M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Docent) Jetro Tuulari - UTU Research Portal

Jetro Tuulari
M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Docent)

- Doctoral Researcher,
Department of Computing (Faculty of Technology)
- Docent,
Department of Clinical Medicine (Faculty of Medicine)

Turku Collegium for science and medicine

jjtuul@utu.fi

ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1797-8000

Web page of me and our research group

FinnBrain Birth Cohort study

InterLearn Center of Excellence

Areas of expertise

Neuroscience, Brain development, Obesity, Pleasure in the brain, Eating, Exercise, Social touch, Neuroimaging, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, fMRI, dMRI), Positron emission tomography (PET). Connectomics, Whole brain modelling. Emerging expertise in population neuroscience.

Research community or research topic

We study how early life exposures, genes and environment shape the brain structure, brain function and how these relate to health and wellbeing.

Biography

After getting an M.D. degree in 2014, I defended my awarded PhD thesis on the brain changes of morbid obesity and weight loss surgery in 2015 and received Associate professorship (Title of Docent) in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2018. I am currently Principal Investigator of the FinnBrain Neuroimaging Lab and the work is related to solving the mysteries of the developing brain. I was the director of Turku Brain and Mind Center 2023 - 2025. As of May 2026 my research continues in the Auria Biobank, but I maintain close ties to UTU through FinnBrain and I take part as a senior consultant for InterLearn CoE, Right2Belong project, Turku Brain and Mind Center, and many other parties.

Research

Teaching

I am an enthusiastic techer and teaching development is close to my heard. I have taken part in multiple awarded pedagogical development projects relating to learning material development, student feedback, and peer-assisted learning. I have wide mentoring and tutoring expertise from undergraduate students to post doctoral fellows.

I have had seminal role in the launch of Human Neuroscience Master's Programme at the Turku Brain and Mind Center, and I served as the head of the programme 2023-2025.

Publications

10 of 13

Aerobic exercise modulates anticipatory reward processing via the mu-opioid receptor systemIdentification of NCAN as a candidate gene for developmental dyslexia (2018)
- Human Brain MappingScientific Reports
Tiina Saanijoki, Lauri Nummenmaa, Jetro J. Tuulari, Lauri Tuominen, Eveliina Arponen, Kari K. Kalliokoski, Jussi Hirvonen
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Affective and non-affective touch evokes differential brain responses in 2-month-old infants (2018)
- NeuroImage
Jönsson EH, Kotilahti K, Heiskala J, Wassling-Backlund H, Olausson H, Croy I, Mustaniemi H, Hiltunen P, Tuulari JJ, Scheinin NM, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Nissilä I
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Associations between brain grey matter volumes and adipose tissue metabolism in healthy adults (2018)
- Diabetologia
Raiko J, Tuulari J, Saari T, Parkkola R, Savisto N, Nuutila P, Virtanen K
(Other publication)
Cohort Profile: The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study (FinnBrain) (2018)
- International Journal of Epidemiology
Karlsson L, Tolvanen M, Scheinin NM, Uusitupa HM, Korja R, Ekholm E, Tuulari JJ, Pajulo M, Huotilainen M, Paunio T, Karlsson H; FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study Group
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Emotional Processing in the First 2 Years of Life: A Review of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Studies (2018)
- Journal of Neuroimaging
Maria A, Shekhar S, Nissila I, Kotilahti K, Huotilainen M, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal )
mu-opioid receptor system mediates reward processing in humans (2018)
- Nature Communications
Lauri Nummenmaa, Tiina Saanijoki, Lauri Tuominen, Jussi Hirvonen, Jetro J. Tuulari, Pirjo Nuutila, Kari Kalliokoski
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Opioid Release after High-Intensity Interval Training in Healthy Human Subjects (2018)
- Neuropsychopharmacology
Saanijoki Tiina, Tuominen Lauri, Tuulari Jetro J, Nummenmaa Lauri, Arponen Eveliina, Kalliokoski Kari, Hirvonen Jussi
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Fatty acid uptake and blood flow in adipose tissue compartments of morbidly obese subjects with or without type 2 diabetes: effects of bariatric surgery (2017)
- American Journal of Physiology : Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dadson P, Ferrannini E, Landini L, Hannukainen JC, Kalliokoski KK, Vaittinen M, Honka H, Karlsson HK, Tuulari JJ, Soinio M, Salminen P, Parkkola R, Pihlajamaki J, Iozzo P, Nuutila P
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Feeding Releases Endogenous Opioids in Humans (2017)
- Journal of Neuroscience
Tuulari JJ, Tuominen L, de Boer FE, Hirvonen J, Helin S, Nuutila P, Nummenmaa L
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
(2017)
Einarsdottir E, Peyrard-Janvid M, Darki F, Tuulari JJ, Merisaari H, Karlsson L, Scheinin NM, Saunavaara J, Parkkola R, Kantojarvi K, Ammala AJ, Yu NYL, Matsson H, Nopola-Hemmi J, Karlsson H, Paunio T, Klingberg T, Leinonen E, Kere J, Kere J
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)