The Center for Experimental Medicine Neuropharmacology (NeuroPharm) is a research center under Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark (grant number 4108-00004B). The center was inaugurated on Jan 1, 2015 and officially came to a completion on Dec 31, 2022.
The goal of NeuroPharm has been to answer pertinent and basic questions regarding human brain disease mechanisms and predict brain responses to categories of neuromodulatory interventions as well as treatment efficacy. We have used PET and MR brain scanning to image brain receptors, receptor occupancy, and the brains regional interactions, i.e., functional connectivity. The ability to simultaneously measure drug occupancy and brain reactivity directly in humans has provided a completely novel approach to assess interventional effects. We employed these brain imaging tools in patients with, e.g., depression and migraine. Also, we made use of existing data and biological samples in the context of a multivariate data analysis framework in order to generate predictive statistical models that allowed for a more informed use of data acquired within the Center and provided a foundation for better study designs.
The successful research in the center was celebrated with a festive closing symposium on April 20-21, 2023, in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in Copenhagen, Denmark with participation from both international speakers and NeuroPharm-affiliated researchers.