Beyond the Paper: A Conversation with Dr. Kamilla Haugland

Interviewed by Dr. Paige N. McKeon, January 27, 2025

A decline in hippocampal growth hormone levels is associated with cognitive impairments that underlie aging, stress, and some diseases. Understanding how growth hormone influences hippocampal plasticity may help develop new treatment strategies to improve cognition. Under the direction of Drs. Vegard Brun and Kirsten Kjelstrup at the Arctic University of Norway–University of Tromsø (UiT), Kamilla Haugland led a study to investigate how growth hormone influences hippocampal place cell responses to environmental changes in rats. Haugland et al. used viral injection strategies to either overexpress growth hormone or impede its signaling while recording from hippocampal place cells in rats as they explored familiar or new environments. The researchers discovered a new role of growth hormone: it makes the hippocampus more sensitive to new information.

“I feel lucky to have had the chance to learn a variety of methods, starting off at the molecular level, to electrophysiology and behavior with rodents, and currently with the clinical aspects of cognitive decline and dementia in people.”

Dr. Kamilla Haugland

Can you describe your research journey and how each position fostered your growth as a neuroscientist? What motivated you along the way?

I have always asked questions about how the brain works, especially with regards to plasticity and behavior. I began my exploration of neuroscience during my master’s degree in Dr. Menno Witter’s lab at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim. While studying hippocampal anatomy, I chose to focus on developmental connectivity because I found it to be crucial for understanding subsequent cognitive functions. I had the opportunity to further my knowledge in hippocampus research through a PhD at the Arctic University of Norway–UiT where I used techniques such as single-unit recordings and memory tasks in rodents to study plasticity by neuromodulations. In this publication in eNeuro, we found a novel role of a neuromodulator, growth hormone, in the hippocampus. The secretion of this hormone reduces with age, which is associated with cognitive decline and dementia. This work and my interest in cognitive decline and dementia has led me to my current postdoctoral position at the University of Bergen.

I feel lucky to have had the chance to learn a variety of methods, starting off at the molecular level, to electrophysiology and behavior with rodents, and currently with the clinical aspects of cognitive decline and dementia in people. Learning and developing various methods and tools (underpinned by my continued passion for the hippocampus and dementia research) has been highly motivating and elucidating for a deeper understanding of the field of neuroscience.

What are your future career goals? Do you have any advice for young researchers pursuing a similar career?

My ultimate goal is to establish my own research group. As the population is getting older and more people will get diagnosed with dementia, I want to contribute to novel discoveries that can benefit these people.

My advice for young researchers is to not forget to enjoy working with the data. It may be easy to focus on ticking off the boxes needed to advance your career, but, personally, having fun working on the research projects has been key for my motivation and happiness.

What drew you to pursue this area of research?

I always wondered about the mechanisms of the brain and body and started studying biomedicine for my bachelor’s degree. At the end of my bachelor’s, I thought it was more or less clear how the body works, but not the brain. The brain is so complicated, with so many specialized cells, connections, functions, etc. I knew I wanted to take an active role in revealing more information about how the brain functions and improving understanding of the mechanisms behind neurological pathologies. I feel very honored to have been part of research groups that dare to ask bold questions, and I hope someday that I can continue on the same path as an independent researcher.

Were there any challenges or pleasant surprises you ran into as you collected data for this study?

Coming from an excellent research environment at Kavli in Trondheim, I was happy to put in the extra hard work to obtain high quality data. However, I never foresaw the challenges I was to experience after leaving Trondheim for my PhD. First, the university I worked at surprised us with closing the animal lab for three years, leaving me without any resources to collect my data at the current location. I had to personally get in touch with other scientists and arrange for my experiment to be conducted at another university. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and some unexpected construction work that forced this new lab to close. I was left with a paltry three months to conduct my last surgeries and recordings. I set up the lab twice, as the lab in Tromsø was also new when I began. I never thought I would have to fight so much to get data! I persevered through these challenges with the singular belief that if I worked hard enough, I would get data. This determination helped me finish my PhD and these experiences shaped me into the researcher I am today. Beyond my own hard work and determination, I am very grateful to my PhD supervisors, Vegard Brun and Kirsten Kjelstrup, for supporting me on my challenging journey.

Dr. Kamilla Haugland

Are there future directions of this work you’d like to share?

There are still lots of questions to be answered. The research lab continues focusing on endocrine functions in cognition, especially growth hormone, but also other hormones.

Growth hormone is a large protein and the mechanism behind its secretion and regulation in the hippocampus remains unknown. I am especially curious about the mechanism behind hippocampal plasticity we observe in our current publication, for instance the ability to change the excitatory/inhibitory dynamics. I also think revealing the identity of the hippocampal cells with growth hormone receptors would be exciting because it would give a better picture of the functional relevance.

How was your experience with the eNeuro review process?

My experience with the eNeuro review process was surprisingly easy and fast. We received concrete and relevant comments from the reviewers, and although we had to ask for an extension of the revision deadline, the process and communication was smooth and made publishing our paper a positive experience.

Since writing this paper, you earned your PhD and now work at the University of Bergen. What are some current projects?

I currently work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine (SEFAS) at the University of Bergen. This has been a wonderful continuation of my PhD project because growth hormone neuromodulation is relevant to memory functions associated with aging and dementia.

In the SEFAS project I am currently working on, I am investigating symptoms and functions at the end of life in people with dementia and their utility as predictors of death. I am honored to be able to build upon my preclinical knowledge as I explore the clinical aspects of dementia research. This is a European Research Council funded project involving novel digital technology and collaborations with nursing homes in Norway. We are starting to get some results, and it is very exciting and groundbreaking!

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Learn more about the Centre for Elderly and Nursing Home Medicine (SEFAS) | University of Bergen

Read the full article:

Growth Hormone Alters Remapping in the Hippocampal Area CA1 in a Novel Environment
Kamilla G. Haugland, Sondre Valentin Jordbræk, Erik Knutsen, Kirsten B. Kjelstrup, and Vegard H. Brun