Flaten, Magne Arve

Head of Department. Professor.

Cand. Psychol. (University of Oslo).

Dr. Psychol. (University of Bergen).

Visiting researcher, WJB Dorn Veteran's Hospital, Columbia, SC, USA, 1994-95.

Professor NTNU 1999-2000.

Visiting researcher, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2003-2004.

• Member, Editorial Board in the European Psychologist, European Journal of Behavior Analysis, and Journal of Caffeine Research
• Chair, Organizing Committee, International Conference on Imaging in Neuroscience 2007, 2009
• Panel Evaluator, European Research Council
• Chair, National Council for Education in Psychology

Biological psychology, psychology of learning, behavioral medicine/health psychology, placebo

Mechanisms underlying pain and the placebo effect (with Oddmund Johansen, Arnstein Finset, Per Matti Aslaksen, Maud Bergdahl, Jan Bergdahl, Ole Åsli, Espen Bjørkedal, Peter Lyby, Sara Vambheim, June T. Forsberg, Herta Flor, Paul Enck, Terry Blumenthal, Mustafa Al'Absi).

Jacobsen, K., Grøvand, H., & Flaten, M.A. (2001). Testing of visual acuity in mentally retarded subjects with Teller Acuity Cards. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 106, 145-150.

McLaughlin, J., Flaten, M.A., Chachich, M., & Powell, D.A. (2001). Medial prefrontal lesions attenuate conditioned reflex facilitation but do not affect prepulse modification of the eyeblink reflex in rabbits. Experimental Brain Research, 140, 318-325.

Mikalsen, A., Bertelsen, B., & Flaten, M.A. (2001). Effects of caffeine, caffeine-associated stimuli, and caffeine-related information on physiological and subjective arousal. Psychopharmacology, 157, 373-380.

Pissiota, A., Frans, Ö., Fredrikson, M., Långström, B., & Flaten, M.A. (2002). The human startle reflex and pons activation: a regional cerebral blood flow study. European Journal of Neuroscience, 15, 395-398.

Elden, Å., & Flaten, M.A. (2002). The relationship of automatic and controlled attention to prepulse inhibition. Journal of Psychophysiology, 16, 46-55.

Flaten, M.A. (2002). Test-retest reliability of the somatosensory blink reflex and its' modification. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 45, 261-265.

Elden, Å., & Flaten, M.A. (2003). Similar effects of attention directed to acoustic and tactile stimuli on prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 44, 361-370.

Johansen, O., Brox, J., & Flaten, M.A. (2003). Placebo and nocebo responses, cortisol, and circulating beta-endorphin. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 786-790.

Flaten, M.A., Aasli, O., & Blumenthal, T.D. (2003). Expectancy and placebo responses to caffeine-associated stimuli. Psychopharmacology, 169, 198-204.

Pissiota, A., Frans, Ô., Michelgård, Å., Appel, L., Långstrôm, B., Flaten, M.A. & Fredrikson, M. (2003). Startle modulation in snake and spider phobics: a regional cerebral blood flow study. European Journal of Neuroscience, 18, 1325-1331.

Blumenthal, T. D., Elden, A., & Flaten, M. A. (2004). A comparison of several methods used to quantify prepulse inhibition of eyeblink responding. Psychophysiology, 41, 326-332.

Flaten, M.A., Simonsen, T., Zahlsen, K., Sager, G., Aamo, T., & Olsen, H. (2004). Stimulant and relaxant drugs combined with stimulant and relaxant information A study of active placebo. Psychopharmacology, 176, 426-434.

Flaten, M.A., Nordmark, E.I., & Elden, Å. (2005). Effects of background noise on the startle blink reflex and prepulse inhibition. Psychophysiology, 42, 298-305.

Flaten, M.A. & Friborg, O. (2005). Impaired classical eyeblink conditioning in old human subjects. The role of unconditioned response magnitude. Aging. Clinical and Experimental Research, 17, 449-457.

Flaten, M.A., Åsli, O., & Simonsen, T. (2006). The effect of stress on absorption of acetaminophen. Psychopharmacology, 185, 471-478.

Flaten, M.A., Aslaksen, P.M., Simonsen, T., Finset, A., & Johansen, O. (2006). Cognitive and emotional factors in placebo analgesia. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 81-89.

Friborg, O., Hjemdal, O., Rosenvinge, J.H., Martinussen, M., Aslaksen, P.M., & Flaten, M.A. (2006). Resilience as a moderator of pain and stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 213-219.

