts research on the links between mental disorders and social insurance.
Optogenetics to understand complex brain function
Optogenetics to understand complex brain function
Ole Kiehn's research is about understanding how neurons and neural networks operate to generate complex brain function. In his lab, researchers combine electrophysiology and anatomy with molecular mouse genetics, optogenetics and behavioral analyses.
Multisensory mechanisms of body self-perception
Multisensory mechanisms of body self-perception
Henrik Ehrsson's research is centered on the question of how we come to perceive ownership over our bodies – how visual, tactile and proprioceptive information are combined to obtain a single coherent object that is one's own body.
Combining various kinds of data for more knowledge about MS
Combining various kinds of data for more knowledge about MS
Ingrid Kockum is researching into multiple sclerosis, MS, and is leading the major international collaboration MultipleMS. By combining many different types of data, the project will generate increased knowledge on various types of MS.
Developing online treatments for OCD
Developing online treatments for OCD
Christian Rück is a psychiatrist who researches different types of obsessive-compulsive disorders – both causes and treatments. He has developed Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is currently used in psychiatry in Sweden as well as abroad.
Seeking mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders
Seeking mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders
Eric Westman combines brain imaging with machine learning to search the whole brain for the mechanisms behind neuro-degenerative disorders. An important element of his research is to identify different subtypes of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Noticing patients with obsessive compulsive disorders
Noticing patients with obsessive compulsive disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions are more common than many other mental disorders but have long been neglected by both research and psychiatric care. David Mataix-Cols wants to change that.
Studying the brain's neural code
Studying the brain's neural code
Gilad Silberberg's research focuses above all on the basal ganglia and how they form the fundamental link between sensory perception and motor function.
Identifying mechanisms of prenatal damage
Identifying mechanisms of prenatal damage
Sandra Ceccatelli's research aims at identifying mechanisms of prenatal damage in the nervous system that trigger behavioral impairment later in life.
The brain networks while resting
The brain networks while resting
Peter Fransson is mapping the appearance and function of the interconnections between parts of the brain.
How can we stay sharp in our old age?
How can we stay sharp in our old age?
A brain that is kept properly active runs less risk of dementia. But why? This is what Martin Lövdén is studying.
The power of imagery over the psyche
The power of imagery over the psyche
Emily Holmes is passionate about better psychological treatments based on science. Her research concerns how we think and remember in mental images and developing new treatments based on this knowledge.