Teemu is excited about fundamental research on brain disorders, using new research methodology, and teaching on neuroscience and medicine. The story in science started by acquiring basic education in pharmacology, and moved on to neuroplasticity and research on abused drugs. He got PhD thesis on bidirectional role of AMPA receptors in neuroplasticity in 2012. At the University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral fellow he studied neuroanatomy and neurophysiology combined with behavioural parameters. During later times themes have expanded to eating disorders and gambling. Teemu likes to run, bicycle rides (especially winter time), swim in open waters, and listen to heavy metal.
Maria is an experienced neurobiologist, who studies neuroplasticity in brain disorders. Her experience in single cell electrophysiology and disease modelling provides an interesting starting point to look at the mechanisms of brain disorders.
Lauri is a pharmacist, a behavioral pharmacologist, and a university instructor in pharmacology. He defended his thesis focusing on the intersection of behavioral effects of psychedelics and mouse models of addiction-relevant behaviors in the autumn 2025. He is especially interested in the non-human animal minds and the questions they pose to the preclinical animal models used in psychiatry and psychopharmacology. He is also increasingly interested in quality of science, meta-science, and didactics of medical pharmacology. Lauri is an avid home cook and knows kungfu.
Annika is a doctoral researcher with a background in translational medicine and neuropharmacology. She studies the role of somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons in regulating behavior, drug responses, and synaptic plasticity in the mouse brain. Her work particularly focuses on BDNF/TrkB signaling in SST+ neurons and its involvement in the development of tolerance and dependence to diazepam. She applies a wide range of neuroscientific techniques, including behavioral assays, confocal imaging techniques and transcriptomics. Outside the lab, Annika enjoys playing tennis and frisbee golf.
Approximately 10% of the Finnish population are affected by addictive disorders, such as substance abuse, gambling disorder and internet gaming disorder. One of the defining neuropsychiatric hallmarks of these disorders are deficits in decision-making. In my research I utilise behavioural animal models to investigate how individual neurons and neuronal circuits can decide whether to aim for an instant gratification or resist the temptation to achieve long-term benefits. This information can be used develop more effective and safe drug treatments and expand our neurobiological understanding in the areas where clinical research is not possible.
Laura's research is about neuropharmacology of glutamate receptors in addiction-related disorders. She uses multiple bioimaging methods in combination with vast variety of behavioral methodology.
Maj holds a Master’s degree in Neuroscience and is pursuing medical training alongside her PhD research. She investigates amygdala circuitry in psychiatric disorders using electrophysiology and behavioral models, with a current focus on anorexia nervosa. In parallel, she is particularly interested in how neurobiological frameworks shape the understanding and treatment of psychiatric conditions.
Driven by the unmet clinical needs of obesity and cachexia patients, Suvi designed her own research project from the ground. As Suvi is a physician in training, she has seen up close these illnesses. She established the project with PI Teemu and utilizing hiPSC-derived neural assembloids she aims to:
1) identifying leptin resistance and GLP-1-drug mechanisms, understanding obesity pandemic (relevant also for T2D and cardiovascular diseases)
2) identifying cachexia disease mechanism and developing curative therapy
Suvi started medical school at the UH in 2021 with the highest possible score from A-level grades, and got accepted to the prestigious MD-PhD-program. She gained the needed skills for her undergraduate research at Prof Katajisto (her work yielded two co-authored peer-reviewed articles) and Assist Prof Färkkilä and research visits to Cambridge (Assist Prof Merkle) and Helsinki (Prof Otonkoski/Docent Balboa).
Prizes: Millenium Youth Prize 2018, named to 30under30 list (UH, 2025)
Tuomas is candidate of medicine in the MD-PhD program. He graduated as a pharmacist in 2020 and started his studies in medicine in 2022. He is working towards a PhD on the subject of metabotropic glutamate receptors in psychopharmacology.
Liisa studies how both conventional and rapid-acting antidepressants influence the fine structure of sleep. Using techniques like EEG, fiber photometry, and optogenetics in animal models, she investigates how specific sleep features relate to emotional regulation and neuroplasticity. She is particularly interested in how monoaminergic systems shape sleep dynamics and their involvement in psychiatric disorders and their treatment.