PhD (Hons), System Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology Lihua Sun - UTU Research Portal

Lihua Sun
PhD (Hons), System Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology

- Collegium Researcher,
Turku PET Centre (Independent units)
- Docent,
Department of Clinical Medicine (Faculty of Medicine)

lihua.sun@utu.fi

: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9931-9497

Blog

Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Neuroendocrinology, Neurotransmission, Brain Metabolism

PhD (Hons) in Behavioral Neurology, 2016
Postdoctoral Researcher, TCSMT, 2018
Associate Professor, Fudan University, 2022
Adjunct Professor, Turku PET Centre, 2023
Collegium Researcher, TCSMT, 2025

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Anorexia nervosa is associated with higher brain mu-opioid receptor availability (2025)
- Molecular Psychiatry
Pak, Kyoungjune; Tuisku, Jouni; Karlsson, Henry K.; Hirvonen, Jussi; Rebelos, Eleni; Pekkarinen, Laura; Sun, Lihua; Latva-Rasku, Aino; Helin, Semi; Rajander, Johan; Karukivi, Max; Nuutila, Pirjo; Nummenmaa, Lauri
Dark seasons enhance brain and brown adipose tissue interactions related to mu-opioid receptor signaling (2025)
- European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Sun, Lihua; Landau, Anne M.; Tang, Jing; Roivainen, Anne
Impact of Day Length on Brain Glucose Metabolism in Men: A Large-Scale Repeated Measures PET Study (2025)
- Journal of Biological Rhythms
Pak, Kyoungjune; Shin, Seunghyeon; Kim, Keunyoung; Kim, Jihyun; Nam, Hyun-Yeol; Nummenmaa, Lauri; Nuutila, Pirjo; Liu, Xingdang; Sun, Lihua
Obesity is associated with increased brain glucose uptake and activity but not neuroinflammation (TSPO availability) in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for BMI—Exercise training reverses increased brain activity (2025)
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
Hentilä, Jaakko; Tuisku, Jouni; Ojala, Ronja; Sun, Lihua; Lietzén, Martin S.; Virtanen, Heidi; Lautamäki, Riikka; Koskensalo, Kalle; Nummenmaa, Lauri; Löyttyniemi, Eliisa; Helin, Semi; Pietiläinen, Kirsi H.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Lahti, Leo; Malm, Tarja; Rinne, Juha O.; Hannukainen, Jarna C.
Reward responses to vicarious feeding depend on body mass index (2025)
- Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Järvinen, Lili; Santavirta, Severi; Putkinen, Vesa; Karlsson, Henry K.; Seppälä, Kerttu; Sun, Lihua; Hudson, Matthew; Hirvonen, Jussi; Nuutila, Pirjo; Nummenmaa, Lauri
The Endogenous Opioid Neurotransmission and Seasonal Affective Disorders (2025) Handbook of the Biology and Pathology of Mental Disorders Sun, Lihua
Aberrant type 2 dopamine receptor availability in violent offenders with psychopathy (2024)
- NeuroImage
Lukkarinen, Lasse; Tuisku, Jouni; Sun, Lihua; Helin, Semi; Karlsson, Henry K.; Venetjoki, Niina; Salomaa, Marja; Rautio, Päivi; Hirvonen, Jussi; Lauerma, Hannu; Tiihonen, Jari; Nummenmaa, Lauri
Seasonal variation in D2/3 dopamine receptor availability in the human brain (2024)
- European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Sun Lihua, Malén Tuulia, Tuisku Jouni, Kaasinen Valtteri, Hietala Jarmo A., Rinne Juha, Nuutila Pirjo, Nummenmaa Lauri
[11C]carfentanil PET imaging for studying the peripheral opioid system in vivo: effect of photoperiod on mu-opioid receptor availability in brown adipose tissue (2023)