Aslaksen, P.M., Myrbakk, I.N., Høifødt, R.S., & Flaten, M.A. (2007). The effect of experimenter gender on autonomic and subjective responses to pain stimuli. Pain, 129, 260-268.

Åsli, O. & Flaten, M.A. (2008). Conditioned facilitation of the unconditioned reflex after classical eyeblink conditioning. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 67, 17-22.

Aslaksen, P.M., & Flaten, M.A. (2008). The roles of physiological and subjective stress in the effectiveness of a placebo on experimentally induced pain. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70, 811-818.

Dale, K.Y., Flaten, M.A., Elden, Å., & Holte, A. (2008). Dissociative identity disorder and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex. Neuropsychiatric Disease & Treatment, 4, 653-662

Meknas, K., Kartus, J., Letto, J.I., Flaten, M.A., & Johansen, O. (2009). A 5-year prospective study of non-surgical treatment of retro-trochanteric pain. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 17, 996-1002.

Åsli, O., Kulvedrøsten, S., Solbakken, L., & Flaten, M.A. (2009). Fear potentiated startle at short intervals following conditioned stimulus onset during delay but not trace conditioning. Psychophysiology, 46, 880-888.

 Flaten, M.A. (2009). The role of anticipatory agonistic and antagonistic processes in the response to drugs. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 50, 652-659.

Lyby, P.S., Aslaksen, P.M., & Flaten, M.A. (2010). Is fear of pain related to placebo analgesia? Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 68, 369-377.   

Flaten, M.A. (2010). Expectations of pharmacological treatment and their effects on adjustment. In D.A. Powell (ed.) Central Nervous System Mechanisms Involved in Learned Autonomic Adjustments. New York: Research Signpost. (115-131). ISBN 978-81-308-0391-3

Aslaksen, P.M., Bystad, M., Vambheim, S.M., & Flaten, M.A. (2011). Gender differences in placebo analgesia: event-related potentials and emotional modulation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 73, 193-199.

Bjørkedal, E. & Flaten, M.A. (2011). Interaction between expectancies and drug effects: an experimental investigation of placebo analgesia with caffeine as an active placebo. Psychopharmacology, 215, 537-548. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2233-4

Flaten, M.A., Aslaksen, P.M., Lyby, P.S., & Bjørkedal, E. (2011). The relation of emotions to placebo responses. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society - Section B, 366, 1818-1827. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0407.

Lyby, P.S., Aslaksen, P.M. & Flaten, M.A. (2011). Variability in placebo analgesia and the role of fear of pain - an ERP study. Pain, 152, 2405-2412. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.07.010

Meissner, K., Bingel, U., Colloca, L., Wager, T.D., Watson, A., & Flaten, M.A. (2011) The placebo effect: Advances from different methodological approaches. Journal of Neuroscience, 31 (45), 16117-16124. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4099-11.2011

Åsli, O. & Flaten, M.A. (2012). In the blink of an eye: Investigating the role of awareness in fear responding by measuring the latency of startle potentiation. Brain Sciences, 2, 61-84. Doi:10.3390/brainsci2010061

Åsli, O. & Flaten, M.A. (2012). How fast is fear? Automatic and controlled processing after delay and trace fear conditioning. Journal of Psychophysiology, 26(1), 20-28. Doi: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000063

Lyby, P.S., Åsli, O., Forsberg, J.T., & Flaten, M.A. (2012). Induced fear reduces the effectiveness of a placebo intervention on pain. Pain, 153, 1114-1121.

Flaten, M.A. & Al'Absi, M. (2012). The placebo effect. In M. Gellman & J. R. Turner (eds.) Encyclopaedia of Behavioral Medicine, Springer (1497-1499).

Flaten, M.A. (2012). The nocebo effect. In Encyclopaedia of Behavioral Medicine, In M. Gellman & J. R. Turner (eds.) Encyclopaedia of Behavioral Medicine, Springer (1340-1341).

Pris for yngre forskarar, University of Tromsø, 1996.

Magne Arve Flaten. Tlph: 774 44344(w). Fax: 776 45610. E-mail: magne.flaten@uit.no

Head, Department of Psychology. Professor of biological psychology, University of Tromsø.

