Oulu Brain & Mind

Mika Martikainen is a professor of neurology at the University of Oulu, Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and chief of neurology at the Oulu University Hospital.

He received his doctoral degree in 2012 at the University of Turku (Finland) focusing on the epidemiology of adult mitochondrial disease and received his post-doctoral training in 2014–2015 at the Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University (UK).

His current research interests are diagnostics and treatment of mitochondrial diseases and other rare neurological diseases, as well as the genetics of adult movement disorders. Martikainen also has a keen interest in the development of medical education, in particular postgraduate education (medical specialist education).

He has received further training on medical education both at the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm, Sweden) and at the American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME; Chicago, USA). Professor Martikainen has contributed to the national programme for the development of postgraduate medical education in Finland for several years and has given courses and lectures on competency based medical education at Finnish universities.

Martikainen chairs the Finnish consortium participating in the European ERN-RND network focusing on rare neurological diseases. He is also involved in the ERN EURO-NMD network on neuromuscular disease.

Mika.martikainen(at)oulu.fi

A Professor of pediatric neurology, a Chief physician of pediatric neurology, MD, PhD

The University of Oulu and the Oulu University Hospital

Johanna Uusimaa is a Professor of pediatric neurology at the University of Oulu and a chief physician of pediatric neurology at the Oulu University Hospital. Her current research interests are mitochondrial diseases, mutation, and rare neurological diseases.

Uusimaa has a broad background and long experience in pediatric neurology in both patient work and research. She is also director of 6G-enabled sustainable society (6GESS) programme, which capitalizes on 6G Flagship’s technological expertise to develop the scientific framework for a data-driven, hyper-connected future society in which digital eHealth and future energy systems are intertwined. She is active committee and board worker e.g., in the Finnish Pediatrics Neurology Association.

Johanna Uusimaa has over 100 publications with nearly 3 000 citations.

Email johanna.uusimaa(at)oulu.fi

Professor of Molecular Biology in Medicine, PhD (Neurology)

The Oulu University

Reetta Hinttala is a Professor of Molecular Biology in Medicine in the Research Unit of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu. Her current research focuses on novel genetic causes of severe neurological and multiorgan disorders in children. She uses mouse and cell culture models to discover disease causing mechanisms at the molecular level.

Hinttala is the leader of Profi6 theme Fibrobesity. Hinttala is also coordinator of the Biocenter Oulu Transgenic and Tissue Phenotyping core facility and the Finnish Infrafrontier/EMMA (European Mouse Mutant Archive) node. She chairs the national Biocenter Finland mouse modelling technology platform, FinGMice, and the Infrafrontier GmbH council. She did her post-doctoral studies as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada, in prof. Eric Shoubridge's laboratory. Hinttala has also received an Academy of Finland Research Fellowship and Academy of Finland project funding.

Reetta Hinttala has over 50 publications with nearly 1 000 citations.

Email reetta.hinttala(at)oulu.fi

Professor, MD, PhD, neuroradiology PI
Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu

Vesa Kiviniemi is Professor of Functional Neuroimaging and Neuroradiologist at University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital. He is also Oulu Functional Neuroimaging (ONFI) research group leader. The core of the ONFI group’s research is to improve the detection of brain disease with functional neuroimaging of spontaneous brain activity, utilizing the following methods: resting/activation state fMRI, BOLD-EEG, MRE(E)G, NIRS, and NIBP. Currently one of the most interesting themes in Kiviniemi’s and ONFI’s research is opening the blood brain barrier by focused ultrasound (FUS) to facilitate the removal of the accumulated proteins from the brain which is one of the promising innovations to cure the Alzheimer’s disease.

Kiviniemi has been European pioneer in detecting functional resting state connectivity since 1997 from the spontaneously acting brain with fMRI. He is active in international collaboration and has gathered some 5.6 M€ funding from Academy of Finland, CSTI SHOK and Jane & Aatos Erkko Foundation, Aivosäätiö and other foundations.

Vesa Kiviniemi has nearly 200 publications with over 10 000 citations.