- European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Sun Lihua, Aarnio Richard, Herre Erika Atencio, Kärnä Salli, Palani Senthil, Virtanen Helena, Liljenbäck Heidi, Virta Jenni, Honkaniemi Aake, Oikonen Vesa, Han Chunlei, Laurila Sanna, Bucci Marco, Helin Semi, Yatkin Emrah, Nummenmaa Lauri, Nuutila Pirjo, Tang Jing, Roivainen Anne
Decoding brain basis of laughter and crying in natural scenes (2023)
- NeuroImage
Nummenmaa Lauri, Malèn Tuulia, Nazari-Farsani Sanaz, Seppälä Kerttu, Sun Lihua, Santavirta Severi, Karlsson Henry K, Hudson Matthew, Hirvonen Jussi, Sams Mikko, Scott Sophie, Putkinen Vesa
Functional organization of social perception networks in the human brain (2023)
- NeuroImage
Santavirta Severi, Karjalainen Tomi, Nazari-Farsani Sanaz, Hudson Matthew, Putkinen Vesa, Seppälä Kerttu, Sun Lihua, Glerean Enrico, Hirvonen Jussi, Karlsson Henry K, Nummenmaa Lauri
Hormone-induced body-brain interaction and the impact on cognition (2023)
- European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Sun Lihua, Nuutila Pirjo
Neural responses to biological motion distinguish autistic and schizotypal traits (2023)
- Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Hudson Matthew, Santavirta Severi, Putkinen Vesa, Seppälä Kerttu, Sun Lihua, Karjalainen Tomi, Karlsson Henry K, Hirvonen Jussi, Nummenmaa Lauri
Pattern recognition reveals sex-dependent neural substrates of sexual perception (2023)
- Human Brain Mapping
Putkinen Vesa, Nazari-Farsani Sanaz, Karjalainen Tomi, Santavirta Severi, Hudson Matthew, Seppälä Kerttu, Sun Lihua, Karlsson Henry K., Hirvonen Jussi, Nummenmaa Lauri
Secretin modulates appetite via brown adipose tissue-brain axis (2023)
- European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Sun Lihua, Laurila Sanna, Lahesmaa Minna, Rebelos Eleni, Virtanen Kirsi A., Schnabl Katharina, Klingenspor Martin, Nummenmaa Lauri, Nuutila Pirjo
Aberrant motor contagion of emotions in psychopathy and high-functioning autism (2022)
- Cerebral Cortex
Sun Lihua, Lukkarinen Lasse, Noppari Tuomo, Nazari-Farsani Sanaz, Putkinen Vesa, Seppälä Kerttu, Hudson Matthew, Tani Pekka, Lindberg Nina, Karlsson Henry K., Hirvonen Jussi, Salomaa Marja, Venetjoki Niina, Lauerma Hannu, Tiihonen Jari, Nummenmaa Lauri
Brain structural alterations in autism and criminal psychopathy (2022)
- NeuroImage: Clinical
Noppari Tuomo, Sun Lihua, Lukkarinen Lasse, Putkinen Vesa, Tani Pekka, Lindberg Nina, Saure Emma, Lauerma Hannu, Tiihonen Jari, Venetjoki Niina, Salomaa Marja, Rautio Päivi, Hirvonen Jussi, Salmi Juha, Nummenmaa Lauri
Mu-opioid receptor system modulates responses to vocal bonding and distress signals in humans (2022)
- Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences
Sun Lihua, Lukkarinen Lasse, Putkinen Vesa, Karlsson Henry K, Hirvonen Jussi, Tiihonen Jari, Lauerma Hannu, Scott Sophie, Nummenmaa Lauri
Novel Effects of the Gastrointestinal Hormone Secretin on Cardiac Metabolism and Renal Function (2022)
- American Journal of Physiology : Endocrinology and Metabolism
Laurila Sanna, Rebelos Eleni, Lahesmaa Minna, Sun Lihua, Schnabi Katharina, Peltomaa Tia-Mari, Klén Riku, U-Din Mueez, Honka Miikka-Juhani, Eskola Olli, Kirjavainen Anna K., Nummenmaa Lauri, Klingenspor Martin, Virtanen Kirsi A., Nuutila Pirjo
μ-opioid receptor availability is associated with sex drive in human males (2022)
- Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience
Nummenmaa Lauri, Jern Patrick, Malen Tuulia, Kantonen Tatu, Pekkarinen Laura, Lukkarinen Lasse, Sun Lihua, Nuutila Pirjo, Putkinen Vesa