Chronic headache, ADHD, Alzheimer’s and psychosis: Young researchers at SUND receive large grants

Bianca will join Henriette Langstrup's digital health research group at Department of Public Health, Section Health Service Research.

Social and ethical aspects of Virtual Reality Therapy innovation for neuropsychiatry

Health innovation is no longer driven solely by clinical research or the pharmaceutical industry. Tech startups, and patients increasingly contribute to innovation in medicine. One case for this is Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT). This project empirically explores the social and ethical aspects of VRT innovation for neuropsychiatry.

Using an ethnographic and community-engaging approach, I will study VRT in Denmark and develop design recommendations to ensure patient-centred neuropsychiatic innovation.

Grant: 2.974.043 DKK

Department of Neuroscience, Gether Lab.

Institut for Neurovidenskab, Neuropharm and Genetics.

Decoding Dopamine Dynamics in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Attentional Behavior

ADHD is a disorder that causes cognitive and behavioral deficits. It is caused by impaired communication in the brain. Previous research suggests that the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the prefrontal cortex is disrupted but the precise features of dopamine signaling and its interaction with other neurotransmitters are still unclear.

Therefore, we will study the interplay of prefrontal dopamine and noradrenaline signals and investigate its implications for the development of ADHD.

Grant: 2.994.828 DKK.

Department of Neuroscience, Neuropharm and Genetics

Enhancing Dopamine Reuptake: A Potential New Approach to Psychosis Treatment

This project will investigate a potential new mechanism that regulates dopamine in our brains. Understanding this mechanism could lead to an entirely new way of treating psychosis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Grant: 2.499.963 DKK

BRIC, Issazadeh-Navikas Group.

CD1d-dependent neuronal activation of NKT cells: A novel neuroimmune influence on neural homeostasis

The immune-regulatory functions of neurons are largely unknown despite the growing evidence showing the presence of immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS).

This project aims to characterize a novel neuroimmune interaction, whereby neurons activate natural killer T (NKT) cells in a CD1d-dependent manner. Interestingly, neurons expressing CD1d appear to localize near neuroimmune niches in the CNS and counteract neuropathology, emphasizing the project’s potential translational impact.

Grant: 2.995.212 DKK

Department of Neuroscience, Neuronal Signalling, Berg Lab.

Cortico-Spinal Population Dynamics Underlying Rodent Gait

Is the motor system a dictatorship or a democracy? Is the chain of command in the motor system only top-down, or is it a two-way street? This project attempts to answer just that. 

Harnessing recent cutting-edge techniques in neuroscience such as large-scale neuronal recordings and optogenetics, this project aims to study how brain and spinal circuits interact as they coordinate locomotion, and how their interaction dynamics is disrupted when their physical connections are disrupted.

Grant: 3.000.000 DKK

Department of Neuroscience, Petersen lab.

How the brain represents and uses ‘sensory space’–uncovering the fundamental multimodal memory units

Our project explores how the brain combines sensory information to predict and adapt to a changing world. Focusing on the hippocampus, we study how neurons create mental maps from spatial and non-spatial sensory inputs—essential for navigation, memory, and learning.

By using advanced recording methods and models of diseases like Alzheimer’s, we aim to understand how sensory processing disruptions lead to cognitive decline, guiding the development of new treatments.

Grant: 3.200.000 DKK

Department of Drug Design and Pharmachology, Medicinal Chemistry.

Institut for Lægemiddeldesign og Farmakologi, Medicinalkemi.

Advancing Pretargeted Immuno-PET for Amyloid-Beta Theranostics: Bridging Research and Clinical Needs

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affects 50 million people worldwide and is expected to triple by 2050. Current treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, show promise but face challenges like high costs and side effects.

Our research aims to develop an innovative brain imaging method, using a novel PET platform with improved precision and safety, to enhance drug development and diagnostic tools for AD, addressing urgent medical and societal needs.

Grant: 2.999.999 DKK

Department of Drug Design and Pharmachology, Pharmaceutical Informatics.

Institut for Lægemiddeldesign og Farmakologi, Farmaceutisk Informatik

Breaking Barriers: Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrant Macrocycles for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

This project aims to find new treatment options for severe mental disorders, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, by studying key protein interactions involved in these conditions. Using advanced computer modelling, we’re designing specialised drug molecules that can reach the brain and precisely target these interactions.

Our approach could lead to more effective therapies with fewer side effects, offering hope for better outcomes for people affected by these challenging disorders.

Grant: 2.969.912 DKK

Leah Benellis will be postdoc at Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Movement and Neuroscience.

Whole-Body-Brain Dynamics: Multi-Organ Interactions via Multilayer Network and Hidden Markov Models

This pioneering project will uncover how the brain and vital organs—such as the heart, lungs, and gut—interact to shape our thoughts, emotions, and mental health. Using cutting-edge computational models and brain and vagal nerve stimulation techniques, we aim to reveal key brain-body connections that could transform treatments for psychiatric and brain disorders.

By focusing on the whole-body-brain network, this research promises new insights into brain function, cognition, and health.

Grant: 2.768.264 DKK

Whole-Body-Brain Dynamics: Multi-Organ Interactions via Multilayer Network and Hidden Markov Models | Lundbeckfonden

Martin Kaag Rasmussen, Postdoc, Center for Translational Neuromedicine.

Screening of pain provoking proteins in an idiopathic intracranial hypertension translational model

In this project we will attempt to identify new drug targets that could prevent headache in idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The disorder mostly affects young women and their chronic headache respond poorly to current treatment options.

In an animal model we will identify increases of pain evoking proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid and then block the signalling of these proteins to prevent pain. The project could identify new drug targets to prevent headache in this debilitating disorder.

Grant: 2.499.920 DKK