During my PhD, I developed a powerful and unique method that allows us to study what happens in brain cells in a naturally sleeping, live animal. I have described the path leading to this discovery here. Using this method, my colleagues and I made two significant discoveries. First, we demonstrated that specialized brain cells called astrocytes help maintain the quality of deep sleep. Second, we showed that only during sleep do brain arteries expand and contract in specific rhythms, which enhance the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and help remove harmful substances that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2022, I received my first research funding from the Norwegian “National Public Health Association” (Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen). Thanks to this funding, I continue studying brain artery movements during sleep over the past three years. My hypothesis is that these artery contractions and expansions during sleep are “malfunctioning” in cases of high blood pressure (hypertension). This malfunction increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases for people with high blood pressure. In this project, I will test various methods (visual and audio stimulation at different frequencies) to “correct” the malfunctioning brain artery movements under high blood pressure. I hope to discover new therapeutic approaches to help people with high blood pressure and reduce their risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2022, I also received funding from the Norwegian Alzheimer’s Disease Association Civitan. In this project, we are investigating brain artery contractions and expansions in cases of Alzheimer’s disease. So far, we have observed that artery movements are significantly worse in Alzheimer’s disease. We are working to correct these movements and, in doing so, hope to discover new therapeutic ways to reduce the risk or improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2018, I won the prestigious David S. Miller Award for Most Promising Young Scientist at the Gordon Research Conferences, Barriers of the CNS.

So far, I consider my two greatest achievements in my scientific career to be these. First, our research was included in the natural sciences textbook for 3rd-4th grade Norwegian students. Second, my students. I co-supervise one outstanding PhD student and am the primary supervisor for two fantastic medical students’ research projects. All three have mastered and improved my method of studying brain activity in naturally sleeping mice and are applying it to their own projects. I have also successfully mentored two excellent medical students who have completed their research projects.