Presentation of the Column
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) typically present during childhood and can include difficulties with language and speech, motor skills, behavior, social functioning, and learning, and they may include seizures/epilepsy. NDDs encompass disturbances of the early development of the nervous system before or around the time of birth, as well as deviant patterns of brain maturation during childhood and adolescence. NDDs include disorders with dominant impairment of motor abilities such as cerebral palsy, rare genetic disorders, including intellectual disabilities, developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, and hemiplegic migraine, as well as multifactorial psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism, OCD, and ADHD, that have onset in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood.
Genetics play an important role in many NDDs, however, environmental risk factors may also have influence. To identify disease mechanisms and early markers of risk and resilience, several different types of investigations, including clinical, epidemiological, neurobiological, and molecular studies can be employed. Basic research into these disorders is frequently limited by the availability of suitable model systems, while clinical research is challenged by the diversity of disease presentations/diagnosis and disease trajectories.
This thematic research column presents several options to carry out clinical and/or basic research within this diverse field. We offer high-quality training of PhD students in psychopathology, cognition, socio-emotional and motor functioning, sleep patterns, structural and functional neuroimaging (MRI), electro- (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), genetics/epigenetics, epidemiological, and (pharmaco)genomics, proteomics and cellular signaling methods, as well as in the employment of stem cell/brain organoid, mouse or invertebrate models in combination with molecular, cell biological, physiological, biochemical and pharmacological tools.
By doing your lab rotations within our column, you should be able to formulate a translational PhD project in collaboration with two or more PIs in the column.
Aalborg University
Professor Marlene Briciet Lauritsen
• Clinical Institute • Research Unit for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
About the Research
Child psychiatry covering etiology, symptoms, and pathophysiology. In particular, the mechanisms of sensory processing in autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder with neurophysiological tests.
Two lab members
Christina Horsager - Postdoc
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Lab rotation
Be part of testing in the lab of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using neurophysiological tests and questionnaires including clinical examination..
Secondary Column
Mood and Reward
Associate Professor Sabata Gervasio Frahm
• Health Science and Technology • Neural Engineering and Neurophysiology
About the Research
Sensory processing difficulties are common in neurodevelopmental disorders as autism and ADHD. We investigate the neural mechanism behind impaired sensory processing through electrophysiological measurements, especially EEG and EEG based ERP
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Human experiments and data analysis
Secondary Column
Professor Kimmo Jensen
• Dept. of Clinical Medicine • Translational Neurology Group
About the Research
We use multi-electrode arrays and molecular biology to study animal and cellular models of epilepsy and related neurological disorders
Two lab members
Jonas Laugård Hald - Research Assistant, M.Sc.
Margareth Clara Bloch - Technical Assistant
Lab rotation
MEA experiments, sample analysis, molecular biology
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Aarhus University
Dong Won Thomas Kim____________________Neurodegeneration • Neurodevelopment • Single-cell sequencing
Associate Professor Dong Won Thomas Kim
• Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience (DANDRITE) • Kim Group
About the Research
Thomas Kim’s laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms and functions of different cell states and types in both neurodegeneration and neurodevelopment. We aim to use data science to generate hypotheses that can be tested through bench science experiments. The primary focus of our neurodegeneration project is to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control various microglial states in neurodegenerative disorders and to evaluate the potential of targeting these populations as therapeutic interventions. Our neurodevelopment project focuses on understanding the specification of the hypothalamus, which is a key regulator of the physiological homeostasis of innate behaviors. To address these questions, we will employ multi-omic methods and utilize in vitro and in vivo functional genomic approaches.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
1) Neurodegeneration focus: Understand the molecular mechanisms controlling microglial subtypes in neurodegenerative disorders and evaluate potential approaches to target these microglia as therapeutic interventions and as biomarkers. 2) Neurodevelopment focus: Understand the specification of the hypothalamus, a central regulator of physiological homeostasis of innate behaviors. 3) Reprogramming focus: Harness the findings from neurodevelopment to develop new astrocyte-based treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Associate Professor Vibeke Fuglsang Bliksted
• Department of Clinical Medicine • CFIN, AUH Psychiatry, Psychosis Research Unit
About the Research
Research focus: neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits in children with familiar high risk of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, patients with first-episode schizophrenia and patients with autism. Methods: neuroimaging(fMRI) and assessment.