Email vesa.kiviniemi(at)oulu.fi

Professor, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief
Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland

Sami Räsänen is Professor and Deputy Chief of Psychiatry at Oulu University Hospital. His current research interests are schizophrenia, psychological wellbeing of families and psychiatric morbidity. Räsänen is also a member of the National Committee on Medical Research Ethics (Tukija), a member of the executive committee of the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, and a vice chair of the Medical Society Duodecim of Oulu.

Sami Räsänen has nearly 50 publications with nearly 700 citations.

Email: sami.rasanen(at)oulu.fi

Associate Professor (Tenure Track), MD, PhD
Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Finland

Mirjami Mäntymaa is Head of department in Child Psychiatry at Oulu University Hospital and Associate Professor (Tenure Track) in Child Psychiatry at University of Oulu. Her research interests focus on different aspects of early mother-infant interaction and early childhood mental health. Her clinical focus is on infant psychiatry, parent-child relationship problems and early childhood mental health problems.

Mirjami Mäntymaa has over 20 publications with nearly 1 000 citations.

Email mirjami.mantymaa(at)pohde.fi

Docent, PhD
University of Oulu, Finland

Mika Kaakinen is Docent and Senior Research Fellow at University of Oulu. His research has involved modern advanced imaging techniques (light- and electron microscopy) and image analysis at Biocenter Oulu. His currently ongoing studies deal with mechanism of blood brain barrier disruption (BBBD) and perivascular fluid dynamics. He uses advanced light-and electron microscopic techniques accompanied with non/invasive monitoring in studies to understand how fluorescent and electron dense tracers cross the BBB, which factors contribute to clearance of cerebrospinal fluid and what is the role of perivascular matrix in neurodegenerative diseases.

Kaakinen received a postdoctoral fellowship from Academy of Finland (2013– 2016) to support his studies on membrane stress sensing microdomains caveolae. Most of the work was conducted at Institute for Molecular Bioscience of University of Queensland in Australia.

Mika Kaakinen has over 40 publications with over 500 citations.

Email mika.kaakinen(at)oulu.fi

Docent of neurology, and a Specialist in neurology

University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital

Johanna Krüger is a Specialist in neurology and a Docent of neurology from the University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital. Johanna has special qualifications in memory disorders and physician education. She operates as the physician in charge of the Oulu University Hospital neurology memory clinic. Johanna also operates as a clinical lecturer and as a leader of a research group at the University of Oulu. Her research focus is epidemiology, genetics, early diagnostics, and biomarkers of working-age memory disorders, with a special interest in frontotemporal lobe degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease. Johanna also conducts research related to other neurodegenerative diseases that degenerate the central nervous system and MS.

Johanna works actively in international cooperation, e.g., FRONTIERS- (European network of top research units for frontal lobe dementia, where epidemiology and diagnostics are studied in particular), GENFI- (Genetic Frontotemporal dementia), NIC-FTD- (Neuropsychiatric International Consortium Frontotemporal Dementia) and SYNADEG-research consortium operating as the principal researcher at the Oulu Research Center. In addition, Johanna operates as Finland’s person in charge in the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) section of the European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND) consortium. Johanna is also the chairman of the board of the Finnish Alzheimer Research Society.

Johanna Krüger has over 30 publications with nearly 500 citations.

Email johanna.kruger(at)oulu.fi

Docent, MD, PhD, Neurology Specialist
Oulu University Hospital, Finland

Harri Rusanen is a Neurology Specialist and Docent at Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu. His research focuses on stroke, mitochondrial diseases and ataxia. Rusanen is an experienced clinician with a broad background and skills. He receives patients with e.g., multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine and other headaches, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, neurological sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. He is also an entrepreneur in the medical field.

Rusanen has over 30 publications with nearly 1 500 citations.

Email harri.rusanen(at)pohde.fi

Jani Tikkanen is a Chief Academic officer at the Oulu University hospital and Pohde. His scientific focus is on prediction of arrhythmias with machine learning and prevention of cardiovascular disease – a major collaboration with Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston and National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki. Tikkanen has been rewarded with the Professor Pauli Soisalo –award 2016 (Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Disease).

Tikkanen is a previous Vice president of healthcare at Lähitapiola-group and is also a founder of several digital health startups. He is an active board member and advisor in various healthcare innovation initiatives.

jani.tikkanen(at)pohde.fi