M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Docent). Principal Investigator of FinnBrain Neuroimaging Lab Jetro Tuulari - UTU Research Portal

Jetro Tuulari
M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Docent). Principal Investigator of FinnBrain Neuroimaging Lab

- Senior Research Fellow,
Centre for Population Health Research (POP Centre) (Faculty of Medicine)
- 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

+358 29 450 2864

+358 40 828 3978

Kiinamyllynkatu 10

Turku

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

5 of 7

Maternal Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Is Associated With Sexually Dimorphic Alterations in Amygdala Volume in 4-Year-Old Children (2019)
- Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Henriette Acosta, Jetro J. Tuulari, Noora M. Scheinin, Niloofar Hashempour, Olli Rajasilta, Tuomas I. Lavonius, Juho Pelto, Virva Saunavaara, Riitta Parkkola, Tuire Lähdesmäki, Linnea Karlsson, Hasse Karlsson
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Neural correlates of gentle skin stroking in early infancy (2019)
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Jetro J.Tuulari, Noora M.Scheinin, Satu Lehtola, Harri Merisaari, Jani Saunavaara, Riitta Parkkola, Isac Sehlstedt, Linnea Karlsson, Hasse Karlsson, Malin Björnsdotter
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Paternal early life stress and newborn brain development (2019)
- Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
Karlsson H, Merisaari H, Karlsson L, Scheinin NM, Parkkola R, Saunavaara J, Lahdesmaki T, Lehtola SJ, Keskinen M, Pelto J, Lewis JD, Tuulari JJ
(Other publication)
Prenatal exposures and infant brain: Review of magnetic resonance imaging studies and a population description analysis (2019)
- Human Brain Mapping
Pulli E.P., Kumpulainen V., Kasurinen J.H., Korja R., Merisaari H., Karlsson L., Parkkola R., Saunavaara J., Lähdesmäki T., Scheinin N.M., Karlsson H., Tuulari J.J.
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal )
Prenatal maternal distress associates with a blunted cortisol response in rhinovirus-positive infants (2019)
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
Korhonen L., Kortesluoma S., Lukkarinen M., Peltola V., Pesonen H., Pelto J., Tuulari J., Lukkarinen H., Vuorinen T., Karlsson H., Karlsson L.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Test-retest reliability of Diffusion Tensor Imaging metrics in neonates (2019)
- NeuroImage
Merisaari H., Tuulari J.J., Karlsson L., Scheinin N.M., Parkkola R., Saunavaara J., Lähdesmäki T., Lehtola S.J., Keskinen M., Lewis J.D., Evans A.C., Karlsson H.
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Aerobic exercise modulates anticipatory reward processing via the mu-opioid receptor system (2018)
- Human Brain Mapping
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)
Identification of NCAN as a candidate gene for developmental dyslexia (2017)
- Scientific Reports
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)
Mielihyvä, mielipaha ja ihmisen aivot (2017)
- Duodecim
Tuulari JJ, Karlsson H
(D1 Article in a professional journal)
Bariatric Surgery Induces White and Grey Matter Density Recovery in the Morbidly Obese: A Voxel-Based Morphometric Study (2016)
- Human Brain Mapping
Tuulari JJ, Karlsson HK, Antikainen O, Hirvonen J, Pham T, Salminen P, Helmiö M, Parkkola R, Nuutila P, Nummenmaa L
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)
Bariatric surgery normalizes brain opioid receptors (2016)
- Molecular Psychiatry
Karlsson HK, Tuulari JJ, Tuominen L, Hirvonen J, Honka H, Parkkola R, Helin S, Salminen P, Nuutila P, Nummenmaa L
(Other publication)
Brown adipose and central nervous system glucose uptake is lower during cold exposure in older compared to young men: a preliminary PET study (2016)
- Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
Kindred JH, Tuulari JJ, Simon S, Luckasen GJ, Bell C, Rudroff T
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)