
Professor Dag Aarsland
Professor of Old Age Psychiatry
Research interests
- Psychiatry
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Biography
Professor Dag Aarsland joined the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience in January 2016, from Karolinska Institutet where he has been professor of clinical dementia research since 2011.
Dag is renowned throughout the world in the field of Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s disease but has made contributions across the spectrum of old age psychiatry.
Professor Tony David, Vice-Dean Academic Psychiatry said: ‘Professor Aarsland is one of the most outstanding researchers in old age psychiatry and we are delighted that he will be joining us. He will bring with him a network of international collaborators and already has well established links with researchers here notably Clive Ballard and Ray Chaudhuri.Dag has worked in all aspects of old age psychiatry from basic science to applied health research. He is a natural team player and team-builder and will be a huge asset to the IoPPN and King’s College.
As well as heading the department, Prof Aarsland will contribute to new initiatives including dementia research in our forthcoming bid to renew the Biomedical Research Centre. He will also carry out some clinical work within South London & Maudsley NHS Trust and will help in training the next cohort of old age psychiatrists. If he has any time left over, perhaps he will help us to learn how to chop wood and solve complex crime mysteries.
Dag Aarsland gained his degree in medicine in 1988 from the University of Oslo. At the same time as he was working as a clinician at Stavanger University Hospital he started to conduct research, gaining his PhD in 1996 with a thesis on language disorders among patients with Alzheimer's disease. In 1998 he became a specialist in psychiatry.
From 2000 to 2002 he was a senior lecturer in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Bergen. He then became an adjunct professor, then professor of geriatric medicine at Bergen from 2006-2009. Between 2007 and 2009 he was a visiting professor at King's College in London, where he has held an honorary professorship since 2009. In 2009 Dag Aarsland became a professor of geriatric psychiatry at the University of Oslo. He is also a director of research at the University of Stavanger's Centre for Age-Related Medicine.
Dag Aarsland was, for several years, director of the Norwegian Neuropsychiatric Association. He has been the recipient of numerous prizes, most recently in 2011 when he was awarded the Western Norway Regional Health Authority's Research Prize.
Research

Physiological Oxygen Laboratory
Cardiovascular - Physiological Oxygen Laboratory

Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed

Ageing Research at King's (ARK)
Cross faculty consortium addressing ageing and healthy longevity.

Cannabidiol for Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis (CAN-PDP) Trial
Multi-centre trial of cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis
Project status: Ongoing
News
£2.9m for new centre to aid diagnosis and treatment of dementia
New National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre is designed to accelerate the advancement of cutting-edge technology to...

Brain health in over 50s deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic
Brain health in over 50s deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic, even if they didn’t have COVID-19, according to major new research linking the...

Dunedin Study receives £1.4m award to explore how aging works during midlife
New MRC funding will allow the study, which has followed the lives of 1037 babies born between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973, to examine participants at age...

Antidepressants prescription associated with a lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19
New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and supported by NIHR Maudsley BRC has found that community mental health...

Six years of memory decline seen in anxious, depressed older people during pandemic
Older people who were more anxious and depressed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were found to have an average decline in their short term...

New European initiative will build a collaborative platform for data and sample sharing for neurodegenerative diseases
The European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EPND) integrates existing initiatives to build, grow, and deliver a scalable and self-sustainable...

Malnutrition predicts faster functional loss in dementia patients
New research led by King’s College London and Stavanger University Hospital. highlights the importance of assessing malnutrition in people with dementia, in...

£1.2 million to roll-out dementia care home programme to COVID-hit sector
£1.2 million in government funding will help researchers develop an innovative online programme to improve and personalise care for people with dementia in...

Events

King's Experts Series: Ageing Well
The King’s Experts Series is a series of events exclusively for King’s alumni, this webinar will spotlight the work of King's ageing research.
Please note: this event has passed.
Research

Physiological Oxygen Laboratory
Cardiovascular - Physiological Oxygen Laboratory

Understanding Why People With Dementia Attend the Emergency Department Towards the End of Life
A mixed-methods study examining the determinants of emergency department attendance by people with dementia towards the end of life.
Project status: Completed

Ageing Research at King's (ARK)
Cross faculty consortium addressing ageing and healthy longevity.

Cannabidiol for Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis (CAN-PDP) Trial
Multi-centre trial of cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis
Project status: Ongoing
News
£2.9m for new centre to aid diagnosis and treatment of dementia
New National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre is designed to accelerate the advancement of cutting-edge technology to...

Brain health in over 50s deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic
Brain health in over 50s deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic, even if they didn’t have COVID-19, according to major new research linking the...

Dunedin Study receives £1.4m award to explore how aging works during midlife
New MRC funding will allow the study, which has followed the lives of 1037 babies born between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973, to examine participants at age...

Antidepressants prescription associated with a lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19
New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and supported by NIHR Maudsley BRC has found that community mental health...

Six years of memory decline seen in anxious, depressed older people during pandemic
Older people who were more anxious and depressed during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were found to have an average decline in their short term...

New European initiative will build a collaborative platform for data and sample sharing for neurodegenerative diseases
The European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EPND) integrates existing initiatives to build, grow, and deliver a scalable and self-sustainable...

Malnutrition predicts faster functional loss in dementia patients
New research led by King’s College London and Stavanger University Hospital. highlights the importance of assessing malnutrition in people with dementia, in...

£1.2 million to roll-out dementia care home programme to COVID-hit sector
£1.2 million in government funding will help researchers develop an innovative online programme to improve and personalise care for people with dementia in...

Events

King's Experts Series: Ageing Well
The King’s Experts Series is a series of events exclusively for King’s alumni, this webinar will spotlight the work of King's ageing research.
Please note: this event has passed.