TOP functional neuroimaging group

Summary of activity

The TOP functional neuroimaging group, located at Ullevål University Hospital (UUH) in Oslo, is a unit in the TOP (Thematic area psychosis) study group (Director Prof Ole Andreassen) [link]. The MRI data are collected by the TOP MR research group at UUH, with Professor Per Nakstad and Professor Ole Andreassen in collaboration with Professor Ingrid Agartz, UiO. The functional imaging group consists of senior scientist Jimmy Jensen, post doc Mona Otnæss, PhD student Christian Thoresen, two medical students (Olga T. Ousdal and Audun Vatn), Research Analyst Christine Lycke and Master student Greg Reckless. In addition two PhD students and one post doc are currently recruited.

Our aims include:

• Identify endophenotypes in psychotic disorders using brain imaging and use these endephenotypes in the search for genetic susceptibility for the development of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
• Understand neurobiological underpinnings of psychotic symptoms such as delusions
• Study how psychopharmacological drugs and genetic factors affect the treatment of severe mental illness.

Contact information

Ullevål University Hospital (UUH) in Oslo
[link]

Senior personnel

Jimmy Jensen (senior scientist)

Experimental tools

We have access to an 1.5 T MR Siemens sonata magnetom system, located at UUH. The E-prime software controls the auditory and visual presentations. Responses are collected using ResponseGrip (NordicNeuroLab, Bergen, Norway). We also have access to a 3 T MR General Electric Signa HDX system, located at UUH. The stimuli software/hardware setup is identical to the 1.5T system. We also have a dummy MR scanner for testing and practice with patients located at UUH.