News archive

The popular NeurotechEU Internship Program at the University of Bonn is returning in the Summer of 2026 — and KI bachelor's and master's students can now apply!

The Torsten Söderberg Foundation recognises outstanding achievements in medicine through its annual grants. Two researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded grants in medicine to support their innovative research into brain health and infectious diseases.

Researchers, clinicians, students, and patient representatives gathered at Karolinska Institutet for the 2025 KI Pain Network Conference, a full-day event dedicated to the latest advances in pain research and care.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Columbia University and the University of San Francisco, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which dopamine, a key brain chemical vital for movement and motivation, can affect brain activity indirectly, by boosting serotonin. The study was recently published in Sciences Advances.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviours in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are available. The study has been published in the journal Science Advances and may contribute to increased knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction.

KI Master’s, PhD, and early-career researchers are invited to apply for the Winter School on Brain Architecture for NeuroAI and Neurotechnology: A Systems Neuroscience Perspective, taking place at the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche.

The BonnBrain Conference 2026 will take place in Bonn, Germany, from March 23–25, 2026, bringing together leading neuroscientists from across Europe and beyond to discuss the latest advances in brain research.

Professor Ola Hermanson, who served as a distinguished member of the neuroscience community at Karolinska Institutet, passed away on 2 October 2025 at the age of 60. His career was marked by scientific excellence, visionary leadership, and a deep commitment to the advancement of neuroscience both in Sweden and internationally.

In a significant step for European collaboration in neuroscience and technological innovation, the Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI) has officially joined The European University of Brain and Technology – NeurotechEU.

Marie Carlén has been named the new Head of the Department of Neuroscience. The formal decision, signed on 3 November 2025 by Dean of Solna Campus, Sten Linnarsson, in consultation with the President of Karolinska Institutet, confirms that she will succeed Gilberto Fisone in this role as of 1 January 2026. Her tenure as Head of Department is set for an initial period of five years.

A group of 14-year-olds from the International English School in Solna were the first class to try out the new educational programme at The Cell – a collaboration between the National Museum of Science and Technology and Karolinska Institutet that gathers research, art and life science into one multidimensional experience.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Yale University have created a multidimensional, molecular map of how the mouse brain develops after birth and how it reacts to inflammation. The study, which is published in Nature, shows that some of the molecular programmes that govern brain development can be reactivated in the brain during inflammation.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Albert Einstein College of Medicine have shown that glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, not only affects the brain but also erodes the skull and alters the immune system in the bone marrow. The findings are published in Nature Neuroscience.

A previously unknown group of nerve cells in the brain has been shown to play a crucial role in aggressive behaviour among mothers. The study, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, SciLifeLab, and Stockholm University and published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that these "silent" nerve cells can be activated to influence how a mother defends her offspring.

On Friday, September 26, StratNeuro and StratRegen proudly took part in ForskarFredag in Stockholm, held at AlbaNova and Vetenskapens Hus

People who sleep poorly are more likely than others to have brains that appear older than they actually are. This is according to a comprehensive brain imaging study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal eBioMedicine. Increased inflammation in the body may partly explain the association.

Bachelor, Master, and PhD students at KI are invited to apply now for the Autumn School of Clinical Neurotechnology taking place in Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca (UMF Cluj)

Researchers have conducted the most extensive study to date on adults who have never had sexual intercourse. The findings, published in PNAS, suggest that lifelong sexlessness is associated with a multifaceted interplay of psychological, social, and genetic factors.

Everything we perceive is the result of neuronal activity in our brains. Daniel Lundqvist uses advanced brain imaging techniques to study the mind. His goal: to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October. 

Musical people find it easier to focus their attention on the right sounds in noisy environments. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Science Advances. The results suggest that music training can be used to sharpen attention and cognition.

The NeurotechEU is gearing up for its annual hackathon!

Ronny Wickström researches autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in the child brain. At present his focus is on prolonged cases of status epilepticus, a life-threatening condition that does not respond to epilepsy medicine. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that individuals with cluster headache have symptoms of insomnia and poor sleep quality in an active headache period, and sleep is not restored during headache-free periods. The results were recently published in Headache: the Journal of Head and Face Pain.

This intensive blended learning course equips PhD researchers with the entrepreneurial mindset, skills, and tools needed to transform scientific discoveries into viable innovations.

A study in the journal Science presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain’s memory centre, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. The research from Karolinska Institutet provides answers to a fundamental and long-debated question about the human brain’s adaptability.

Abdel El Manira has been elected as new member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization), a recognition that not only highlights his important contributions to the field of neuroscience but also provides him with a platform to influence scientific research and strengthen research communities globally.

