News archive

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.

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.

Using an AI tool, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have analysed brain images from 70-year-olds and estimated their brains’ biological age. They found that factors detrimental to vascular health, such as inflammation and high glucose levels, are associated with an older-looking brain, while healthy lifestyles were linked to brains with a younger appearance. The results are presented in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Karolinska Institutet is part of NeurotechEU (NTEU), a European University alliance. The Neuroscience Internship Program Bonn provides bachelor and master students with an opportunity to engage in hands-on lab experiences within the field of neuroscience and neurotechnology. Last day for application Jan 8, 2025

PhD student Birte Schmid from the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Karolinska Institutet reflects on her enriching experience at the BonnBrain3 Meeting on "States – Behavior, Neural Circuits and Codes."

New research from Karolinska Institutet and Columbia University shows that the heart has a mini-brain – its own nervous system that controls the heartbeat. A better understanding of this system, which is much more diverse and complex than previously thought, could lead to new treatments for heart diseases. The study, conducted on zebrafish, is published in Nature Communications.

Stockholm continues to be an important center for Swedish Parkinson's research. For 2025, the Parkinson's Foundation has decided to provide funding for more than 40 new projects that can help Swedes with Parkinson's disease, of which 14 research projects are conducted at Karolinska Institutet.

We are diving into a new season of NeurotechEU events for students and staff at the Karolinska Institute.

Eleven researchers at the Department of Neuroscience were collectively awarded over 51.1 Million Swedish Kronor when the Swedish Research Council made decisions on calls within Antimicrobial Resistance, Medicine and Health as well as Humanities and Social Sciences for 2024.

University of Bergen in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded a significant grant funded by Horizon Europe with €7 million during 2024-2028 in recognition of their dedication to target Epstein-Barr virus to treat and prevent Multiple Sclerosis.

The Collaborative Research Projects will support new multidisciplinary collaborations for ambitious yet feasible research projects in all areas of Neuroscience. The aim is to promote multidisciplinary research through new and innovative collaborations of outstanding scientific quality.

Our body perception relies on how the brain interprets and integrates signals from various sensory systems, including vision, touch, and proprioception – our body’s ability to sense its position and movement in space. In a recent study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrated that nociception, the sensory process that detects potentially damaging stimuli to the body, also plays a role in shaping our body perception. The article was recently published in the scientific journal PAIN.

In a recent conversation, Abishek Arora, the founding Co-chair of the NeurotechEU Student Council and student representative at Karolinska Institutet, opened up about his transformative experience with the NeurotechEU initiative.

To facilitate new and existing contacts between researchers and doctoral students as well as increase research collaboration across the NeurotechEU network, the KI NeurotechEU group is introducing the availability of limited competitive funds for a lab visit for PhD students and postdocs during Spring 2025.

This call aims to facilitate new and existing contacts as well as increase research collaboration with the University College London and Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new comprehensive mapping of genetic activity for understanding the causes of chronic pain. The study, published in Nature Communications, opens way to more efficient non-addictive treatment for chronic pain and potentially headache disorders.

Are you a doctoral student at KI specializing in Genetics and Genomics, Neurosciences, Biomedicine, Biotechnology, or Physiology? Do you want to dive deep into the latest advancements in stem cells, iPSC characterization, and 3D organoid technology?

Researchers have developed a gel inspired by cow slime for patients suffering from disc herniation.

The European University of Brain and Technology would like to invite you to come present your research at the next NeurotechEU meeting in Istanbul, Turkey!

StratNeuro Welcomes New Board Members and Thanks Outgoing Members

Unrestrained inflammation is associated with many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Peder Olofsson wants to understand how nerve signals regulate inflammation to ultimately improve therapeutic options. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a mechanism responsible for a serious psychiatric complication caused by dopamine replacement therapy in Parkinson’s disease. The results of these findings were recently published in Molecular Psychiatry.

It is through our sensory perception that we experience our environment and bodily sensations. François Lallemend is studying the mechanisms underlying these perceptions in the hope of finding new treatments for sensory impairment. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

The StratNeuro Postdoctoral funding is designed to support exceptional postdoctoral researchers in both basic and clinical neuroscience who are currently conducting research at KI. This year, we received 29 applications from 7 different departments.

