The course is designed to provide students and researchers with a solid understanding of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a relatively new tool to measure brain activity and will emphasize both theoretical knowledge and practical skills of fNIRS. The students will gain expertise in the underlying principles of fNIRS, its instrumentation, and various analytical approaches. The primary goal is to empower students with the knowledge of this additional neuroimaging tool to design and execute advanced experiments, interpret fNIRS data effectively, and contribute to cutting-edge research in neuroscience and related fields.

The main purpose of the course is to provide the students with a solid understanding of the tools available to analyze brain structural data measured with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). The students will develop the ability to critically review results provided by different methods, to select the most adequate tools and experimental designs to answer different questions and to compare their relative advantages.

This course takes you on a journey into the exploration of how the brain shapes and enables our social and affective behaviors. We will examine key questions, such as how we learn from each other, when and in what ways social norms influence us, and how our communication and social decision-making unfold. 

This course provides students with in-depth knowledge in the field of digital health from an entrepreneurship perspective. Domains of digital health, needs-based innovation including prototyping, usability and testing as well as data management, intellectual property, reimbursement, business models, ethics and future trends will be discussed and analyzed.

The Statistics module covers:

Basic test theory; 2-tests for contingency tables; t-Test; non-parametric tests; analysis of variance (ANOVA); multiple testing; power calculations; calculation rules for probabilities and neurobiological applications; guidelines for choice of analysis strategy; software implementations; effect size based hypothesis testing

The Scientific writing module:

• Introduction into general guidelines and rules for scientific writing
• Introduction into the elements of style
• Analysis and discussion of scientific texts
• How to improve and correct a text
• Practices in writing. Students will write their own texts and correct and make suggestions for improvements of the texts of others

Research ethics module covers:

• Main approaches and methods in current research ethics
• Ethical standards of good scientific practice
• Ethical issues related to research with humans
• Ethical issues related to animals
• Ethical issues related to research with biological material

Participants receive basic and advanced knowledge of neurophysiology and information about relevant methods (e.g. evoked potentials, extra- / intracellular, patch clamp recordings). Properties of ion channels as well as cellular and network
properties of selected model systems (leech, goldfish, hippocampus) will be discussed.

This course is a basic course on advanced fluorescence microscopy imaging and correlation spectroscopy techniques for quantitative characterization of molecular transport and interactions in live cells. The purpose of the course is to give an introduction of the underlying physicochemical principles, hands-on training and an overview of applications of these specialized techniques in biomedical research. At the end of the course, the student will have hands-on experience with live-cell imaging and specialized fluorescence microscopy and correlation spectroscopy techniques. The course is suitable for doctoral students lacking training in mathematics, physics, or optical engineering who want to apply these techniques in their research.

The course reviews central concepts and topical research in stress, sleep and health. In particular, it is focused on how acute stress, chronic stress, diurnal rhythm and sleep problems affect and interact physiological systems such as the immune system, the endocrine system, cognitive processes and possible consequences for health. The course encompasses neuroscientific and other biological perspectives, and describes interventions to improve stress- and sleep related symptoms. Theoretical models and methods to understand and study stress- and sleep related processes will be applied. 

The course will be provided fully online, partly via Zoom but also taking advantage of recent digital tools such as Gather; and using Canvas as the learning platform in-between in-class sessions.

Why doesn't the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) regenerate while many other tissues do? Which cutting-edge technologies and models are most effective for studying CNS repair? What regenerative strategies can be designed to rebuild such a complex tissue? Led by renowned experts and featuring distinguished international speakers, this course will delve into the intricacies of how the CNS responds to injury at a cellular and molecular level, as well as the most advanced research into regenerative therapies ranging from stem cell-based to gene therapies. The curriculum spans from fundamental research to preclinical development, with a particular focus on state-of-the-art approaches for studying CNS injury, degeneration, and repair.

Selection will be based on:
1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation),
2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date)

Our MATLAB-based comprehensive course is designed to equip you with the essential knowledge and practical skills to delve into biomedical image processing, specifically tailored for biological/medical and neuroimaging applications using MATLAB.

Selection will be based on:
1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation),
2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date)

The course provides a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative disorders from a basic to a clinical perspective. It consist of a combination of lectures, lab demonstrations and group dicussions led by experts in the field. It covers cellular and molecular pathophysiological mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and the mechanisms of current and/or possible future treatments. We will discuss similarities and differences between the different neurodegenerative diseases. The students will also be introduced to some powerful techniques that can be used for studying neurodegeneration, subcellular localization, and omics approaches. We will discuss advantages and drawbacks of important methods and models for studying mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disorders

SELECTION

Selection will be based on:  
1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant’s doctoral project (according to written motivation). 
2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date). 

Developmental biology lies at the heart of an effort to understanding complex biological systems. By studying how neural circuits are assembled we can extrapolate key aspects of their function as well as devise strategies for their repair. This course is given to deepen the understanding of how molecular and cellular mechanisms underlie neurobiological function and to widen the horizon of students within the strong Karolinska neuroscience community.

Contents of the course: The course will cover the main steps of development from neural stem cells to mature circuits, including the patterning of the neural plate and thus the origin of cell types, the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors, gene regulation including epigenetics, neuro-glia interactions and the role of network activity in shaping the final circuits. Different molecular and tracing technologies, and model organisms will be covered. An important aspect of the course regards molecular technologies for labeling, transcriptional analysis, and genetic manipulation of defined neural populations. Connections between aberrant developmental processes and neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders will be discussed.

Course director

The course is given by four course-leaders: Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Jens Hjerling-Leffler and Ulrika Marklund all at MBB and François Lallemend at Dept of Neuroscience.