The Brain and the Nervous System

Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at LiU

WCMM at LiU focuses on the medicine-technology interface, and build upon our existing strengths in research within medical technology, materials science and bioengineering.

The McIntyre Lab

Holding a mug, feeling the ground as you walk, petting your furry friend, or hugging your child, all of these touch sensations start with deformation of the skin that the nervous system must process to serve physiological, emotional and social goals.

The Research Group for Frail, Seriously Ill Patients

Ingrid Asp Kidney Research Center

N-forte trial

The aim of the N-forte trial is to explore how breast milk composition influences the development of NEC, sepsis and neurological impairment in extremely preterm infants in order to improve future treatments in this patient group.

Epistemologi och post-Covid

The pandemic has impacted us all, but some more than others. For those who are suffering from post-Covid, the lingering impact is particularly tangible. Interdisciplinary research is needed to understand this new health challenge.

Pain and nutrition

Interest in the role of healthy eating and nutrition-related health in pain management is increasing in both the research and clinical space.

Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience - CSAN

Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN) integrates knowledge and methodology from different areas of basic and clinical neuroscience.

Molecular physiology of voltage-gated ion channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are key players in all biological systems where they generate and modulate for instance the nervous impulse and pacemaker activity in the heart and the brain.

Auditory neuroscience group

To study the function of these stereocilia, the research group has developed a new type of confocal microscope that makes it possible to directly observe sound-evoked motion.

Stopping the propagation of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s are progressive disease that causes great suffering for the victims and relatives, in addition it cause large economic costs for society.

Cornea Research

Our research team focuses on understanding the origins of blinding diseases of the cornea, evaluating new pharmacologic, surgical, and regenerative therapies to treat corneal disease.

PAINOMICS® Research Group

The aim of the research at Painomics laboratory is to investigate mechanistic markers of nociception and severity of pain, in peripheral and central level in subjects with chronic pain conditions, using omics.

The Johansson Capusan Lab

We explore genetic and environmental risk and follow clinical outcomes in addiction medicine using national and regional Swedish registers with the overall aim to improve healthcare for addiction.

The Barbier Lab

We explore the neural circuits and molecular mechanisms that underlie alcohol use- and anxiety disorders. Additionally, we examine potential common mechanisms that may link these two disorders.

Quantitative MRI of the Brain

Selective vulnerability to neurodegeneration

Neurodegenerative diseases cause stereotypical signs based on the specific brain region that is targeted. We try to understand how unaffected regions resist disease with the hope that these secrets can be transferred to vulnerable brain regions.

Experiencing the Self through Touch

Through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) this project gathers information about the boundaries between the self and others and compares the outcome of the reactions of neurotypical volunteers with participants with a psychiatric disorder

Imaging for Stereotactic Neurosurgery

This project works with MRI protocols for stereotactic neurosurgery and has developed a tool based on laser Doppler technique which can be used with the DBS probe to give more data on the surrounding tissue.

Effects of rTMS on alcohol use

Craving alcohol and an impaired ability to stop drinking despite adverse consequences are key features of alcohol addiction. This project aims to find a noninvasive brain stimulation method that can be used as treatment for addiction.

Existing drug can repair ion channel linked to epilepsy

Mutated variants of a particular ion channel cause difficult-to-treat epilepsy. A study published in the journal Nature now shows that a commonly used anaesthetic drug, propofol, can restore the function of this ion channel.

Autism and ADHD are linked to disturbed gut flora very early in life

Disturbed gut flora during the first years of life is associated with diagnoses such as autism and ADHD later in life. This is according to a study led by researchers at the University of Florida and LiU and published in the journal Cell.

With pain as a driving force – from refugee to professor

After a childhood marked by displacement, Bijar Ghafouri came to a place where she could stay. “In Sweden I got the opportunity to study what I wanted. Age or gender didn’t matter,” she says. Today, she is a professor researching long-term pain.

How the ear can inform the brain of whether hearing is impaired

What happens in the ear in hearing impairment caused by harmful noise? According to a study from LiU, a signal from the cochlea probably gives the brain information on whether the ear is functioning normally or not.

European investment in research into corneal diseases

Researchers at Linköping University are taking part in the largest European investment to date into diseases of the cornea. The aim is to restore vision in people with severe and rare eye diseases.

The brain reacts differently to touch depending on context

The touch of another person may increase levels of the “feelgood” hormone oxytocin. But the context really matters. The situation impacts oxytocin levels not only in the moment, but also later, as is shown in a new study.

The award winner: “A window to the secret processes in the brain”

India Morrison, senior associate professor in cognitive neuroscience, has won the Onkel Adam Award for her outstanding research at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. One of her research areas is how touch and pain affect our behaviour.

The brain’s cannabinoid system protects against addiction

High levels of the body’s own cannabinoid substances protect against developing addiction in individuals previously exposed to childhood maltreatment, according to a new study from Linköping University.

Kajsa Igelström wants to study autism using VR

Many people with autism or ADHD find that sensory input and motor skills are problematical in their everyday life. Researcher Kajsa Igelström wants to understand why.

The brain cells needed for fever

Researchers at LiU have identified in mice the cells in the blood vessels of the brain that are necessary for a fever reaction. The results answer a long-standing question of which organs are involved in producing fever.

Neurodegeneration can be studied long before symptoms arise

In prion diseases, the brain gradually deteriorates. New research suggests that cellular changes can be studied extremely early in the disease process, which is important if we are to develop treatments.

New research throws doubt on old ideas of how hearing works

The way in which we experience music and speech differs from what has until now been believed. The new findings have been published in Science Advances, and may make it possible to design better cochlear implants.

How fear memories get stuck in some brains

Researchers at Linköping University have discovered a biological mechanism that increases the strength with which fear memories are stored in the brain. The study identifies shared mechanisms behind anxiety and alcohol dependence.

Bioengineered cornea can restore sight to the blind and visually impaired

LiU-researchers have developed an implant made of collagen protein from pig’s skin, which resembles the human cornea. In a pilot study, the implant restored vision to 20 people with diseased corneas.

A subtle genetic change gives new clues about epilepsy

Sometimes, even the alteration of a single nucleotide in a gene can cause serious disease. A recent study sheds light on the molecular biology behind some forms of genetic epilepsy.

Research into eye problems in post-COVID sufferers

Some people who have recovered from COVID-19 have experienced long-term problems with their eyes. But why? And can this phenomenon be measured using biological markers? These are questions that researchers will try to answer in a new project.

Mechanism behind compulsive alcohol use revealed

A small group of nerve cells in the brain determines whether an individual continues to consume alcohol even when it has negative consequences. The scientists have identified a mechanism that may be a suitable target for treatment by medication.

A drug from resin to combat epileptic seizures

New molecules, developed by researchers at Linköping University, have promising properties as possible drugs against epilepsy. A study published in the journal Epilepsia shows that several of the molecules have antiseizure effects.

Research results challenge a decades-old mechanism of how we hear sounds

Researchers have made several discoveries on the functioning mechanisms of the inner hair cells of the ear, which convert sounds into nerve signals. The results challenge the current picture of the hearing organ, which has prevailed for decades.

SEK 12 million for research into serious eye disease

Neil Lagali coordinates a research project that has received SEK 12.5 million from the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases. The researchers will evaluate experimental treatments for a rare eye disease that affects sight directly from birth.

Immune cells are behind the depression experienced in inflammation

The findings from a new study on mice suggest that special immune cells found in the brain, microglial cells, contribute to the negative mood experienced during several neurological diseases, and maybe also depression.