On Wednesday, February 18, the Mohn Center for Neuroprotection was officially opened in the university auditorium. The center will conduct groundbreaking research into brain diseases such as Parkinson's and dementia.
Last fall it was announced that the Trond Mohn Research Foundation is joining forces with the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital to finance a new center for research into serious and incurable brain diseases. A total of NOK 50 million has been invested, which will be distributed over the next five years.
On Wednesday 18 February, the official opening ceremony of the centre took place in the University Auditorium. The programme included an introduction to the centre by centre director Charalampos Tzoulis and presentations from the various partners. Member of Parliament Truls Vasvik (Ap) was also present as a representative of the Health and Care Committee.
Central to the new center is research into the condition REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). By researching this further, it is hoped that it will be possible to identify who is at risk of developing a serious brain disease 10-15 years before the disease actually manifests. At the opening ceremony, an exciting discussion about this was held, led by Marion Solheim from the Faculty of Medicine, UiB.
Also participating in the panel discussion were Ove Vestheim (leader of the Bergen and surrounding Parkinson's Association), Anders Leines (photographer behind the exhibitions "This is Parkinson's" and "This is Parkinson's - ten years later") and Johannes Gaare (coordinator of the NOR-RBD initiative).
Following the opening ceremony, the public was invited to interactive stations at the University Museum. It was also possible to see Anders Leine's thought-provoking exhibition.