Two lab members
Martin Dietz - Postdoc
Aja Greve - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Clinical assessment, neuroimaging, data analysis, neurocognitive and social cognitive assessment
Secondary Column
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Associate Professor Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
• Department of Clinical Medicine • Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit
About the Research
My research goals involve examining the effects of Early Life Adversity (ELA) on neurodevelopment. Our team takes a multifaceted approach, analyzing epigenetic and molecular biomarkers related to ELA, addictions, and severe mental disorders. We also combine data from neuroimaging and multi-omics studies in human and animal populations to better understand how internal and external environmental factors can impact development from prenatal stages to aging. Additionally, we utilize animal models to study how prenatal and postnatal exposures to factors such as diet, stress, and drugs can affect the neurobiology of vulnerability and resilience during the lifespan.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
0
Secondary Column
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Associate Professor Chris Mathys
• Interacting Minds Centre • ILAB
About the Research
Computational modelling of cognition, particularly aberrant information processing leading to maladaptive beliefs such as delusions. Various applications of this modelling to computational psychiatry: schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, etc.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Data collection and analysis (human behaviour, neuroimaging), experimental design, computational modelling
Secondary Column
Mood and Reward
Professor Anders Børglum
• Department of Biomedicine •
About the Research
Identifying and characterizing genes that confer risk or resilience to psychiatric disorders. The research involves large-scale genomics studies of 10-100,000 individuals, analyzing comprehensive multidimensional health and biological omics data.
Two lab members
Jinjie Duan - Postdoc
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Lab rotation
Data analysis of large-scale human data
Secondary Column
Martin Dietz_________________Brain connectivity • Human electrophysiology • Computational psychiatry
Assistant Professor Martin Dietz
• CFIN - Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience • Computational psychiatry
About the Research
We use human electrophysiology (MEG and EEG) and fMRI to study the function of brain circuits and their dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders
Professor Marco Capogna
• Biomedicine •
About the Research
We define neuronal circuits of human and rodent cerebral cortex and connected subcortical areas. Methods; genetic mouse models of psychiatric disorders; electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics, circuit mapping, pharmacology, anatomy, behavior.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
In vitro/in vivo electrophysiology; optogenetics; imaging.
Secondary Column
Brain States and Brain-Body Interactions
Professor Anders Nykjaer
• Biomedicine • Nykjaer Lab
About the Research
Using neuroembryology, in vitro/in vivo imaging, transgenic mice, behavior and cell biology we study a receptor family recently identified as top risk genes in ADHD, schizophrenia and autism. The receptors also control memory formation and forgetting
Two lab members
Alena Salasova - Assistant Professor
Dongik Park - Assistant Professor
Lab rotation
Neuron culture, neurodevelopment, behavior of transgenic mouse models, calcium and/or other advanced imaging techniques
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
University of Copenhagen
Associate Professor Vanessa Jane Hall
• Veterinary and Animal Sciences • Group of Brain Development and Disease
About the Research
Studying the evolution, development and cellular complexity of the entorhinal cortex. Development of multiomic technologies for studying neural networks. Investigating the role of pathogens in Alzheimer’s disease.
Two lab members
Dorottya Ralbovszki - PhD student
Daniel Gomez - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Single cell transcriptomics, neuron patch whole cell clamping, Co-IP, Bioinformatic data analyses.
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Associate Professor Asli Silahtaroglu
University of Copenhagen • Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine •
About the Research
Mechanisms fine-tuning gene expression in developing and diseased brain through Imaging. Special interest: 3D genome organization & Non-coding RNAs. Methods: Advanced Microscopy (Super Resolution) & image analysis, genetic & epigenetic methods
Two lab members
Thi Cam Ha Nguyen - Lab technician
Panayiotis Kuois - Erasmus
Lab rotation
Advanced microscopy (from single cell to whole brain), DNA/RNA In-situ Hybridization and Immunofluorescence techniques & Computational Image Analysis
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Professor Bente Frølund
• Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology • Frølund lab
About the Research
Structure-based drug discovery, development of molecular probes and ligand-based novel methodologies to investigate identity, localization, function and therapeutic potential of relevant target proteins with neuroprotection in focus.
Two lab members
Francesco Bavo - Postdoc
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Lab rotation
The student will work with structure-based ligand design and medicinal chemistry in an interdisciplinary setting bridging with biostructural chemistry and molecular pharmacology
Secondary Column
Brain Vasculature and Barriers
Professor Ruth Frikke-Shmidt
• Department of Clinical Medicine •
About the Research
Study the shared risk factors for dementia and cardiovascular disease by investigating genomics and blood and CSF biomarkers. Establishment of causal aspects of risk factors by applying Mendelian randomization approaches.
Two lab members
Jesper Qvist Thomassen - Postdoc
Jiao Luo - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Mendelian randomization principles, polygenic risk scores, GWAS, R programming, genomic techniques, biochemical principles.
