Melissa Larsen

Senior Researcher

Research Interests

I am interested in the brain mechanisms and the connectivity underpinnings of psychotic symptoms and how these develop in the brain. In particular, I am interested in how predictive processes and oscillatory activity are disturbed in psychiatric disorders and further how this relates to brain structure. I am leading the Developmental Psychiatry group where we use a multimodal approach to elucidate the complex relationships between brain, body, cognition, and mental health and how these relationships are modulated by environmental and biological factors. We have a developmental focus since most mental disorders are rooted in abnormal neurodevelopment.

Employments

2019 – Present

Postdoc, DRCMR

2017 – 2019

Postdoc, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Australia

2017 – 2017

Postdoc, DRCMR

2012 – 2017

PhD Student, DTU Compute and DRCMR

2012 – 2012

Research Assistant, DRCMR

Education

2017

PhD in Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DRCMR, Sankt Hans

2012

MSc in Biomedical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

2009

BSc in Biomedical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Publications

[3447021f-c53b-45e8-9179-de0819d6a0bc]

Goodwin I, Larsen KM, Sangchooli A, Smith RE, Banaschewski T, Barker GJ, Bokde AL, Brühl R, Desrivières S, Garavan H, Gowland P, Grigis A, Heinz A, Lemaitre H, Martinot J, Martinot MP, Artiges E, Nees F, Orfanos DP, Paus T, Poustka L, Smolka MN, Vaidya N, Walter H, Whelan R, Schumann G, Hester R & Garrido MI, Psychotic-Like Experiences and White Matter Microstructure: A Fixel-Based Analysis Approach With Robust Replication Across Two Cohorts,

map[#text:Human Brain Mapping -lang:en] 

Human Brain Mapping  vol 46, Issue 17, e70414, (2025). DOI:10.1002/hbm.70414

Madsen KS, Baaré WFC, Hernandez-Torres E, Larsen KM, Kaminski A, Johnsen LK, Hemager N, Gregersen M, Brandt JM, Krantz MF, Weye N, Søndergaard A, Greve AN, Knudsen CB, Andreassen AK, Veddum L, Lund TE, Mors O, Elgaard Thorup AA, Østergaard L, Nordentoft M & Siebner HR, Sex-specific cortical brain differences in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

[map[#text:Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging -lang:en] map[#text:Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging -lang:en] map[#text:Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging -lang:en]] 

  vol , (2025). DOI:10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.08.005

Larsen KM, Thapaliya K, Barth M, Lin CS, Siebner HR & Garrido MI, Phase Locking of 40 Hz Auditory Steady State Responses Is Modulated by Sensory Predictability and Linked to Cerebellar Myelination

map[#text:Human Brain Mapping -lang:en] 

Human Brain Mapping  vol 46, Issue 5, e70178, (2025). DOI:10.1002/hbm.70178

Larsen KM, Díaz-I-Calvete J, Ver Loren van Themaat AH, Elgaard Thorup AA, Plessen KJ, Nordentoft M & Siebner HR, Comparable 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and population-based controls

[map[#text:NeuroImage: Clinical -lang:en] map[#text:NeuroImage. Clinical -lang:en]] 

  vol 48, 103841, (2025). DOI:10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103841

Johnsen LK, Larsen KM, Fuglsang SA, Ver Loren van Themaat AH, Baaré WFC, Madsen KS, Madsen KH, Hemager N, Andreassen AK, Veddum L, Greve AN, Nejad AB, Burton BK, Gregersen M, Eichele H, Lund TE, Bliksted V, Thorup AAE, Mors O, Plessen KJ, Nordentoft M & Siebner HR, Executive Control and Associated Brain Activity in Children With Familial High-Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder: A Danish Register-based Study,

[map[#text:Schizophrenia Bulletin -lang:en] map[#text:Schizophr Bull -lang:en]] 

  vol 50, Issue 3, p. 567-578, (2023). DOI:10.1093/schbul/sbad134

Jefsen OH, Shtyrov Y, Larsen KM & Dietz MJ, The 40-Hz auditory steady-state response in bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis,

[map[#text:Clinical Neurophysiology -lang:en] map[#text:Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology -lang:en] map[#text:Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology - Electromyography and Motor Control -lang:en]] 

  vol 141, p. 53-61, (2022). DOI:10.1016/j.clinph.2022.06.014

Dzafic I, Larsen KM, Darke H, Pertile H, Carter O, Sundram S & Garrido MI, Stronger Top-Down and Weaker Bottom-Up Frontotemporal Connections During Sensory Learning Are Associated With Severity of Psychotic Phenomena

[map[#text:Schizophrenia Bulletin -lang:en] map[#text:Schizophr Bull -lang:en]] 

  vol 47, Issue 4, p. 1039-1047, (2021). DOI:10.1093/schbul/sbaa188

Taylor JA, Larsen KM & Garrido MI, Multi-dimensional predictions of psychotic symptoms via machine learning

map[#text:Human Brain Mapping -lang:en] 

Human Brain Mapping  vol 41, Issue 18, p. 5151-5163, (2020). DOI:10.1002/hbm.25181

Larsen KM, Dzafic I, Darke H, Pertile H, Carter O, Sundram S & Garrido MI, Aberrant connectivity in auditory precision encoding in schizophrenia spectrum disorder and across the continuum of psychotic-like experiences

[map[#text:Schizophrenia Research -lang:en] map[#text:Schizophr Res -lang:en]] 

  vol 222, p. 185-194, (2020). DOI:10.1016/j.schres.2020.05.061

Johnsen LK, Ver Loren van Themaat AH, Larsen KM, Burton BK, Baaré WFC, Madsen KS, Nordentoft M, Siebner HR & Plessen KJ, Alterations in Task-Related Brain Activation in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults at Familial High-Risk for Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder - A Systematic Review

[map[#text:Frontiers in Psychiatry -lang:en] map[#text:Frontiers in Psychiatry -lang:en] map[#text:Frontiers in psychiatry / Frontiers Research Foundation -lang:en]] 

  vol 11, p. 1-16, (2020). DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00632

Pellegrino G, Tomasevic L, Herz DM, Larsen KM & Siebner HR, Theta Activity in the Left Dorsal Premotor Cortex During Action Re-Evaluation and Motor Reprogramming

[map[#text:Frontiers in Human Neuroscience -lang:en] map[#text:Frontiers in Human Neuroscience -lang:en]] 

  vol 12, Issue 364, (2018). DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00364

Larsen KM, Pellegrino G, Birknow MR, Kjær TN, Baaré WFC, Didriksen M, Olsen L, Werge T, Mørup M & Siebner HR, 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Is Associated With Impaired Auditory Steady-State Gamma Response

[map[#text:Schizophrenia Bulletin -lang:en] map[#text:Schizophr Bull -lang:en]] 

  vol 44, Issue 2, p. 388-397, (2018). DOI:10.1093/schbul/sbx058


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