Malin Gingnell

Malin Gingnell is a Researcher at Uppsala University with dual appointments at the Department of Medical Sciences (Experimental Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience - ECAN) and the Department of Psychology (Emotion Psychology). She co-leads the Experimental Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab alongside Andreas Frick, bringing together expertise from neuroimaging, psychology, and medicine to investigate neural processing related to affective stimuli and cognitive tasks.

Dr. Gingnell's research program focuses on the interplay between emotions and ovarian steroid hormones, particularly how hormonal changes during puberty interact with anxiety levels. Her work examines how physiological alterations (during hypoglycemia or blood flow changes) and subtle manipulations (like caffeine intake) affect affective symptoms and brain function. She conducts in-depth studies on treatment mechanisms, including pharmaceutical treatments (SSRIs), brain stimulation techniques (ECT, TMS), and therapeutic interventions (CBT), with special attention to fear extinction learning processes that serve as proxies for exposure therapy mechanisms. Additional research lines explore placebo effects in affective disorders and the neurobiological underpinnings of curiosity and grief.

Analysis of Dr. Gingnell's recent publications reveals a strong interdisciplinary trajectory spanning cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and neuroendocrinology. Her work consistently bridges basic neuroscience with clinical applications, particularly in anxiety disorders across developmental stages and hormonal influences on brain function. The research demonstrates methodological innovation through combined use of fMRI, PET, EEG, fNIRS, and psychophysiological measurements, often in collaborative international studies.

As co-leader of the ECAN lab, Dr. Gingnell mentors a substantial research team including multiple postdocs (Johanna Mottilla-Hoppe, Johan Vegelius), PhD students, lab manager (Hampus Berg), and lab assistants. Her research is conducted through extensive collaborations with RE-MEND, UPIC, WOMHER, CIRCUS, and CMH research centers, and she coordinates activity in an interdisciplinary anxiety research network at Uppsala University.