Secondary Column
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Professor Kristian Strømgaard
• Center for Biopharmaceuticals, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology •
About the Research
Developing peptide-based modulators of receptor complexes in the brain
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Peptide synthesis, peptide arrays, protein expression, in vitro assays
Secondary Column
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Professor Zeynep Tumer
Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet • Department of Clinical Genetics •
About the Research
We investigate disease mechanisms with a translational approach linking the clinical features to genetic/epigenetic defects and cellular pathology and return the gained knowledge back to the patients in form of counselling, diagnosis, or treatment.
Two lab members
Amanda Levy - PhD student
Peter Böhm - Leading lab technician
Lab rotation
short range (whole genome and exome) and long-range sequencing; a wide range of DNA, RNA, protein and epigenetic studies; immunohistochemistry; functional studies on cell-models.
Secondary Column
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Professor Thomas Werge
Copenhagen University Hospital (Mental Health Services) • Institute of Biological Psychiatry (IBP) • Multiple available @ IBP
About the Research
IBP is a world leading research organisation in complex disease genomics renowned for systematic integration of population-wide genealogy, genomics, healthcare, and socio-demographic data to disentangle the mysteries of mental disorders
Two lab members
Alfonso Buil Demur - Associate professor
Dorte Helenius - Research Leader
Lab rotation
Hands-on big data on human disease and genomics
Secondary Column
Brain States and Brain-Body Interactions
Professor Jakob Balslev Sørensen
University of Copenhagen • Department of Neuroscience • Sørensen
About the Research
We study chemical synaptic transmission, including the basal mechanisms and its dysregulation in disease, for instance in epileptic encephalopathies. Methods are molecular, cell biological (e.g. human iPSCs) and electrophysiological/optical.
Two lab members
Mario Carvalho - Postdoc
Paola Barbagallo - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Hands-on experience with cell culturing, electrophysiology and imaging, as well as molecular methods (viral expression etc).
Secondary Column
Neurodevelopment
Associate Professor Jean-François Perrier
• Department of Neuroscience • Perrier
About the Research
microcircuits studied by patch clamp recording and calcium imaging
Two lab members
Nikolaj Hansen - Postdoc
Altair Brito dos Santos - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Introduction to patch clamp technique in slices
Secondary Column
Neuroinflammation and Neuron-Glia Interactions
Associate Professor Konstantin Khodosevich
• BRIC •
About the Research
We study mechanisms that are responsible for neuronal specification, positioning and circuit formation during brain development, and how these mechanisms are impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism and others
Two lab members
Navneet Vasistha, assistant professor
Frederik Sorensen, PhD student
Lab rotation
Single cell and spatial omics
Secondary Column
Associate Professor Alexander Matthias Walter
• Department of Neuroscience • Molecular and Theoretical Neuroscience
About the Research
We investigate synatpic transmission by mathematical modelling, electrophysiology, live- and super-resolution microscopy
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
hands-on electropyhisiology and cutting edge light microscopy
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Associate Professor Alexander Sebastisn Hauser
• Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology • Pharmacogenomics
About the Research
We do drug-related data science in pharmacogenomics combining elements of chemo/bioinformatics, pharmacology, and pharmacoepidemiology in order to better understand the interindividual variability to a given therapeutic treatment
Two lab members
Peter Lindquist - Master student
Alessandro Berghella - PhD student
Lab rotation
Students will learn how to perform genotype-to-phenotype associations from large biobank data using computational methods and how this can inform molecular physiology and drug target selection
Secondary Column
Mood and Reward
Associate Professor Anders Skov Kristensen
• Drug Design and Pharmacology • Skov Kristensen group
About the Research
We focus on AMPA and NMDA receptors that mediate most excitatory neurotransmission in the brain study. We study receptor molecular function, regulation, and pharmacology, and the role of human receptor mutations in neurodevelopmental diseases.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Our lab will provide training in basic DNA/RNA techniques, various forms of electrophysiology, fluorescence techniques (FRET and voltage-clamp fluorometry), testing of new CNS drug molecules from collaborating Medicinal Chemistry labs.
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Associate Professor Lars Hageman Pinborg
Rigshospitalet • Department of Neurology • Neurobiology Research Unit
About the Research
Precision medicine in epilepsy: biomarkers, risk and resilience factors for drug-resistance and cognitive, psychiatric and behavioural comorbidity. Precise methods for localising the epileptogenic zone and networks in epilepsy surgery candidates.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Data analysis, human experiments
Secondary Column
Neuroinflammation and Neuron-Glia Interactions
Associate Professor Thomas Folkmann Hansen
Cophagen University Hospital • Neurological Department • NeuroGenomics
About the Research
The Neurogenomics groups aims at mapping the genomic mehcansim of neurological disoders
Two lab members
Lisette Kogelman - Postdoc
Mona Ameri Chalrmer - Postdoc
Lab rotation
Handling and analyses of Omics data
Secondary Column
Ageing and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Professor Merete Nordentoft
• Department of Clinical Medicine • CORE Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health
About the Research
We follow a group of 522 children of parents with mental illness longitudinally with MR scan, eeg, meg and polysomnography, and motor function.
