Siri Leknes
@sirileknes.bsky.social
Professor, LAB lab, University of Oslo 🇳🇴
Pleasure, pain, stress, reward. Opioids.
Affective Brains.
Currently on sabbatical @anatajadura’s lab in Madrid
Twin mum.
www.affectivebrains.com
Pleasure, pain, stress, reward. Opioids.
Affective Brains.
Currently on sabbatical @anatajadura’s lab in Madrid
Twin mum.
www.affectivebrains.com
Valladolid pain conference crowd pretending to master social media (pouting) garden 😁 😂😂😂
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Valladolid pain conference crowd pretending to master social media (pouting) garden 😁 😂😂😂
Can I trust nature research assistant by springer??
October 8, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Can I trust nature research assistant by springer??
Some other fun observations from my first weeks in Madrid:
1) new houses have underfloor COOLING(!)
2) A tinto de verano (wine with lemonade) is the perfect Spanish summer drink & gave me a real Magdalen moment, returning memories from my youth in Andalusia
1) new houses have underfloor COOLING(!)
2) A tinto de verano (wine with lemonade) is the perfect Spanish summer drink & gave me a real Magdalen moment, returning memories from my youth in Andalusia
September 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Some other fun observations from my first weeks in Madrid:
1) new houses have underfloor COOLING(!)
2) A tinto de verano (wine with lemonade) is the perfect Spanish summer drink & gave me a real Magdalen moment, returning memories from my youth in Andalusia
1) new houses have underfloor COOLING(!)
2) A tinto de verano (wine with lemonade) is the perfect Spanish summer drink & gave me a real Magdalen moment, returning memories from my youth in Andalusia
Super stimulating talk by @anatajadura.bsky.social on all the cool work they’re doing on movement, multisensory integration & illusions in body image
I’m lucky to be visiting her lab for the next few months 🤩
I’m lucky to be visiting her lab for the next few months 🤩
September 12, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Super stimulating talk by @anatajadura.bsky.social on all the cool work they’re doing on movement, multisensory integration & illusions in body image
I’m lucky to be visiting her lab for the next few months 🤩
I’m lucky to be visiting her lab for the next few months 🤩
4/ To probe effects of effective non-drug interventions we classified papers into stress-induced analgesia, conditioned pain modulation, hyperalgesia etc.
The most credible evidence of at least a moderate effect of opioid antagonism on human pain was for placebo hypoalgesia - but that's noisy too!
The most credible evidence of at least a moderate effect of opioid antagonism on human pain was for placebo hypoalgesia - but that's noisy too!
August 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
4/ To probe effects of effective non-drug interventions we classified papers into stress-induced analgesia, conditioned pain modulation, hyperalgesia etc.
The most credible evidence of at least a moderate effect of opioid antagonism on human pain was for placebo hypoalgesia - but that's noisy too!
The most credible evidence of at least a moderate effect of opioid antagonism on human pain was for placebo hypoalgesia - but that's noisy too!
3/ What?! - you say? So did we!
To identify WHEN & for WHOM endogenous opioids downregulate pain, we ran meta-regressions on all relevant study factors & found TINY effects for:
✅type of pain
✅pain measure (tolerance, unpleasantness etc)
✅participant sex
✅pain location
✅pain duration
To identify WHEN & for WHOM endogenous opioids downregulate pain, we ran meta-regressions on all relevant study factors & found TINY effects for:
✅type of pain
✅pain measure (tolerance, unpleasantness etc)
✅participant sex
✅pain location
✅pain duration
August 11, 2025 at 2:35 PM
3/ What?! - you say? So did we!
To identify WHEN & for WHOM endogenous opioids downregulate pain, we ran meta-regressions on all relevant study factors & found TINY effects for:
✅type of pain
✅pain measure (tolerance, unpleasantness etc)
✅participant sex
✅pain location
✅pain duration
To identify WHEN & for WHOM endogenous opioids downregulate pain, we ran meta-regressions on all relevant study factors & found TINY effects for:
✅type of pain
✅pain measure (tolerance, unpleasantness etc)
✅participant sex
✅pain location
✅pain duration
Next up, @ckrahe1.bsky.social introduces the study of affective CT-targeted touch, showing that slow stroking touch is interpreted as supportive, whereas fast stroking is as seen as more of a warning
August 7, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Next up, @ckrahe1.bsky.social introduces the study of affective CT-targeted touch, showing that slow stroking touch is interpreted as supportive, whereas fast stroking is as seen as more of a warning
Summer nights in Norway. 11 pm.
