Piia Astikainen

Prof. Piia Astikainen is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä's Department of Psychology, affiliated with the School of Wellbeing. Her research investigates brain function principles related to perception, learning, aging, and depression. Current projects include studying social foreign language learning through behavioral and electrophysiological methods (funded by the Research Council of Finland until 2026). Key research areas focus on neural mechanisms of sensory processing, emotional regulation, and cognitive aging. Over 150 peer-reviewed publications span electrophysiological studies of auditory/visual perception, ERP biomarkers for depression, and animal models of sensory memory. Her work bridges clinical and cognitive neuroscience, emphasizing translational applications for mental health interventions.

Research highlights include discovering age-related sensory gating deficits in somatosensory systems and identifying ERP signatures distinguishing depressed individuals from controls. Collaborations involve neuroimaging (MEG/EEG) and computational methods like tensor decomposition for ERP analysis. She leads a lab focused on understanding neural plasticity in learning and emotional processing, with training programs for graduate students in neuroscience methodologies.