Caroline Ran, researcher at Karolinska Institutet, and Jacob Edvinsson, researcher at Lund University, are the first authors of an article which has been awarded the best scientific article on cluster headache published between June 2023 and May 2024. It is the first time since 2004 that the prize goes to Sweden.

In a study recently published in PLoS pathogens, researchers at AIMES, The Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences at Karolinska Institutet, have identified one of the subtle, yet effective, pathways by which human skin differentiates commensals and pathogens. Understanding these mechanisms opens for new treatment and prevention targets, and particularly ways in which to enhance innate immunity to prevent antibiotic resistant infections.

When analyzing inflammatory markers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, researchers at Karolinska Institutet found signs of inflammation in tissue from patients with cluster headache, specifically in the samples from the nervous system. The study was recently published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Empowering connections from neurons to society - A 2-day Neuroscience Conference held the 17 and 18 of October

Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour offers a 5-day course in MR Methods used in Cognitive Neuroimaging.

The “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca in collaboration with NeurotechEU invites KI students and PhDs to a Erasmus+ BIP Mobility opportunity “Summer School of Brain Mapping and Stimulation Techniques” in September 2024 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Nine researchers from around the world have published a summary of the most recent progress in diagnosing and treating cluster headache, as well as understanding the development of the disease. The review article was recently published in Lancet Neurology.

The StratNeuro Retreat 2024, held from June 3rd to June 5th at the picturesque Djurönäset Hotel, was a resounding success. With over 250 participants, this retreat offered an exceptional opportunity for networking, scientific exchange, and relaxation in a stunning location.

New research reveals that scar formation after spinal cord injuries is more complex than previously thought. Scientists have identified two types of perivascular cells as key contributors to scar tissue, which hinders nerve regeneration and functional recovery. These findings, published in Natural Neuroscience, are also relevant for other brain and spinal cord injuries and could lead to targeted therapies for reducing scarring and improving outcomes.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified an interesting potential future therapeutic target in primary headache disorders. They have found increased amounts of a gene associated with cluster headache, MERTK, and its ligand Gal-3, in tissue from cluster headache patients. The study was recently published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

To maintain balance, several factors must align. The inner ears and eyes need to send accurate signals to the brain. Good motor skills and sense of touch, especially in the feet, along with a healthy brain, are necessary. It is not surprising that balance disorders can occur, but how should they be treated?

To foster fresh collaborations and interactions across the NeurotechEU network, the KI NeurotechEU group is introducing funding opportunities for short-term visits by KI faculty and researchers.

Zebrafish have a remarkable ability to heal their spinal cord after injury. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have uncovered an important mechanism behind this phenomenon – a finding that could have implications for the treatment of spinal cord injury in humans.

The Strategic Neuroscience Research Network (StratNeuro) at Karolinska Institutet celebrated the International Brain Awareness Week with an open symposium on Monday 11 March 2024.

Caroline Ran is one of three researchers awarded Pfizer's and the Swedish Headache Society's newly established research grant in migraine studies. Her research focuses on the correlation between migraine and mental health. The grant will be presented at the SHS annual meeting in Halmstad on 15 May 15 2024.

The StratNeuro Start-up Grant is intended to support outstanding Neuroscience researchers at the beginning of their careers. StratNeuro will allocate in total SEK 6,000,000 to fund this initiative, each project receiving SEK 500,000/year for a period of two years.

Dominika Radziun, a former PhD student at Karolinska Institutet, and currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Donders Institute, The Netherlands, has recently been awarded one of the five Glushko Dissertation Prizes for her doctoral thesis entitled "Body perception and brain plasticity in blind and sighted individuals".

An international research team, led by Tibor Harkany and Robert Schnell at Karolinska Institutet and MedUni Vienna's Center for Brain Research, set out to find ways of influencing hormone release to reduce stress reactions in post-traumatic stress disorder. They came across secretagogin, which regulates the release of some of the most fundamental and indispensable neurotransmitters and hormones.