July 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Summer nights in Norway. 11 pm.
Excellent endogenous opioid symposium in Tromsø by @renatamarchette.bsky.social
Slide highlights results from recent metaanalysis of pain sensitivity in opioid users by @martintrostheim.bsky.social & @marieeikemo.bsky.social
Slide highlights results from recent metaanalysis of pain sensitivity in opioid users by @martintrostheim.bsky.social & @marieeikemo.bsky.social
June 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Excellent endogenous opioid symposium in Tromsø by @renatamarchette.bsky.social
Slide highlights results from recent metaanalysis of pain sensitivity in opioid users by @martintrostheim.bsky.social & @marieeikemo.bsky.social
Slide highlights results from recent metaanalysis of pain sensitivity in opioid users by @martintrostheim.bsky.social & @marieeikemo.bsky.social
Did you all also get an email saying you're a "2024 Top Scholar" from ScholarGPS?
A great example of how hard it is to navigate right now!
A search for "is it legit" yielded every result, including university news articles about highly ranked profs (which doesn't prove anything 🤷♀️)
A great example of how hard it is to navigate right now!
A search for "is it legit" yielded every result, including university news articles about highly ranked profs (which doesn't prove anything 🤷♀️)
June 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Did you all also get an email saying you're a "2024 Top Scholar" from ScholarGPS?
A great example of how hard it is to navigate right now!
A search for "is it legit" yielded every result, including university news articles about highly ranked profs (which doesn't prove anything 🤷♀️)
A great example of how hard it is to navigate right now!
A search for "is it legit" yielded every result, including university news articles about highly ranked profs (which doesn't prove anything 🤷♀️)
What's KGB syndrome?
Wrong answers only
Wrong answers only
May 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
What's KGB syndrome?
Wrong answers only
Wrong answers only
2/
In 199 surgery patients, opioids caused substantial intoxication, dizziness & sedation WITHOUT improving how 'good' they reported feeling
Beneficial effects such as anxiolysis & relaxation were modest & observed in under half of patients
Conclusion: We question routine presurgical opioid use
In 199 surgery patients, opioids caused substantial intoxication, dizziness & sedation WITHOUT improving how 'good' they reported feeling
Beneficial effects such as anxiolysis & relaxation were modest & observed in under half of patients
Conclusion: We question routine presurgical opioid use
May 2, 2025 at 1:07 PM
2/
In 199 surgery patients, opioids caused substantial intoxication, dizziness & sedation WITHOUT improving how 'good' they reported feeling
Beneficial effects such as anxiolysis & relaxation were modest & observed in under half of patients
Conclusion: We question routine presurgical opioid use
In 199 surgery patients, opioids caused substantial intoxication, dizziness & sedation WITHOUT improving how 'good' they reported feeling
Beneficial effects such as anxiolysis & relaxation were modest & observed in under half of patients
Conclusion: We question routine presurgical opioid use
So much fun reading contrasting takes on my career ...
Top row: I dunno what I did here 😆
Bottom row: first of 6 super positive career evaluations from my recent ERC Consolidator app
Top row: I dunno what I did here 😆
Bottom row: first of 6 super positive career evaluations from my recent ERC Consolidator app
April 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
So much fun reading contrasting takes on my career ...
Top row: I dunno what I did here 😆
Bottom row: first of 6 super positive career evaluations from my recent ERC Consolidator app
Top row: I dunno what I did here 😆
Bottom row: first of 6 super positive career evaluations from my recent ERC Consolidator app
Broad and interesting questioning by Julian Thayer now
April 10, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Broad and interesting questioning by Julian Thayer now
Proud colleague today to this wonderful scientist, anaesthetist and friend who is defending his PhD thesis @gernoternst.bsky.social
April 10, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Proud colleague today to this wonderful scientist, anaesthetist and friend who is defending his PhD thesis @gernoternst.bsky.social
Ski conferences are the best conferences
The Nordic one has sauna + ice bathing too
Sometimes academia is truly hard to beat
The Nordic one has sauna + ice bathing too
Sometimes academia is truly hard to beat
April 9, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Ski conferences are the best conferences
The Nordic one has sauna + ice bathing too
Sometimes academia is truly hard to beat
The Nordic one has sauna + ice bathing too
Sometimes academia is truly hard to beat
Spring in Oxford and London & catching up with friends and colleagues
This is where I learned to love science 💕
Thanks @jonroiser.bsky.social for being a wonderful host for my talk @ucl.ac.uk yesterday & for all the great questions!
