Current role and affiliation
Dr. Johannes Jernqvist Gaare has been a member of the K.G. Jebsen Academy for Young Medical Researchers since 2025. He is a senior researcher at the K.G. Jebsen Centre for Parkinson's Disease at the Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen (UiB). He also holds a 50% position as Acting Senior Consultant at the Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital.
He obtained his PhD from the University of Bergen, focusing on the genetic contribution to sporadic Parkinson's disease. During his postdoctoral research, he built on this work, with a particular focus on epigenetics.
Research interests and focus
Dr. Gaare currently leads the NOR-RBD cohort, a study following individuals with prodromal alpha-synucleinopathy (defined by the presence of REM sleep behaviour disorder) to identify prospective biomarkers.
The aim is to improve our understanding of the earliest stages of this group of disorders and to establish and validate biomarkers for use in clinical practice and as outcome measures in clinical trials.
Selected publications
- Rare genetic variation in mitochondrial pathways influences the risk for Parkinson's disease
Gaare JJ, Nido GS, Sztromwasser P, Knappskog PM, Dahl O, Lund-Johansen M, Maple-Grødem J, Alves G, Tysnes OB, Johansson S, Haugarvoll K, Tzoulis C.
Mov Disord. 2018 Oct;33(10):1591-1600. doi: 10.1002/mds.64. Epub 2018 Sep 5. PMID: 30256453; PMCID: PMC6282592. - DNA Methylation Age Acceleration Is Not Associated with Age of Onset in Parkinson's Disease
Gaare JJ, Brügger K, Nido GS, Tzoulis C.
Mov Disord. 2023 Nov;38(11):2064-2071. doi: 10.1002/mds.29574. Epub 2023 Aug 7. PMID: 37551021.