Valtteri Kaasinen
MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology
valtteri.kaasinen@utu.fi ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3446-7093 |
Clinical Neurology; Movement Disorders; Parkinson's disease; Addictions; Neurotransmitters; Neuroimaging; PET; SPECT; Dopamine System
Movement disorders, neurotransmitters and addictions
Dr. Kaasinen is Professor of Neurology at the University of Turku, and Chief Physician at Neurocenter of Turku University Hospital.
He was appointed as Adjuct Professor of Neurology in 2011, received special competence in medical education in 2016, and was appointed as full Professor of Neurology in 2021.
Dr. Kaasinen is a clinical neurologist and a movement disorder specialist who received his medical degree from the University of Turku in 1996. This was followed by a PhD focusing on brain dopamine PET imaging of Parkinson's disease in 2000. He did his postdoctoral training in 2003-2004 in the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Since 2004, he has led a research group that focuses on function brain PET and SPECT neurotransmitter imaging in Parkinson's disease, other movement disorders and behavioral addictions. His group is involved in several project that aim to improve diagnostics and treatment of neurological movement disorders.
Main focus of research is brain function and dysfunction in relation to neurotransmitters, addictions and movement disorders.
Dr. Kaasinen has been involved in curriculum planning and implementation of neurology courses since 2013. He is a personal teacher mentor for medical students and has supervised of several PhD students.
- Determining the benefit of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (Stalevo (R)) on the pharmacokinetic profile of levodopa: a randomized, crossover, multicentre study in patients with Parkinson's disease (2008)
- European Journal of Neurology
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Effects of intravenous placebo with glucose expectation on human basal ganglia dopaminergic function (2008)
- Synapse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Striatal FDOPA uptake and cognition in advanced non-demented Parkinson's disease: A clinical and FDOPA-PET study (2008)
- Parkinsonism and Related Disorders
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Brain function during multi-trial learning in mild cognitive impairment: A PET activation study (2007)
- Brain Research
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Brain white matter expansion in human obesity and the recovering effect of dieting: a voxel-based morphometric study (2007)
- International Journal of Obesity
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Brain white matter expansion in human obesity and the recovering effect of dieting (2007)
- Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Determining the benefit of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (Stalevo (R)) on the pharmacokinetic profile of levodopa: a randomized, crossover, multicentre study in patients with Parkinson's disease (2007)
- Parkinsonism and Related Disorders
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Effects of intravenous glucose on Dopaminergic function in the human brain in vivo (2007)
- Synapse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Hyperostosis frontalis interna as a novel finding in Unverricht-Lundborg disease (2007)
- Neurology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Substantial thalamostriatal dopaminergic defect in Unverricht-Lundborg disease (2007)
- Epilepsia
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Corticostriatal covariance patterns of 6-[F-18]fluoro-L-dopa and [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose PET in Parkinson's disease (2006)
- Journal of Neurology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Effects of intravenous glucose on brain dopamine D2 receptor availability in obesity (2006)
- Synapse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Striatal dopamine uptake measured with fdopa pet and cognition in advanced PD (2006)
- Journal of the Neurological Sciences
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Fatty acid uptake in various brain regions measured with [C-11]-palmitate, [F-18]FTHA and PET (2005)
- Diabetologia
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Mapping brain structure and personality in late adulthood (2005)
- NeuroImage
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Striatal FDOPA uptake and cognition in advanced non-demented PD patients: A clinical and PET study (2005)
- Neurology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Dopaminergic effects of caffeine in the human striatum and thalamus (2004)
- NeuroReport
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Expectation of caffeine induces dopaminergic responses in humans (2004)
- European Journal of Neuroscience
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Hippocampal and prefrontal atrophy in patients with early non-demented Parkinson's disease is related to cognitive impairment (2004)
- Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Insular dopamine D-2 receptors and novelty seeking personality in Parkinson's disease (2004)
- Movement Disorders
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



