Mohn Research Center for Neuroprotection

People who move unnaturally much when they sleep are the target group for the specialist team led by Professor of Neurology Charalampos Tzoulis at the University of Bergen: The Trond Mohn Research Foundation, the University of Bergen, and Haukeland University Hospital are supporting a new research center that will seek to determine whether serious brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease can be prevented, with a total of NOK 50 million over the next five years.

Research into the sleep disorder REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) enables researchers to identify individuals who will develop the disease 10 to 15 years later. This provides an opportunity to test treatments that can delay or prevent the development of the disease before the brain is damaged.

The new Mohn Center has four key objectives:

1. to establish a national cohort of people with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD),
2. develop and validate biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of the disease,
3. conduct the world’s first preventive clinical trial to test treatments for Parkinson’s disease and similar conditions,
4. and use artificial intelligence to develop methods that can identify risk even earlier.

“Parkinson’s disease is the world’s fastest growing brain disease, and there is no treatment that can slow or stop its progression. Now, for the first time, we can test whether it is possible to prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies before they develop. We are moving from reacting after the damage has been done to protecting the brain at a very early stage,” says Professor Charalampos (Haris) Tzoulis, head of the Mohn Center and professor and senior consultant in neurology at the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital.

The following individuals also hold leading roles at the center:

Johannes Gaare is a neurologist and researcher with a doctorate from the University of Bergen. He works at Haukeland University Hospital and will lead the NOR-RBD cohort. Janne Grønli is a professor of biological psychology at the University of Bergen and heads the Bergen Stress and Sleep Group. She is a specialist in sleep and brain health and will be the work package leader at the new Mohn Center. Christian Dölle is a senior researcher with a PhD in molecular biology. He conducts research on NAD metabolism and the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. He will be the deputy director of the center. Yamila Torres Cleuren has a PhD in molecular biology and bioinformatics. She is section head at the Neuro-SysMed Center and will play a key role in developing and leading the research and innovation strategy at the new Mohn Center.

For patients and families, this represents a new future. Instead of waiting for the disease to break out and quality of life to decline dramatically, in the future it will be possible to identify risks early on and receive treatment that protects the brain.The research center thus not only gives hope to individual patients but also promises to reduce the enormous social burden these diseases represent, bringing us closer to a new era in preventive medicine for the brain.

The center would like to get in touch with people who experience RBD sleep disorders and would like to participate in research projects. For more information, please contact the team by email:

parkinson-forskning@helse-bergen.no

The center also produced a video about the opening in 2026 – (videographer Terje Huse)