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

7 of 13

Test-retest reliability of diffusion tensor imaging scalars in 5-year-olds (2022)
- Human Brain Mapping
Rosberg Aylin, Tuulari Jetro J, Kumpulainen Venla, Lukkarinen Minna, Pulli Elmo P, Silver Eero, Copeland Anni, Saukko Ekaterina, Saunavaara Jani, Lewis John D, Karlsson Linnea, Karlsson Hasse, Merisaari Harri
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Associations Between Brain Gray Matter Volumes and Adipose Tissue Metabolism in Healthy Adults (2021)
- Obesity
Raiko Juho RH, Tuulari Jetro J, Saari Teemu, Parkkola Riita, Savisto Nina, Nuutila Pirjo, Virtanen Kirsi
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
A systematic review of MRI studies of language development from birth to 2 years of age (2021)
- Developmental Neurobiology
Silver Eero, Korja Riikka, Mainela-Arnold Elina, Pulli Elmo P, Saukko Ekaterina, Nolvi Saara, Kataja Eeva-Leena, Karlsson Linnea, Karlsson Hasse, Tuulari Jetro J
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal )
A variation in the infant oxytocin receptor gene modulates infant hippocampal volumes in association with sex and prenatal maternal anxiety (2021)
- Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Acosta Henriette, Tuulari Jetro J, Kantojärvi Katri, Lewis John D, Hashempour Niloofar, Scheinin Noora M, Lehtola Satu J, Fonov Vladimir S, Collins Donald Louis, Evans Alan, Parkkola Riitta, Lähdesmäki Tuire, Saunavaara Jani, Merisaari Harri, Karlsson Linnea, Paunio Tiina, Karlsson Hasse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Infant and Child MRI: A Review of Scanning Procedures (2021)
- Frontiers in Neuroscience
Copeland Anni, Silver Eero, Korja Riikka, Lehtola Satu J., Merisaari Harri, Saukko Ekaterina, Sinisalo Susanne, Saunavaara Jani, Lähdesmäki Tuire, Parkkola Riitta, Nolvi Saara, Karlsson Linnea, Karlsson Hasse, Tuulari Jetro J.
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal )
Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI associates with neonate local and distal functional connectivity of the left superior frontal gyrus (2021)
- Scientific Reports
Rajasilta Olli, Häkkinen Suvi, Björnsdotter Malin, Scheinin Noora M., Lehtola Satu J., Saunavaara Jani, Parkkola Riitta, Lähdesmäki Tuire, Karlsson Linnea, Karlsson Hasse, Tuulari Jetro J.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Neonatal Amygdala Volumes and the Development of Self-Regulation from Early Infancy to Toddlerhood (2021)
- Neuropsychology
Nolvi Saara, Tuulari Jetro J., Pelto Juho, Bridgett David J., Eskola Eeva, Lehtola Satu J., Hashempour Niloofar, Korja Riikka, Kataja Eeva-Leena, Saunavaara Jani, Parkkola Riitta, Lähdesmäki Tuire, Scheinin Noora M., Fernandes Michelle, Karlsson Linnea, Lewis John D., Fonov Vladimir S., Collins D. Louis, Karlsson Hasse
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Prevalence and evolution of snoring and the associated factors in two-year-old children (2021)
- Sleep Medicine
Katila Maija, Saarenpää-Heikkilä Outi, Saha Marja-Terttu, Vuorela Nina, Huhtala Heini, Korhonen Laura S, Lukkarinen Minna, Tuulari Jetro J, Karlsson Linnea, Karlsson Hasse, Paavonen E Juulia
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Association of Cumulative Paternal Early Life Stress With White Matter Maturation in Newborns (2020)
- JAMA Network Open
Hasse Karlsson, Harri Merisaari, Linnea Karlsson, Noora M. Scheinin, Riitta Parkkola, Jani Saunavaara, Tuire Lähdesmäki, Satu J. Lehtola, Maria Keskinen, Juho Pelto, John D. Lewis, Jetro J. Tuulari
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Maternal sleep quality during pregnancy is associated with neonatal auditory ERPs (2020)
- Scientific Reports
Maria Lavonius, Henry Railo, Linnea Karlsson, Valtteri Wikström, Jetro J. Tuulari, Noora M. Scheinin, E. Juulia Paavonen, Päivi Polo-Kantola, Hasse Karlsson, Minna Huotilainen
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)