Melissa Larsen

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.

Contact Details

Melissa Larsen

Senior Researcher

melissal@drcmr.dk

Research Areas

Imaging of Disease & Mechanisms

Research Groups

Developmental Psychiatry (Leader)

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

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 and Garrido MI (2025), 'Psychotic-Like Experiences and White Matter Microstructure: A Fixel-Based Analysis Approach With Robust Replication Across Two Cohorts', Human Brain Mapping, 46(17), 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 and Siebner HR (2025), 'Sex-specific cortical brain differences in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder', Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.08.005

Larsen KM, Thapaliya K, Barth M, Lin CS, Siebner HR and Garrido MI (2025), 'Phase Locking of 40 Hz Auditory Steady State Responses Is Modulated by Sensory Predictability and Linked to Cerebellar Myelination', Human Brain Mapping, 46(5), doi:10.1002/hbm.70178

Larsen KM, Díaz-I-Calvete J, Ver Loren van Themaat AH, Elgaard Thorup AA, Plessen KJ, Nordentoft M and Siebner HR (2025), 'Comparable 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses in children at familial high risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and population-based controls', NeuroImage: Clinical, 48, 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 and Siebner HR (2023), 'Executive Control and Associated Brain Activity in Children With Familial High-Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder: A Danish Register-based Study', Schizophrenia Bulletin, 50(3):567-578, doi:10.1093/schbul/sbad134

Jefsen OH, Shtyrov Y, Larsen KM and Dietz MJ (2022), 'The 40-Hz auditory steady-state response in bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis', Clinical Neurophysiology, 141:53-61, doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2022.06.014

Larsen KM (2022), unknown publication 42228427-c464-4aa8-b6f0-d522cbdfd9e2, doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.22010017

Dzafic I, Larsen KM, Darke H, Pertile H, Carter O, Sundram S and Garrido MI (2021), 'Stronger Top-Down and Weaker Bottom-Up Frontotemporal Connections During Sensory Learning Are Associated With Severity of Psychotic Phenomena', Schizophrenia Bulletin, 47(4):1039-1047, doi:10.1093/schbul/sbaa188

Taylor JA, Larsen KM and Garrido MI (2020), 'Multi-dimensional predictions of psychotic symptoms via machine learning', Human Brain Mapping, 41(18):5151-5163, doi:10.1002/hbm.25181

Larsen KM, Dzafic I, Darke H, Pertile H, Carter O, Sundram S and Garrido MI (2020), 'Aberrant connectivity in auditory precision encoding in schizophrenia spectrum disorder and across the continuum of psychotic-like experiences', Schizophrenia Research, 222:185-194, 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 and Plessen KJ (2020), 'Alterations in Task-Related Brain Activation in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults at Familial High-Risk for Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder - A Systematic Review', Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11:1-16, doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00632

Larsen KM, Dzafic I, Siebner HR and Garrido MI (2018), 'Alteration of functional brain architecture in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome - Insights into susceptibility for psychosis', NeuroImage, 190:154-171, doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.001

Pellegrino G, Tomasevic L, Herz DM, Larsen KM and Siebner HR (2018), 'Theta Activity in the Left Dorsal Premotor Cortex During Action Re-Evaluation and Motor Reprogramming', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12(364), doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00364

Larsen KM, Pellegrino G, Birknow MR, Kjær TN, Baaré WFC, Didriksen M, Olsen L, Werge T, Mørup M and Siebner HR (2018), '22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Is Associated With Impaired Auditory Steady-State Gamma Response', Schizophrenia Bulletin, 44(2):388-397, doi:10.1093/schbul/sbx058

Larsen KM, Mørup M, Siebner HR, Baaré WFC and Werge TM (2017), 'Gamma oscillations and effective connectivity in a group at risk of psychosis'

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