This is where I learned to love science 💕
Thanks @jonroiser.bsky.social for being a wonderful host for my talk @ucl.ac.uk yesterday & for all the great questions!
April 1, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Spring in Oxford and London & catching up with friends and colleagues
This is where I learned to love science 💕
Thanks @jonroiser.bsky.social for being a wonderful host for my talk @ucl.ac.uk yesterday & for all the great questions!
This is where I learned to love science 💕
Thanks @jonroiser.bsky.social for being a wonderful host for my talk @ucl.ac.uk yesterday & for all the great questions!
Looking for advice on how to cope right now?
www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co...
www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co...
February 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Looking for advice on how to cope right now?
www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co...
www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co...
The most convincing spam I've encountered for ages 😱😆
Telling me I'm off to a conference that I've forgotten about ...
Telling me I'm off to a conference that I've forgotten about ...
January 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The most convincing spam I've encountered for ages 😱😆
Telling me I'm off to a conference that I've forgotten about ...
Telling me I'm off to a conference that I've forgotten about ...
Researchers used to be more honest: yes it is tedious to review large literatures 😂😂
Paper from 1969
Paper from 1969
January 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Researchers used to be more honest: yes it is tedious to review large literatures 😂😂
Paper from 1969
Paper from 1969
This seems fabulous, thank you! Unfortunately I get this error message every time - suggestions welcome
January 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
This seems fabulous, thank you! Unfortunately I get this error message every time - suggestions welcome
Pic from a past celebration with some of my favourite colleague-friends 🥰
@marieeikemo.bsky.social
@gernoternst.bsky.social
@loseth.bsky.social
@marieeikemo.bsky.social
@gernoternst.bsky.social
@loseth.bsky.social
December 9, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Pic from a past celebration with some of my favourite colleague-friends 🥰
@marieeikemo.bsky.social
@gernoternst.bsky.social
@loseth.bsky.social
@marieeikemo.bsky.social
@gernoternst.bsky.social
@loseth.bsky.social
Today it’s official:
my ERC CoG proposal on the full spectrum of opioid effects was funded 💃🤩💃
(Short description found here: affectivebrains.com/portfolio/spectro/)
Thrilled to be celebrating this & other wins of 2024 with this wonderful group of colleagues
my ERC CoG proposal on the full spectrum of opioid effects was funded 💃🤩💃
(Short description found here: affectivebrains.com/portfolio/spectro/)
Thrilled to be celebrating this & other wins of 2024 with this wonderful group of colleagues
December 3, 2024 at 8:07 PM
Today it’s official:
my ERC CoG proposal on the full spectrum of opioid effects was funded 💃🤩💃
(Short description found here: affectivebrains.com/portfolio/spectro/)
Thrilled to be celebrating this & other wins of 2024 with this wonderful group of colleagues
my ERC CoG proposal on the full spectrum of opioid effects was funded 💃🤩💃
(Short description found here: affectivebrains.com/portfolio/spectro/)
Thrilled to be celebrating this & other wins of 2024 with this wonderful group of colleagues
3/ The small effect could mean endorfins are not that important (contrary to Panksepp's Brain Opioid Theory of Addiction)
or it could cumulate over time, consistent w/ disrupted µ-opioid receptor binding in most psychiatric & chronic pain conditions
Time will tell!
(video:Panksepp's lab visit)
or it could cumulate over time, consistent w/ disrupted µ-opioid receptor binding in most psychiatric & chronic pain conditions
Time will tell!
(video:Panksepp's lab visit)
October 14, 2024 at 1:16 PM
3/ The small effect could mean endorfins are not that important (contrary to Panksepp's Brain Opioid Theory of Addiction)
or it could cumulate over time, consistent w/ disrupted µ-opioid receptor binding in most psychiatric & chronic pain conditions
Time will tell!
(video:Panksepp's lab visit)
or it could cumulate over time, consistent w/ disrupted µ-opioid receptor binding in most psychiatric & chronic pain conditions
Time will tell!
(video:Panksepp's lab visit)