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

3 of 13

The FinnBrain multimodal neonatal template and atlas collection (2025)
- Communications Biology
Tuulari Jetro J.; Rosberg Aylin; Pulli Elmo P.; Hashempour Niloofar; Ukharova Elena; Lidauer Kristian; Jolly Ashmeet; Luotonen Silja; Audah Hilyatushalihah K.; Vartiainen Elena; Bano Wajiha; Suuronen Ilkka; Mariani Wigley Isabella L. C.; Fonov Vladimir S.; Collins D. Louis; Merisaari Harri; Karlsson Linnea; Karlsson Hasse; Lewis John D.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Associations between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and infant striatal mean diffusivity (2024)
- BMC Medicine
Rosberg, Aylin; Merisaari, Harri; Lewis, John D.; Hashempour, Niloofar; Lukkarinen, Minna; Rasmussen, Jerod M.; Scheinin, Noora M.; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse; Tuulari, Jetro J.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Associations Between Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Diabetes and Obesity and Newborn Subcortical Volumes (2024)
- Biological Psychiatry
Luo, Shan; Alex, Ann; Rasmussen, Jerod; Tuulari, Jetro J.; Sigurdardottir, Julie; Buss, Claudia; Donald, Kirsten A.; Edwards, David; Gilmore, John; Karlsson, Hasse; Stein, Dan J.; Styner, Martin; de los Campos, Gustavo; Thompson, Paul M.; Knickmeyer, Rebecca; On behalf of the ENIGMA-ORIGINs Working Group
(Other publication)
Implementing ABCD study ® MRI sequences for multi-site cohort studies: practical guide to necessary steps, preprocessing methods, and challenges (2024)
- MethodsX
Bano, Wajiha; Pulli, Elmo; Cantonas, Lucia; Sorsa, Aino; Hämäläinen, Jarmo; Karlsson, Hasse; Karlsson,
Linnea; Saukko, Ekaterina; Sainio, Teija; Peuna, Arttu; Korja, Riikka; Aro, Mikko; Leppänen, Paavo H.T.; Tuulari, Jetro J.; Merisaari, Harri
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and child brain responses to affective touch at two years of age (2024)
- Journal of Affective Disorders
Shekhar, Shashank; Hirvi, Pauliina; Maria, Ambika; Kotilahti, Kalle; Tuulari, Jetro J.; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse; Nissilä, Ilkka
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Maternal prenatal distress exposure negatively associates with the stability of neonatal frontoparietal network (2024)
- Stress
Tuulari, Jetro J.; Rajasilta, Olli; Cabral, Joana; Kringelbach, Morten L.; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Negative associations between maternal prenatal hair cortisol and child socioemotional problems (2024)
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
Mustonen, Paula; Kortesluoma, Susanna; Scheinin, Noora M.; Perasto, Laura; Kataja, Eeva-Leena; Tervahartiala, Katja; Tuulari, Jetro J.; Coimbra, Bárbara; Carter, Alice S.; João Rodrigues, Ana; Sousa, Nuno; Paavonen, E. Juulia; Korja, Riikka; Karlsson, Hasse; Karlsson, Linnea
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Neonatal brain dynamic functional connectivity in term and preterm infants and its association with early childhood neurodevelopment (2024)
- Nature Communications
França, Lucas G. S.; Ciarrusta, Judit; Gale-Grant, Oliver; Fenn-Moltu, Sunniva; Fitzgibbon, Sean; Chew, Andrew; Falconer, Shona; Dimitrova, Ralica; Cordero-Grande, Lucilio; Price, Anthony N.; Hughes, Emer; O’Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Duff, Eugene; Tuulari, Jetro J.; Deco, Gustavo; Counsell, Serena J.; Hajnal, Joseph V.; Nosarti, Chiara; Arichi, Tomoki; Edwards, A. David; McAlonan, Grainne; Batalle, Dafnis
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
sFlt-1 Impairs Neurite Growth and Neuronal Differentiation in SH-SY5Y Cells and Human Neurons (2024)
- Bioscience Reports
Barron, Aaron; Barrett, Lauren; Tuulari, Jetro; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse; McCarthy, Cathal M.; O'Keeffe, Gerard W.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Simulated ischaemia/reperfusion impairs trophoblast function through divergent oxidative stress- and MMP-9-dependent mechanisms (2024)
- Bioscience Reports
Barron, Aaron; Tuulari, Jetro; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse; O'Keeffe, Gerard W; McCarthy, Cathal M
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)