Graduate School of health and Medical Sciences

Tracing brain and behavioural changes across the life span: Influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors
Provider: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Activity no.: 3244-25-00-00	There are 24 available seats
	Enrollment deadline: 31/08/2025

Date and time	29.09.2025, at: 09:00 - 03.10.2025, at: 16:00
Regular seats	27
Course fee	6,840.00 kr.
Lecturers	Hartwig Siebner
ECTS credits	3.70

Contact person	Susanne Steffensen E-mail address: susannes@drcmr.dk

Enrolment Handling/Course Organiser	PhD administration SUND E-mail address: phdkursus@sund.ku.dk

Aim and content This course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee. Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member . After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list. Learning objectives A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to: 1. Define the typical age-related changes in the human brain and behaviour, including cognitive and emotional functions, throughout the lifespan 2. Understand how intrinsic factors, such as genes and hormones, can influence the brain and behaviour throughout the lifespan 3. Have insight into how extrinsic factors, such as physical activity, stress, and physical environment, may influence the brain and behaviour across the lifespan 4. Understand how neurological and psychiatric disorders may affect age-related changes in the brain and behaviour. 5. Have insight into modelling techniques for analysing longitudinal multimodal data and can identify the strengths, challenges, and pitfalls of conducting and analysing multimodal cohort studies across the lifespan Content Understanding how the human brain and behaviour change and how they are influenced by biological, physical, and environmental factors throughout the lifespan is crucial for grasping behavioural and neurobiological risks for pathology, as well as for comprehending health, resilience, and potential. Experts in the field deliver lectures that build on the latest research findings from neuroimaging and behavioural studies. The course emphasises specific intrinsic factors, such as genes, hormones, and the immune system, alongside extrinsic factors, including nutrition, microbiota, and physical activity, that affect brain and behavioural development and ageing. Examples of neurological and psychiatric disorders illustrate deviations from typical patterns of brain and behaviour trajectories. We will explore fundamental methodological and neuroscientific questions related to lifespan neuroscience, study designs, and data analytical approaches. What constitutes a “good” or “bad” lifespan trajectory concerning brain function and structure? How can intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence and modify lifespan trajectories? How do specific brain functions or behaviours evolve over time, and how can these behavioural trajectories be connected to “brain dynamics” regarding structural and functional changes? Main themes Day 1: Population neuroscience across the lifespan Day 2: Brain/Behaviour relationships across the lifespan: Part 1 Day 3: Brain/Behaviour relationships across the lifespan: Part 2 Day 4: Modelling brain changes across the lifespan Day 5: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing brain and behaviour across the lifespan Participants PhD students (e.g., medicine, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, humanities) interested in brain and behavioural changes across the life span. No specific qualifications are required. There is room for a maximum of 30 students. Relevance to graduate programmes The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH: Neuroscience Public Health and Epidemiology Medical and Molecular Imaging Language English Form Lectures, group work, discussions Course directors 1. Hartwig R. Siebner, Professor, h.siebner@drcmr.dk, Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), MR-research, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (RNM), Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre Hospital & University of Copenhagen & Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) 2. Naiara Demnitz, Research fellow, naiarad@drcmr.dk, DRCMR 3. Melissa K. Larsen, Senior Researcher, melissal@drcmr.dk, DRCMR 4. Kathrine Skak Madsen, Senior researcher, kathrine@drcmr.dk, DRCMR 5. William F.C. Baaré, Senior Researcher, wimb@drcmr.dk, DRCMR Teachers 1. Kathrine Skak Madsen (confirmed), Senior researcher, kathrine@drcmr.dk, DRCMR, Denmark 2. Naiara Demnitz (confirmed), Research fellow, naiarad@drcmr.dk, DRCMR, Denmark 3. Melissa K. Larsen (confirmed), Senior Researcher, melissal@drcmr.dk, DRCMR, Denmark 4. Hartwig R. Siebner (confirmed), Professor, h.siebner@drcmr.dk, DRCMR, UCPH, Denmark 5. Katrine Strandberg-Larsen (confirmed), Professor, ksla@sund.ku.dk, Department of Public Health, UCPH, Denmark 6. Søren Brunak (confirmed), Professor, soren.brunak@cpr.ku.dk, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Copenhagen University, Denmark 7. Michael Benros (confirmed), Professor, michael.eriksen.benros@sund.ku.dk, Department of Clinical Medicine, UCPH, Denmark 8. Madeleine Kate Wyburd (confirmed), Postdoc, mawy@di.ku.dk, Department of Computer Science, Image Analysis, Computational Modelling and Geometry, UCPH, Denmark 9. Victoria Southgate (confirmed), Professor, victoria.southgate@psy.ku.dk, Department of Psychology, UCPH, Denmark 10. Melanie Ganz (confirmed), Associate Professor, ganz@di.ku.dk, Department of Computer Science, Image Analysis, Computational Modelling and Geometry, UCPH, Denmark 11. Mette Falkenberg Krantz (confirmed), MD, PhD, lecturer, mette.falkenberg.krantz@regionh.dk, Department of Clinical Medicine, UCPH, Denmark 12. Vibe Frøkjær (confirmed), Professor, vibe.gedsoe.froekjaer.01@regionh.dk, Department of Clinical Medicine, UCPH, Denmark 13. Jonas Folke (confirmed), Postdoc, jonas.folke@regionh.dk, Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Denmark 14. Rik Henson (confirmed), Professor, rik.henson@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk, program leader, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, England & Director of the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN). 15. Ethan McCormick (confirmed), Assistant Professor, emccorm@udel.edu, School of Education, University of Delaware, USA 16. Cristian Beckman (confirmed), Professor, christian.beckmann@donders.ru.nl, Professor - Faculty of Medical Sciences, Radboud University (Radboudumc), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Statistical Imaging Neuroscience, The Netherlands 17. Anders Fjell (confirmed), Professor, a.m.fjell@psykologi.uio.no, Department of Psychology & Centre for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Norway 18. Andrew Schork (confirmed), PhD, Research leader, andrew.joseph.schork@regionh.dk, Institute of Biological Psychiatry (IBP), Mental Health Services, Sct. Hans, Capital Region of Copenhagen, Denmark 19. Rochellys Diaz Heijtz (confirmed), Associate Professor, Research leader, rochellys.heijtz@ki.se, Genetic and molecular basis of nervous system disorders – Rochellys Diaz Heijtz group, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden 20. To Be Determined (Europe) Dates Week 40, 29 September - 3rd of October 2025 Course location Educational building Auditorium A1 Hvidovre Hospital Kettegård Allé 36 DK-2650 Hvidovre Denmark Registration Please register before 31-08-2025 Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules. Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment. Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.

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