Clinical Neuroscience Research Group (CNRG)

About the group

Professor Nils Inge Landrø is the leader of the group. The group was established in 2014. The members of the group mainly have a background in psychology/clinical neuropsychology.

The main focus of the group's research is how knowledge of cognitive and clinical neuroscience can be used to understand the mechanisms, development and treatment of mental illness and cognitive impairment. By understanding the mechanisms that cause psychological and cognitive disorders and how these are similar, rather than different, across different diagnoses, we want to identify treatment strategies to target these mechanisms. By identifying factors that maintain the symptoms of each patient, the treatment can be tailored to individual symptom profiles rather than diagnosis. An aim is to integrate new technology in the treatment of psychological disorders and cognitive impairment.

Translational research, that is the use of neuroscientific knowledge to develop interventions and conduct randomized controlled studies, makes us part of the international research frontier.

Projects

In previous and ongoing projects, we have studied cognitive control functions and mood, as well as genes that regulate the interaction between cognition and emotion. This kind of research can provide new insights into how mood disorders (depression) develop and sustain over time. The projects will provide new knowledge of the principles of treatment and prevention.

Use of hormonal contraception (HC) may increase the risk of depression. We have previously demonstrated that use of HC is associated with altered serotonergic activation. The project will investigate how the use of HC affects symptoms and treatment response in depression among young women. We will include women (18–35 years) who are receiving their first treatment for depression at the student mental health service in Oslo (SiO Health). We will collect questionnaires on psychological symptoms, current and previous use of HC, cognitive function, a validated EEG-based method for measuring central serotonergic activity (LDAEP), and saliva samples for measuring sex hormones to determine cycle phase. Information on the type, scope, course, and effect of treatment will be recorded. The methods are chosen study association between use/non-use of HC, central serotonergic activity, and symptom profiles to treatment outcomes. The knowledge gained can be used to provide better tailored treatment of depression in women and safer information about psychological side effects of hormonal contraception.

ProTLE
DigiTIFF
Symptom networks among adolescents using digital interventions
Foraging behavior under stress and mental health symptoms
Mental imagery, decision making and anhedonia
Cognitive rehabilitation post covid-19: A randomized controlled trial (TRAINCOVID)
Electrophysiological methods for studying neural plasticity in healthy individuals and in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Cooperation

Through the cooperation with other research environments, the group is also engaged in studies related to pain associated with neurological disorders, injuries, and cognitive late effects of other somatic disorders like cancer and Covid-19.

Researchers work with several colleagues internally at the Department of Psychology, and CNRG is a central part of the intersectional collaboration DRIVE (Depression Research InitiatIVE) aiming at increasing the understanding, and improving the treatment, of depression.

Several CNRG members have adjunct positions and are affiliated with various external institutions: Oslo University Hospital, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, and Lovisenberg hospital.

Key international partners are Professor Catherine J Harmer (University of Oxford), Professor Jutta Joormann (Yale University), assistant professor Jaquelin Becker (Mount Sinai, New York), Simon Blackwell, Ph.D. (University of Göttingen) and Laura Bustamante, Ph.D. (University Medical Center Gröningen).

Resources

Both traditional neuropsychological and psychometric testing methods, experimental cognitive paradigms, as well as mapping of eye movements, electrophysiological methods, and brain imaging are being used. Other physiological measures include genetics, cortisol and heart rate monitoring. We also use smartphone apps for registering daily fluctuations in symptoms and web-based methods for cognitive assessment.

Our newest publications

2026

Stubberud, J., Hoorelbeke, K. When thinking gets stuck: rumination and cognitive disengagement in depression. Nat. Mental Health (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00699-1

Jonassen, Rune; Øverli, Øyvind; Hilland, Eva; Nilsen, Hilde; Esbensen, Qin Ying; Lirussi, Lisa; Heiberg, Hallvard; Rønning, Kristine; Gorissen, M.; Kraft, Brage; Bø, Ragnhild; Harmer, Catherine & Landrø, Nils Inge (2026). Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) is associated with post-awakening cortisol measures in previous depression. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology. 27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2026.100363

Yan, CG., Wang, ZH., Han, L.K.M. et al. Vertex-wise cortical abnormalities in major depressive disorder from 64 cohorts from the DIRECT and ENIGMA MDD consortia. Nat. Mental Health (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00667-9

Mäki-Marttunen, V., Nerland, S., Jørgensen, K.N. et al. Thalamic nuclei volumes across psychiatric and neurological disorders: a multi-site magnetic resonance imaging study. Transl Psychiatry (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04076-5

Buer, S., Hagen, B.I., Søraas, A., White, R.A., Lerdal, A., Nygaard, A.B. & Stubberud, J.E. (2026). Subjective and objective working memory deficits in the post-acute phase of COVID-19 in a clinical trial population. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101278

Hagen, H.S., Klonteig, S., Røssberg, J.I. et al. Fronto–Parietal EEG asymmetry interactions predict negative attention bias: A secondary data analysis. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci (2026). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-026-01466-6

Stubberud J. (2026) The Invisible Load of Cognitive Symptoms. N Engl J Med., 395(1):6-7.https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2600769

Astrup, G. L., Siksjø, M. K., Aass, N., Alves, G., Brønnick, K. K., Hjermstad, M. J., ... & Yri, O. E. (2026). Cognitive function in long-term survivors after treatment for brain metastases compared with normative samples. Neuro-Oncology Practice, 13(1), 178-188. https://doi.org/10.1093/nop/npaf083

Magnúsdóttir, I., Nygaard, A.B., Hoffart, A. et al. (2026). Acute COVID-19 severity and impaired cognitive function up to 32 months after diagnosis: an observational study. BMC Med 24, 311. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04856-2

Brunvoll, S. H., Fagerland, M. W., Nygaard, A. B., Ellingjord-Dale, M., Istre, M. S., Landrø, N. I., ... & Søraas, A. (2026). Long COVID symptoms before and 3-35 Months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a Norwegian prospective cohort study, symptoms over the pandemic and different virus variants. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 108822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2026.108822

2025

Hagen, H. S., Røssberg, J. I., Harmer, C. J., Jonassen, R., Landrø, N. I., & Bø, R. (2025). Attention bias at baseline does not moderate the effect of attention bias modification for residual depressive symptoms. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 102073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2025.102073

Bø, R., Jonassen, R., Harmer, C. J., Øverli, Ø., Nilsen, H. L., Esbensen, Q. Y., ... & Landrø, N. I. (2025). 5-HTTLPR does not moderate the effect of attention bias modification for depression: a randomized sham-controlled trial. Translational Psychiatry, 15(1), 363. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03581-3

Reins, J. A., Buntrock, C., Zimmermann, J., Grund, S., Harrer, M., Lehr, D., ... & Ebert, D. D. (2021). Efficacy and moderators of internet-based interventions in adults with subthreshold depression: an individual participant data meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 90(2), 94-106. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2025.56