News archive

Taking place from 24 August to 4 September 2026, this 4 ECTS Blended Intensive Programme combines online and on-site learning, focusing on exploring cutting-edge developments at the intersection of neuroscience, robotics, and digital health. This course is jointly organized by Boğaziçi University, Université de Lille, Radboud University, Universidad Miguel Hernández and Reykjavik University.

The upcoming Symposium “Naturalistic Neuroscience: From perception to action and back” will take place from May 28-29, 2026, at the University of Bonn. Experts from diverse fields will come together at this international symposium to discuss the current state and future directions for naturalistic neuroscience research.

Gaming disorder is on its way to becoming a recognised diagnosis in Swedish healthcare. This is welcomed by researcher and psychologist Philip Lindner, who is increasingly concerned about the growing role of money in modern games.

The application deadline for the Summer School in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback has been extended. Taking place from 21 May to 17 June 2026, this 4 ECTS Blended Intensive Programme combines online and on-site learning, focusing on applied psychophysiology, heart rate variability (HRV), self-regulation, and biofeedback. This course is organized by Reykjavik University, in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet and Radboud University.

GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, commonly used to treat diabetes and obesity, are associated with a reduced need for hospital care and sickness absence due to mental ill-health in people with depression or anxiety. This is according to a large, register-based study published in The Lancet Psychiatry by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, the University of Eastern Finland, and Griffith University in Australia.

“Journées CORTICO 2026”, the symposium in the fields of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Neurotechnology and Cognitive Neuroscience, will take place on May 18-20, 2026, at the University of Lille, France.

Radboud University organizes a one-week immersive course to explore how neurotechnologies shape everyday life through key clinical applications. Through lectures, hands-on demonstrations, and user interactions, participants examine the technical, clinical, and ethical dimensions of neurotechnology, supported by expertise from Radboud University and NeurotechEU partners.

NeurotechEU invites educators from its partner universities to co-develop innovative, cross-institutional activities with a strong focus on challenge-based learning. Successful applicants can receive funding of up to €10,000 to support the effective implementation of innovative teaching concepts.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Professor Nils Wahlgren, stroke researcher and founder of the SITS International Stroke Thrombolysis Registry .

The Strategic Research Area Neuroscience – StratNeuro - announces a call for applications to support postdoctoral researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Nobel Forum welcomes Professor Nobutaka Hattori for a Research Lecture on 19 March.

Scented television, questions about farts and the smell of newborn babies. Johan Lundström's days include everything from treating smell loss to researching how our sense of smell actually works.

A new term of office for the StratNeuro Executive Board began in January 2026.

Taking place from 21 May to 17 June 2026, this Summer School combines online and on-site learning to introduce the field of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (4 ECTS Blended Intensive Programme). This course is organized by Reykjavik University, in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet and Radboud University.

The Conference "Women of NeurotechEU: Empower, Lead, Innovate" is an international event organized by the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, under the umbrella of the NeurotechEU European University Alliance, in connection with International Women’s Day.

“Journées CORTICO 2026”, the symposium in the fields of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Neurotechnology and Cognitive Neuroscience, will take place on May 18-20, 2026, at the University of Lille, France.

Adolescents who report pain at the age of 18 are at higher risk of later self-harm. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Psychiatry Research. The findings suggest that pain may form part of the chain of events leading to self-harming behaviour.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, report researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

A new study shows that internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) can effectively reduce asthma-related anxiety in adults with asthma. Participants who received ICBT reported less anxiety related to their asthma, better asthma control, higher quality of life, and fewer avoidance behaviours compared to those who received standard care. Lung function was not affected by the treatment, indicating that it is safe and can be used as a complement to medical asthma treatment.

Bachelor, Master, and PhD students at Karolinska Institutet (KI) are invited to apply now for the Autumn School of Clinical Neurotechnology taking place 23-26 February in Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

The NeurotechEU Internship Program at Boğaziçi University offers undergraduate and master’s students from the NeurotechEU alliance a unique opportunity to gain hands-on research experience in cutting-edge neuroscience and neurotechnology laboratories.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that the nervous system's own immune cells help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage. The results, which may contribute to new knowledge about how certain neurological diseases arise, are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The Epilepsy Foundation (Stiftelsen Epilepsifonden) is awarding a grant of SEK 400,000 to the research project “MAP-KETO,” which is investigating the effects of a ketogenic diet on children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Forced to flee as a child, today Elham Rostami saves lives in emergency situations – and conducts research to understand why some patients with brain injuries recover unexpectedly well. 

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals an unexpected role for immature glial cells known as oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in shaping the developing human brain.

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritised for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own – through the brain’s integration of what we see and what we feel.

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!

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.

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.

A treatment that could protect premature babies from brain damage showed promise in a recent study in Sweden. Using a first-of-its-kind prenatal brain model created with human cells researchers observed new details about the effects of cerebral hemorrhages on stem cells during premature birth. And they successfully tested an antidote that reduced the damage.

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.

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.

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

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)

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Pete Williams wants to find new ways of treating this disease by protecting and restoring nerve cells in the eye. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.

When the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) selected the research leaders of the future three years ago as part of the prestigious programme ‘Future Research Leaders’ (FFL), KI researcher Arvid Guterstam was one of the 16 selected. The award offers researchers the opportunity to further develop their research with a grant of SEK 15 million over a five-year period. Halfway through the programme, Arvid Guterstam talks here about his results within the framework of the programme.

Flavoured drinks without sugar can be perceived as sweet – and now researchers know why. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveals that the brain interprets certain aromas as taste.

Among young people, the use of sleep medication has increased sharply – despite ongoing questions about the drugs’ effectiveness and long-term impact. Researchers now recommend psychological treatment instead.

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

KI researcher and PhD supervisor Robert Harris is ranked number 5 on the list ‘Top 20 LinkedIn Influencers in Sweden in 2025’ by the AI-based ranking platform Favikon.

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.

The scientific review of the Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED) project applications is now complete. Award decisions have been made by the CIMED Board of Directors following the recommendation of the review panels.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and affects 80 million people around the world. Pete Williams, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital, has now been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant for his work on new treatments for the disease. The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the most eminent awards a researcher can receive.

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.

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.

Mats J Olsson, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (CNS), has accepted an extension of his appointment as Head of the Department.

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

Fredrik Piehl, Professor of Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet and researcher at Karolinska University Hospital, has been named Neuroprofile of the Year 2025.