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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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Aerobic exercise modulates anticipatory reward processing via the mu-opioid receptor system (2018)
- Human Brain MappingInternational Journal of Epidemiology
Tiina Saanijoki, Lauri Nummenmaa, Jetro J. Tuulari, Lauri Tuominen, Eveliina Arponen, Kari K. Kalliokoski, Jussi Hirvonen
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
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
Cohort Profile: The FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study (FinnBrain) (2018)
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
Emotional Processing in the First 2 Years of Life: A Review of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy StudiesFeeding Releases Endogenous Opioids in Humans2018
- Journal of NeuroimagingJournal of Neuroscience
Maria A, Shekhar S, Nissila I, Kotilahti K, Huotilainen M, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ
mu-opioid receptor system mediates reward processing in humans2018
- Nature CommunicationsScientific Reports
Lauri Nummenmaa, Tiina Saanijoki, Lauri Tuominen, Jussi Hirvonen, Jetro J. Tuulari, Pirjo Nuutila, Kari Kalliokoski
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
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
(2017)
Tuulari JJ, Tuominen L, de Boer FE, Hirvonen J, Helin S, Nuutila P, Nummenmaa L
Identification of NCAN as a candidate gene for developmental dyslexia (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