Everything we perceive is the result of neuronal activity in our brains. Daniel Lundqvist uses advanced brain imaging techniques to study the mind. His goal: to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.
Text: Karin Tideström, for KI's installation ceremony booklet 2025
What are you researching?
"I am deeply fascinated by the human brain and how neuronal activity shapes our consciousness, perceptions, decisions and actions. With a background in experimental psychology, I have dedicated my career to exploring the relationship between the brain and the mind. The brain imaging method I use is magnetoencephalography (MEG), an advanced imaging technique that can be used to register the brain activity of healthy people and people with neurological disorders with great precision."
Why is this important?
"Everything we perceive is the result of neuronal activity in our brains. To understand how the brain works, we need to be able to make detailed study of the activity within these nerve cells. MEG offers this window into the brain and can help us explain how cognitive capabilities are gained, expressed, maintained and lost."
How are you going about it?
"My research group uses three complementary approaches. Firstly, we're developing MEG technology and providing new, more sensitive sensors able to register the brain's activity at as high a temporal and spatial resolution as possible. We're able to measure brain activity 5,000 times a second over hour-long registrations. Secondly, we're developing novel methods for simultaneous sensory stimulation and MEG analysis to see how external events are translated into brain activity. Thirdly, we're using these techniques on healthy adults and patients with Parkinson's disease and epilepsy."
What's the next step?
"We'll be starting an exciting project in which we'll be combining MEG with quantum sensor technologies and AI-based analysis methods. We're also broadening out studies to more patient groups, such as people with depression, and hope that the results will improve our understanding of brain disorders and how they can be treated."
About Daniel Lundqvist
Professor of Neuroimaging at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience
Daniel Lundqvist was born in 1969 in Östersund. He took his undergraduate degree in Nordic languages in 1993, followed by a Master's degree in psychology in 1994, both at Uppsala University. He later obtained his PhD in Medical science (experimental psychology) at Karolinska Institute in 2003. He currently works at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, next to the MEG lab and the Brain & Mind environment. He is also the director of the Centre for Imaging Research (CIR) and scientific director of the National Facility for Magnetoencephalography (NatMEG). Danel Lundqvist was appointed Professor at Karolinska Institutet on 1 November 2024.
