معرفی
India Morrison is an Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Linköping University's Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Faculty of Medicine. She is affiliated with the Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN) and leads the Embodied Brain Lab, which investigates emotional and social aspects of both touch and pain and how these affect - and are affected by - behavior.
Morrison's research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying social and affective touch, pain processing, and their emotional and behavioral consequences. Her work combines hormone measurements with cognitive tests and brain imaging using MRI to explore how:
- The brain responds differently to touch depending on social context
- Oxytocin levels change during social interactions involving touch
- Endocannabinoid systems contribute to the perception of socially relevant touch
- Emotional and social factors influence pain perception and processing
- The brain regions activated when witnessing others' pain relate to action preparation
Her recent publications reveal a research trajectory deeply engaged with the intersection of social neuroscience and somatosensory processing. Morrison's work increasingly examines the neurochemical basis of affective touch (particularly oxytocin and endocannabinoid systems), the impact of social context on physiological responses, and the relationship between early brain markers and cognitive decline in women's health. Her research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between psychology, neuroscience, and endocrinology.
Morrison was awarded the prestigious Onkel Adams Award for Outstanding Research at the Faculty of Medicine in 2023, which comes with a prize of SEK 250,000. The jury highlighted her "innovative and outstanding research on how sensation and pain control, or are controlled by, emotional and social factors," noting that she was "one of the first in the world to show that when we witness someone else being exposed to pain ('empathic' pain), the same area in the brain is activated as when we ourselves experience similar pain."
As the leader of the Embodied Brain Lab, Morrison directs a research program that integrates multiple methodologies including hormone measurements, cognitive testing, and brain imaging. Her work has implications for understanding social bonding, pain management, and neurological conditions affecting social interaction. She collaborates with researchers across disciplines, as evidenced by her diverse publication record spanning neuroscience, psychology, and clinical medicine.
