Parkinson's disease and progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia 

by Malene Flensborg Damholdt: 
I’m involved in several projects studying the progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia in connection with Parkinson's disease. Focus is particularly on identifying (bio)markers related to this development and generally on obtaining greater insight into how cognitive, psychiatric and neurological symptoms arise and develop over time in people with Parkinson's disease. 

Social cognition and prejudices 

by Malene Flensborg Damholdt: 
I’m involved in several projects using different experimental set-ups with social robots to investigate social cognition and the development/maintenance of social prejudices/biases.  

Motor symptoms and pain in patients with Parkinson's disease 

by Andrea Søndergaard Poulsen: 
"Motor symptoms is one of the most impairing features of Parkinson’s disease, and up to 95% of people with Parkinson’s disease experience pain, which often has a significant impact on quality of life. Levodopa is the most widely used treatment for motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, and it also has a positive effect on patients' pain. However, the effect of levodopa often wears off after a few years of administration. Thus, the primary aim of my research is to investigate how we can optimise the effect of levodopa on motor symptoms and pain in patients with Parkinson's disease. In my research, I collaborate with researchers from Aarhus University Hospital, among others. The purpose of my research is to optimise knowledge of how we can improve treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease." 

The contribution of psychological and neurobiological mechanisms to relieving chronic pain. 

by Ina Skyt: 
Studies in healthy test subjects show that psychological factors such as expectations and emotions can have a pain-relieving effect through the release of endorphins. The purpose of my PhD project is to investigate whether psychological factors can alleviate chronic pain. The purpose is also to investigate the neurotransmitter systems that mediate this effect.    

Pain modulation using auditory input 

by Sigrid Juhl Lunde: 
Several studies show that music has a positive impact on pain. However, we do not know much about why music relieves pain. My PhD project aims to specify the underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of pain-relieving effects of auditory input. 

Placebo and/or pain 

by Lene Vase Toft: 
I’m the head of a neuroscientific research group at the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus University in Denmark. I collaborate with several world-leading laboratories on placebo and/or pain in Denmark (e.g. the Danish Pain Research Center), in Europe (e.g. the Department of Neuroscience, Turin, Italy) and in the USA (e.g. Harvard Medical School). My group has specified the magnitude of placebo and nocebo effects in pain, and we have identified that placebo effects exist across nociceptive, idiopathic, and neuropathic pain conditions. We have specialised in investigating placebo effects in chronic pain conditions, and we have shown that expectations and desires contribute particularly to these placebo effects, whereas release of neurotransmitters like endogenous opioid and dopamine does not seem to be involved.  

Currently, I have five overall lines of research: 
1) Placebo effects in pharmacological treatment of chronic pain patients, 
2) Placebo effects in psychological treatment of chronic pain patients, 
3) Placebo effects in complementary treatment of acute pain patients, e.g., acupuncture and music, 
4) Placebo effects across CNS disorders e.g. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,  
5) Psychological, pharmacological and genetic prediction for individualised treatment and adverse events.  
 
I have supervised seven PhD students as the main supervisor and 15 PhD students as a co-supervisor. 

Migraine 

by Simple Futarmal Kothari  
There has been great progress recently in the development of migraine treatments, especially preventive treatments. On the other hand, debate has intensified regarding anti-migraine trials and how the true value of treatment effects should be assessed. To resolve this problem, we will develop and assess an improved method for testing the efficacy of new drugs that is able to account for the complex relationship between drug and placebo responses. 

Spinal cord stimulation

By Christina Emborg
20% of the Danish population suffers from chronic pain, which has extensive consequences for patients' quality of life. Chronic pain is both complex and can be challenging to treat with medication. One type of non-pharmacological treatment used for chronic pain is spinal cord stimulation. By implanting electrodes in the spinal cord, this treatment utilizes electrical impulses to stimulate nerves, potentially alleviating chronic pain for some patients. Currently, research and testing of the treatment are primarily funded by the industry, including manufacturers of stimulation devices. The latest independent research in the field indicates significant uncertainty about the actual effectiveness and mechanisms of the treatment. However, research may not necessarily reflect the treatment's effectiveness in clinical practice. For the first time, this study examines the impact of spinal cord stimulation using a new well-controlled and clinically relevant research method. The research design specifically investigates the pain-relieving effects of spinal cord stimulation when isolated from other environmental factors, such as expectations. The study particularly focuses on ensuring the investigation is representative in clinical practice and therefore examines the patients receiving the treatment. The project allows for a precise understanding of treatment effectiveness, ensuring that the treatment is not administered unnecessarily and is given with the best possible outcome for patients.

The studie is funded by the Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond.

Studiet støttes af Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond.

Consciousness and psychic functions studied with fMRI 

by Klaus B. Bærentsen: 
The aim of the project is to shed light on the neurobiological basis for development of consciousness, perception, cognition and emotion. The project studies fMRI scans of conscious experiences during meditation and general relaxation, as well as when watching filmed situations. Specifically, the project seeks to identify and develop methods to analyse and characterise brain processes based on theories of complex, dynamic, self-organising systems. 

Neural, cognitive and behavioural risk factors for, and effects of, problematic substance use 

The project is being prepared collaboratively by Mette Buhl Callesen, Kristine Rømer Thomsen, Mads Uffe Pedersen, and others. It is a longitudinal study of substance use by young people, especially cannabis and alcohol, and it examines neural, cognitive and behavioural risk factors for, and effects of, problematic substance use. 

Sleep

by Ali Amidi: 
The recurring theme in my research deals with the relationship between disease, the brain and cognition among clinical populations. I have been particularly interested in studying neurocognitive changes following cancer and cancer treatment, and in exploring possible underlying neurophysiological causal relationships (structural MRI) and rehabilitation initiatives. In recent years, I have also conducted research into sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances following cancer and cancer treatment, as well as possible interventions to treat such disturbances.  

Insomnia and music   

by Kira Vibe Jespersen: 
My research focuses primarily on music and sleep. I’m interested in sleep and insomnia among the general population and among specific groups such as refugees with PTSD and older people with dementia. I have researched the effects of music on improving sleep problems through clinical studies, and I have also studied changes in brain organisation in connection with long-term insomnia. In a broader perspective, I’m interested in how music affects our body, brain and emotions, and how we can use this knowledge in a health perspective.