Neuroscience Center (NC) fosters a vibrant intellectual environment that brings together a multidisciplinary group of neuroscientists. The mission of the Neuroscience Center is to advance fundamental discoveries in neurosciences to understand how the brain gives rise to complex dynamics and behaviors in health and disease. The research in NC spans across several scales from stem cell research to neurobiology, to circuit- and systems neuroscience. Our research applies various cutting-edge neurotechnology platforms, neuroimaging tools and sophisticated analysis techniques that helps us unravel neuronal processing at multiple levels. Our goal is to pursue fundamental discoveries about brain functions and to promote health and wellbeing by translating research findings into improvements in the treatments, preventions and diagnostics of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Our community is international and we are committed to inclusive, safe, comfortable culture for promoting diverse talents.
This research program aims to address the systems-level mechanisms of cognition and behavior in health and disease. Our mission is to uncover how cognition and behaviour emerge from brain structure and neural dynamics. We bring together expertise in neuroimaging, electrophysiology, computational methods, AI tools, and in silico models to address fundamental questions about the human brain. By combining mechanistic insight with novel digital tools, we advance personalised neuroscience and improve our ability to predict brain health trajectories in support of human health and wellbeing. Our framework is grounded in the discovery of multiscale, transdiagnostic biological mechanisms that can be translated into more precise diagnosis, stronger outcome prediction, and personalised treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders (including depression, psychotic disorders, and autism spectrum disorders) as well as in aging and neurological disorders (including epilepsy and dementia).
The research program studies the biological bases of the human brain functions that underlie human behavior and vulnerability to illness. While many biological processes are shared across species, the human brain has developed distinct abilities and vulnerabilities. Using human evolution and genetic discoveries as entry points, we analyze how genetic variants and environment mediate their effects at different levels on human phenotypes from molecules and cells to synapses and circuits. Our work takes advantage of deeply characterized clinical cohorts and FinnGen study with decades of longitudinal health data from genotyped individuals combined with multi-omics approaches for profiling biological samples. We aim to understand relationships between evolutionary processes and genetic influences in the brain and human specific brain phenotypes. For this we use human induced pluripotent stem cell derived model systems and multimodal profiling to understand genetic and environmental effects across diverse human cellular systems in relevant human genetic background.
This research program investigates brain function across molecular, synaptic, circuit, and systems levels. Our mission is to build integrated mechanistic understanding on how neuronal activity gives rise to cognition and behavior. We consider how developmental, environmental and neuromodulatory factors shape neural circuits and how these processes become altered in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. Using rodent models and advanced neurophysiological, imaging and behavioural approaches, the program links mechanistic insight to translational opportunities. A particular focus is placed on neuronal plasticity, cognitive control, and circuit-level mechanisms that may inform new strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Come and hear top neuroscientists and discuss these and other timely questions in the context of their research. The events are open to students, postdocs, group leaders, or anyone interested in neuroscience, and science in general. Our main seminar series, called UHBrain seminar, invites researchers around the world to present their findings and share knowledge.
Researchers and staff at the University of Helsinki can join an email list to keep up with different neuroscience events in the Helsinki Metropolitan area.
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Neuroscience Center is located in Meilahti campus in Helsinki.
You can reach the director and our administrative team at