This funding initiative is designed to support researchers in the development of innovative technologies and methods to advance our understanding of the nervous system in both health and disease. The grant specifically prioritized high-risk, high-reward projects with the potential for wide impact across the neuroscience community.

KI researcher Fredrik Ullén has been awarded the fifth Mensa Foundation Prize for his pioneering work in neuroscience, with a particular focus on the neuropsychology of expertise and creativity, i.e. the mechanisms in the brain that allow us to perform at a high level in a particular field after many years of focused training. The prize recognises individuals whose research helps us better understand human intelligence.

Prach Techameena, PhD student at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a research fellowship from the IBSA Foundation for scientific research. The project, in the category of pain medicine/ orthopaedics/ rheumatology, was one of six selected globally in the 12th edition of the IBSA Foundation Fellowships.

As part of the KI NeurotechEU Collaborative Award 2025, PhD student Jianing Lin from Karolinska Institutet undertook a valuable educational visit to Prof. Ruiz de Almodóvar’s lab at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany. Supported by the NeurotechEU alliance, this short-term exchange provided hands-on training, networking opportunities, and the foundation for a new cross-institutional collaboration in the field of neurovascular biology.

Each project has been awarded 3 million SEK over a two-year period.

A recent study published in the journal Science Advances sheds light on the intriguing phenomenon of ticklishness. It explores why certain touches make us laugh uncontrollably while others do not, and why we cannot tickle ourselves.

Two researchers at the Centre for Cluster Headache at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded two stipends and one grant to support their innovative research on cluster headache. The awards, granted by the International Headache Society, the Swedish Headache Society, H. Lundbeck AB, and Pfizer, aim to advance the understanding and treatment of headache conditions.

From the 13th of October to the 16th, Final-year Master’s students in the field of neurotechnology, PhD candidates, post-doctoral and early-career researchers are invited to attend 3 days of training at the Université de Lille and one optional day dedicated to a cultural visit.

On May 27–28, over 270 researchers, clinicians, and students gathered at the scenic Djurönäset conference center for the StratNeuro Retreat 2025

The Bridging Grant is a funding initiative through which StratNeuro provides support to promising researchers with outstanding scientific merits, offering them the opportunity to further consolidate and strengthen their research.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI), in collaboration with Umecrine Cognition AB, have been awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to explore a promising new treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

Bacterial resistance negates the effect of antibiotics in the treatment of infection. Using mouse models, researchers now show that if antibiotics are administered with an enzyme called endolysin, the combined effect protects against infection by resistant bacteria in all bodily organs – including the brain, which antibiotics alone have difficulty reaching. The results are reported in the journal Molecular Medicine.

Patrik Ljunggren joins the Department of Neuroscience on 28 April 2025 and will be working alongside HR manager Felicia Petersson. We seized the opportunity to ask him a few questions, in view of his first days at work.

On Saturday, March 15th, StratNeuro hosted the annual En Resa Genom Härnan event as part of Brain Awareness Week 2025.

On March 11th, 2025, StratNeuro partnered with The Cell at Forskaren to host a dynamic and engaging event as part of Brain Awareness Week (March 10–16, 2025).

Are you a student coder? Want to gain experience, improve neuroscience tools, and get paid this summer?

We are pleased to invite you to the interdisciplinary NeurotechEU Summer School "Trust me! Neural Networks, Manipulation, and Ethics" at the University of Bonn, taking place 8-11 September 2025.

When we are not doing anything in particular, the brain is still busy producing thoughts and daydreams. Research shows that mental chatter increase if we are sleep deprived and can sometimes even become a barrier to sleeping. But there are techniques for those who need a break from their thoughts.

In November 2024, KI students participated in an exciting hackathon organized by NeurotechEU at Boğaziçi University in Turkey. Bringing together students from various disciplines and backgrounds, the event provided a dynamic environment for collaborative problem-solving in neurotechnology.

StratNeuro aims to support the development and dissemination of new technologies and therefore announces a new round of this funding call.

KI NeurotechEU steering group is pleased to announce the availability of limited competitive funds for KI faculty, staff and/or students to conduct collaborative interactions within the field of Neurotechnology.

Stockholm Trio (Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Stockholm University) and University College London (UCL) invite you to express interest in two days of workshops in London, the 8-9 April 2025.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have uncovered new insights into the mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, recently published in Cell Reports, explores how changes in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the brain contribute to the behavioural symptoms of autism.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that cells commonly associated with ageing and age-related diseases, known as senescent cells, may play a significant role in chronic pain and potentially headaches. This process has been linked to various conditions, including cancer and heart disease.