Education

1981-1986        Cand. Psychol., University of Oslo (UiO)

1986                 Licensed clinical psychologist.

1990                 Dr. Psychol. (PhD), University of Bergen (UiB).

Positions

1987-1990        Four-year scholarship in somatic psychology from the UiB.

1990-1994        Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø (UiT).

1994-1995        Fulbright Scholar, Neuroscience Laboratories, Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, SC

1994-1999        Professor of Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, UiT.

1999-2000        Professor of Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

2000-               Professor of Biological Psychology, UiT

2003-2004        Visiting professor, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

2005-2008        Dean of Research, Faculty of Social Science, UiT

2008-present     Head, Department of Psychology, UiT

Administrative experience

1990-1999        Coordinator for biological and developmental psychology, at the graduate program in psychology, UiTø.

1995-1999        Head, Dr. Psychol. committee, UiTø.

1999-2000        Head, Section for Biological Psychology, Dept. Psychology, NTNU.

1999-2000        Member, the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics, Health Region IV

2000-2009        Head, Section for Biological Psychology, UiT

2000-2009        Head, PhD-programme in psychology, UiT

2008                Chair, committee for new guidelines for distribution of work hours for research, teaching and administration at the UiT

2009                Chair, NOKUT-committee for evaluation of PhD-programme in behaviour analysis, Akershus University College.

Funding

Norwegian Research Council 1988-2011. Nansen Foundation 1988-1990. Chr. Houens Legat 1990-1993. Norway - America Foundation 1990-1993. Council for Psychiatric Health 1990-1993, 1997-1998. Fulbright Foundation 1994-1995. Research on the Elderly, University Hospital North Norway 1997, 2006. The Norwegian Cancer Foundation 2001. The Bial Foundation 2002-2013. Helse Nord 2009-2012.

Received the Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Research from the UiTø in 1996.

Professional affiliations and duties

Member: Norsk Psykologforening, Society for Psychophysiological Research, and Society for Neuroscience.

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Behavior Analysis, Journal of Caffeine Research, and European Psychologist.

European Research Council Panel Evaluator 2007-. Volkswagen Foundation evaluator 2008.

Chair, Organising Committee, International Conferences on Imaging in Neuroscience, Tromsø, 2007, 2009 and 2011. Member, Scientific Committee, European Congress of Psychology, Oslo 2009.

Media interest

The research project "Mechanisms underlying the placebo response" has been presented in NRK TV1 "Schrödingers Katt" 02/08; Norway's largest newspaper VG, the newspapers Dagbladet, Tromsø and Nordlys, and the journals Legemidler og Samfunn (Pharmaceuticals and Society), Sykepleieren (The Nurse), and Balanse (the journal of The Council for Psychiatric Health).Several interviews, e.g. the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation P1 and P2, P4, Norsk Telegrambyrå and Radio 1 Oslo, UiT's Labyrint. NRK "Norgesglasset", "Radioselskapet", "Verdt å vite",  "Schrödingers Katt", "Grosvold", "Puls" and a number of other publications from 1993 to today.

Referee

Occasional referee for Annals of Behavioral Medicine; Archives of General Psychiatry; Behavioral Neuroscience; Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers; Biological Psychology; Cognition & Emotion; Drug Safety; European Journal of Behavior Analysis;European Psychologist; Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental; International Journal of Pharmaceutical Medicine; International Journal of Psychophysiology; Journal of Neurology; Journal of Pain; Journal of Psychiatric Research; Journal of Psychophysiology; Journal of Psychosomatic Research; Lancet; Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment; Neuroscience; Psychological Science; Psycholoquy; Psychopharmacology; Psychophysiology; Psychosomatic Medicine; Scandinavian Journal of Psychology; and Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening.

Evaluations

Has been a member or led a number of evaluations of scientific personnel at the UiT, UiB, UiO, Akershus University College and Østfold College. Has evaluated and been opponent on five PhD-thesis (UiO, UiB, University of Brisbane, Australia). Has evaluated exams at all levels at the UiO, UiB, NTNU and UiT.

Supervision and teaching

Supervised three PhDs (Åke Elden, 2003; Per M. Aslaksen, 2008; Ole Åsli, 2009) and supervises four PhD students (Bjørkedal, Lyby, Vambheim, Forsberg) and one post-doc (Åsli). Has supervised a number of Master's theses and theses at lower levels. Has taught at all levels at universities and colleges in Norway, including courses at the PhD levels in experimental design and statistics, publishing, and research ethics.