Doctoral Programme Brain & Mind
The Doctoral Programme Brain & Mind (B&M) is a doctoral education network for students at the University of Helsinki and Aalto University whose thesis work relates to the study of brain and mind.
Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering
Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering
We aim at understanding system-level dynamic functions of the human brain, mind, and body. The research, enabled by state-of-the-art technology and computational methods, leads to discoveries and technological breakthroughs that contribute to health and wellbeing. We bring together systems and cognitive neuroscience, biophysics, and biomedical engineering.
Quick Links
Research
We focus on biomedical engineering, biophysics, and brain research. We combine experimental and computational methods and develop algorithms as well as new technologies to tackle major problems in human well-being and medical diagnostics. The levels of description range from molecular and cellular measures to noninvasive neuroimaging and behaviour. New generations of multidisciplinary scientists and engineers are educated by engaging them with cutting-edge science and technology.
The grand challenges in brain research are in better understanding the function of the human brain in health and disease, as studied in well-controlled and increasingly complex experimental settings, including during social interaction.
Ala-Laurila Lab
We study novel signal processing mechanisms and their adaptive dynamics at the synaptic and cellular-element level across the entire neural circuit of the retina.
Attention and Memory
In the Attention and Memory group, we investigate the neural mechanisms underlying attention and memory and the development of executive functions in healthy children, adolescents and adults, and in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Brain and Mind Laboratory
We are studying human cognitive, social, and affective functions in health and disorders. We use real-life like stimuli, such as movies and narrated stories, during fMRI and MEG/EEG, to engage social cognition and affective processes in experimental subjects.
Cellular Biophysics
Our main interest is in the molecular mechanisms of photoreceptor signaling and increasingly in the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in certain retinal diseases.
Engineered Nanosystems
Our work aims at generating new insight on the physics and operation of photonic devices to improve their performance and to develop predictive physical models in close collaboration with experimentalists and enterprises.
Heart4Oxygen
Heart4Oxygen is a Biodesign project developing novel sensor technology for monitoring myocardial oxygenation.
iDenta
We are developing a groundbreaking method that targets the world's most common chronic disease, dental diseases.
Imaging Language
Our group's work is necessary for a scientific description of language processing in a healthy human brain, but essential in providing the groundwork for an informed and efficient description and treatment of developmental and acquired language disorders.
Maculaser
Maculaser is a project aiming to develop and commercialize treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Medical Ultrasonics Laboratory (MEDUSA)
The goal of MEDUSA is to discover and develop new platform technologies exploiting non-linear ultrasonics for conducting therapeutic or diagnostic tasks.
MEG-MRI Brain Imaging group
In the MEG-MRI group, we develop techniques and instrumentation for neuroscience and medicine, electromagnetic neuroimaging in particular.
Molecular Nanoengineering
The Molecular Nanoengineering operates at the interface between nanoscience, molecular self-assembly, DNA nanotechnology and nanoplasmonics with particular focus on DNA-based artificial molecular systems with functionalities tailored for biosensing, nanoplasmonics and biomimetics.
Near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging group (NIRS)
The near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging (NIRSI) group at NBE is developing frequency domain instrumentation for High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography (HD-DOT) primarily for neuroimaging applications.
Neuroimaging methods group (NIMEG)
We work at the intersection of neuroscience and neurotechnology by developing novel measurement and analysis methods for studying human brain structure and function, as well as applying these methods to address important and challenging research questions in both basic and clinical neuroscience.
Sensorimotor systems group (MOTOR)
We study structure and function of the healthy and diseased human sensorimotor system.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
TMS group conducts research on three interconnected areas: the group carries out neurophysiological experiments and develops methods for TMS–EEG signal analysis as well as instrumentation for TMS.
Teaching
The Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering provides courses on Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral levels.
Courses
Courses taught at NBE listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
Special courses
Summer schools, workshops and special courses taught at NBE listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
Aalto NeuroImaging Infrastructure
ANI research infrastructure houses four functional neuroimaging modalities, navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) at Aalto TMS, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at Advanced Magnetic Imaging (AMI) Centre, magnetoencephalography (MEG) at MEG Core and Aalto Behavioral Laboratory (ABL).
Aalto Brain Centre (ABC)
ABC is a neuroscience and neurotechnology initiative of the Aalto University. ABC is a thematic center, formed by research teams of several departments of the Aalto University School of Science (Aalto-SCI), including the Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering. ABC aims to stimulate synergy and collaboration in research on systems-level neuroscience, neuroimaging, and neurotechnology.
News
International Women's Day alumni seminar stirs up discussion of neural networks and peace
The topics covered in the alumni seminar also included new business models and the societal impact of AI and digitalisation.AScI funding awarded to planning future energy systems and to designing penguin-inspired active surfaces
Each programme to receive funding of 150 000 € over three years.
World-leading neuroscientists gathered on Twitter for online research conference
Scientific conferences are expensive, time-consuming and often involve a heavy carbon footprint. Luckily, there are alternatives
Brain scans shine light on how we solve clues
Partnered with machine learning, brain scans reveal how people understand objects in our world.
Events
Colloquium: Explaining consciousness in terms of information - Lecture by Professor Pylkkänen
The talk provides a brief overview of consciousness studies and then considers how consciousness can be understood in the light of two approaches that make an appeal to information.Brain & Mind Computational Breakfast
Brain & Mind Computational Breakfast
Health & Behavior Data Symposium
From crowds back to individuals: the new era of data collection for health and human behaviorDefence of dissertation in the field of systems neuroscience, Tomi Karjalainen, M.Sc. (Tech.)
The title of the dissertation is "Opioidergic regulation of human affiliative behavior: Evidence from positron emission tomography studies"Contact us
Health Technology House
Address: Otakaari 3 & Rakentajanaukio 2
Mon-Thu 7.45-20.00, Fri 7.45-18.00
Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre
AMI Centre maintains a research-dedicated 3T-MRI scanner, develops and maintains the related infrastructure and offers services to multiple research teams. Typical measurements at AMI Centre include functional and structural brain imaging or diffusion tensor imaging. In addition, AMI Centre develops new methods and applications of MRI technology.
Nanotalo building
Address: Puumiehenkuja 2
Mon-Fri 7.45-16.00
Micronova
Address: Tietotie 3
Mon–Fri 8.00–16.30