Two lab members
Martin Wilms - PhD student
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Lab rotation
Techniques to extract data from the different modalities
Secondary Column
Brain States and Brain-Body Interactions
Professor Robert James Richard Blair
• Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri • Børne- og Ungdomspsykiatrisk Center
About the Research
Neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders (externalizing and internalizing) and (mostly task-based) fMRI (some neuropsychology) – intervention studies too. Work on the developmental impact of maltreatment and substance use in adolescents.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
FMRI and neuropsych work with children and adolescents with psychiatric conditions
Secondary Column
Mood and Reward
Professor Anne AE Thorup
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center • Research Unit •
About the Research
Clinical cohort study of children with familial risk for severe mental illness and intervention and prevention strategies for this group
Two lab members
nicoline hemager - Postdoc
Mette Falkenberg Krantz - Postdoc
Lab rotation
clinical research including cohort data and intervention models
Secondary Column
University of Southern Denmark
Professor Vijay Tiwari
• Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM) •
About the Research
Tiwari Lab employs a multidisciplinary approach combining cutting-edge neurobiology, epigenetics, genomics and bioinformatics to reveal gene regulatory mechanisms underlying brain development and its disruption in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
Training on a mix of experimental and computational approaches: hands on epigenetics, molecular biology, iPS to neurons culture (organoids) as well as bioinformatics analysis of brain genomics data
Secondary Column
Neuroinflammation and Neuron-Glia Interactions
Professor Søren Dalsgaard
Mental Health Services of the Capital Rrgion • Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry •
About the Research
Epidemiology and genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Mainly based on register-based data.
Two lab members
Nina Pil Hostrup Nielsen - PhD student
Theresa Wimberley - Senior researcher
Lab rotation
Advanced methods and pitfalls when using register-data and genomic data for epidemiological studies of NDD and pharmacoepidemiology
Secondary Column
Associate Professor Elena Gardella
University of Southern Denmark / Danish Epilepsy Centre • Institute for Regional Health Services Research •
About the Research
Our activity consists of translational studies (clinical part) and clinical studies that address critical needs for clinical trial readiness, in different genetic neurodevelopmental disorders with epilepsy.
Two lab members
Francesca Furia - PhD student
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Lab rotation
We perform: 1) detailed electro-clinical characterization of the probands; 2) EEG analysis and EEG post-processing to model the cortical pathological network in humans; 3) identification of clinical and EEG biomarkers; 4) design of clinical registry
Secondary Column
Professor Martin Røssel Larsen
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology • Protein Research Group
About the Research
We study neurodevelopment in health and disease by characterizing cellular signaling in neurons using proteomics, molecular biology, imaging and bioinformatics. Our main biological model system is 3D brain organoids.
Two lab members
Pia Jensen - Postdoc
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Lab rotation
In my group the student will be studying cellular signaling in neurons using 3D brain organoid model systems combined with a variety of Omics technologies (incl. proteomics, PTMomics and metabolomics) and bioimaging.
Secondary Column
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Professor Søren Krogh Andersen
• Department of Psychology • Cognitive and Biological Psychology
About the Research
We investigate selective visual attention and perception using EEG and behavioral measures. Main areas of expertise are feature-based attention (e.g. colour, orientation) and recordings of oscillatory steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP).
Two lab members
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Lab rotation
We investigate selective visual attention and perception using EEG and behavioral measures. Main areas of expertise are feature-based attention (e.g. colour, orientation) and recordings of oscillatory steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP).
Secondary Column
Mood and Reward
Professor Rikke Steensbjerre Møller
Danish Epilepsy Centre, Filadelfia • Department of Regional Health Research • Department of Epilepsy Genetics and Personalized Medicine
About the Research
The overall aim of our research is to unravel the underlying mechanisms of genetic epilepsies, to understand correlations with clinical symptoms and to find new treatment options.
Two lab members
Guido Rubboli - Professor
Allan Bayat - Postdoc
Lab rotation
You can perform 1) whole exome sequencing, 2) functional characterization of genetic variants using e.g. electrophysiology or human IPSCs (in collaboration with other column members) 3) genotype-phenotype-pharmacoresponse correlation studies.
Secondary Column
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