Committee Members
Past Committee Members
FENS Structure
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.: Pitkänen, Asla

Past Secretary-General of FENS

Prof. Asla Pitkänen
A.I.Virtanen Institute
University of Kuopio
Neulaniementie 2
70 211 Kuopio
Finland
Phone: 017-16 3295
Fax: 017-16 3025
E-mail: asla.pitkanen@uef.fi
Homepage: http://www.uku.fi/aivi/index_epilepsy.html

Research Interests

Intrinsic and temporal lobe connectivity of the amygdala, epileptogenesis, neuroprotection

Curriculum Vitae

Education

1984
MD, University of Kuopio, Finland
1987
M.Sc. University of Kuopio, Finland
1987
Academic dissertation in medicine, University of Kuopio, Finland
1988
Docent of Neurobiology, University of Kuopio, Finland
1989
Academic dissertation in biochemistry, University of Kuopio, Finland

Professional Experience

1984-1986
Neurology resident, National Vaajasalo Epilepsy Center, Kuopio, Finland
1987-1989
Research Assistant, Academy of Finland
1989-1992
Junior Research Fellow, Academy of Finland
1989-1992
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
1992-1993
Research Scientist, Academy of Finland
1993-1994
Senior Research Scientist, Academy of Finland
1994-1995
Acting Professor in Neurosciences, A.I.Virtanen Institute, Univ. of Kuopio, Finland
1995-1998
Research Director (neuroanatomy, epilepsy research), A.I. Virtanen Institute, Univ. of Kuopio, Finland
1995-2000
Senior Fellow, Academy of Finland
2000-2001
Senior Research Scientist, Academy of Finland
since 1998
Professor of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute, Univ. of Kuopio, Finland
2002-2003
Visiting Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, Head Trauma Center, PA, USA

Selected Publications

  • Pitkänen A, Savander V, LeDoux JE. Organization of intra-amygdaloid circuitries in the rat: an emerging framework for understanding functions of the amygdala. Trends Neurosci. 1997:20:517-523.
  • Kälviäinen R, Salmenperä T, Partanen K, Vainio P, Riekkinen P Sr, Pitkänen A. Recurrent seizures may cause hippocampal damage in temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology 1998:50(5): 1377-1382.
  • Salmenperä T, Kälviäinen R, Partanen K, Pitkänen A. Hippocampal damage caused by seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. Lancet 1998: 351:35.
  • Pitkänen A, Halonen T. Prevention of epilepsy. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 1998:19:253-254.
  • Mikkonen M, Soininen H, Kälviäinen R, Ylinen A, Vapalahti M, Paljärvi L, Pitkänen A. Remodeling of neuronal circuitries in human temporal lobe epilepsy: Increased expression of highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex. Ann Neurol. 1998:44(6):923-934.
  • Pikkarainen M, Rönkkö S, Savander V, Insausti R, Pitkänen A. Projections from the lateral, basal and accessory basal nuclei of the amygdala to the hippocampal formation in rat. J. Comp. Neurol.1999:403:229-260.
  • Pitkänen A. Connectivity of the rat amygdaloid complex. In: The Amygdala: a functional analysis. Aggleton JP (ed.), Oxford, 2000, 31-115.
  • Nissinen J, Lukasiuk K, Pitkänen A. Is there mossy fiber sprouting at the time of the appearance of the fist epileptic seizures? Hippocampus 2001:11:299-310.
  • Kubová H, Druga R, Lukasiuk K, Suchomelová L, Haugvicová R, Pitkänen A. Status epilepticus causes necrotic damage in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in immature rats. J Neurosci 2001:21(10):3593-3599.
  • Pikkarainen M, Pitkänen A. Projections from the lateral, basal, and accessory basal nuclei of the amygdala to the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices in rat. Cereb Cortex 2001:11(11):1064-82.
  • Pitkänen A, Sutula T. Is epilepsy a progressive disease? Prospects for new therapeutic approaches in temporal lobe epilepsy. The Lancet Neurology 2002;1:173-181.
  • Lukasiuk K, Kontula L, Pitkänen A. cDNA profiling of epileptogenesis in the rat brain. Eur J Neurosci. 2003:17(2):271-9.
  • Pitkänen A, Savander M, Nurminen N, Ylinen A. Intrinsic synaptic circuitry in the amygdala neurons. Ann N.Y. Acad. Sci. 2003:985:34-49.
  • Majak K, Pitkänen A. Activation of the amygdalo-entorhinal pathway in fear-conditioning in rat. Eur J Neurosci. 2003:18(6):1652-1659.
  • Narkilahti S, Pirttilä T, Lukasiuk K, Tuunanen J, Pitkänen A. Expression and activation of caspase 3 following status epilepticus in the rat. Eur J Neurosci. 2003:18(6):1486-96.
  • Stables JP, Bertram E, Dudek FE, Holmes G, Mathern G, Pitkänen A, White HS. Therapy Discovery for Pharmacoresistant Epilepsy and for Disease-modifying Therapeutics: Summary of the NIH/NINDS/AES Models II Workshop. Epilepsia. 2003:44(12):1472-8.
  • Niittykoski M, Nissinen J, Penttonen M, Pitkänen A. Electrophysiologic changes in the lateral and basal amygdaloid nuclei in temporal lobe epilepsy: An in vitro study in epileptic rats. Neuroscience 2004:124:269-281.
  • Kubova H, Mares P, Suchomelova L, Brozek G, Druga R, Pitkänen A. Status epilepticus in immature rats leads to behavioural and cognitive impairment and epileptogenesis. Eur J Neurosci. 2004:19(12):3255-65.
  • Pitkänen A, Kubova H. Antiepileptic drugs and neuroprotection. Expert Opinion in Experimental Therapy 2004:5(4):777-798.