Projects

A project focused on the neuroplasticity potential of ketamine and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) — the ability of these interventions to induce lasting structural and functional changes in the brain — and their therapeutic properties when used in combination for depression.

The project investigates the mechanistic basis for the antidepressant effects of both treatments, how they interact at the neural level, and whether their combination produces synergistic effects beyond what either achieves alone.

A joint project between the University of Oslo and Kongsberg Hospital examining memory formation and awareness during propofol sedation. The study asks whether patients retain any memory of experiences during sedation, what the relationship is between depth of sedation and memory encoding, and what this reveals about the neural basis of conscious awareness.

The project is part of the broader research programme at Kongsberg Hospital and contributes to both clinical understanding of sedation and basic consciousness science.

A textbook introducing consciousness science for a broad academic audience — students and researchers from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and related fields. The book aims to be accessible without sacrificing theoretical depth, covering the major empirical findings, theoretical frameworks, and open questions in the field.

Supported by a stipend from the Norsk faglitterær forfatter- og oversetterforening (NFFO).

A popular science book on artificial consciousness — aimed at a general educated audience. The book draws on consciousness science, philosophy of mind, and AI research to examine whether artificial systems can have experiences, what criteria one might use to evaluate this, and what is at stake scientifically, ethically, and practically.

A collaboration between the University of Oslo and the Medical University of Innsbruck focused on identifying reliable neural markers of the transition from wakefulness into sedation and sleep. The project examines how EEG-based measures change across these transitions, with the goal of developing robust indicators of conscious level that track graded changes in arousal rather than only the endpoints.

A loose collaboration between researchers within neuroscience, medicine, philosophy, psychology, and related fields. The project works along three main axes:

• Measurement: Developing and evaluating methods for detecting and characterising transitions between states of consciousness (e.g., waking, sleep, sedation, altered states). Includes an ongoing review of EEG-based markers of consciousness.
• Phenomenology: Understanding the experiential content of different conscious states — what it is like to be in them, and how that content varies across individuals and conditions.
• Theoretical limits: Examining what can and cannot be said about consciousness in general, and about various states of consciousness in particular, given current empirical and conceptual tools. Includes work on metaphysical questions about the nature and boundaries of consciousness.

A collaboration between the University of Oslo and the University of Zurich investigating dreaming during general anesthesia. The project examines how frequently dream-like experiences occur under anesthesia, what their phenomenological character is, and what neural signatures accompany them.

The work connects consciousness science, sleep research, and clinical anesthesiology, and extends prior research on dreaming during propofol sedation. It has implications for understanding the neural conditions that support conscious experience during pharmacological suppression of normal brain function.

An interdisciplinary project focusing on conceptual and experimental delineation of the construct of consciousness. A major component involved comparing and evaluating measures of consciousness and states of consciousness across a range of experimental paradigms and clinical populations.

The project brought together researchers from neuroscience, philosophy, medicine, and psychology to address foundational questions about what consciousness is, how it can be measured, and what the relationship is between conscious states and their neural correlates.

Participation in the consciousness research strand of the Human Brain Project — a large-scale, EU-funded flagship initiative aimed at advancing our understanding of the human brain through collaboration across neuroscience, medicine, and computing.

The consciousness component focused on developing and validating methods for measuring conscious level and content, with contributions spanning experimental work, data analysis, and theoretical integration across partner institutions.

A research project studying survivors of traumatic events and the effects of trauma on the brain. Using structural and functional MRI, the project examined how traumatic experiences are associated with changes in cortical structure (grey matter volume, cortical thickness), connectivity between brain regions, and patterns of cortical activation during experimental tasks.

The work contributed to understanding the neurobiological sequelae of trauma and the relationship between brain structure/function and psychological outcomes in trauma-exposed populations.