Hanna Ljung PsyD PhD

Career
2019 – now: Co-founder, co-owner Ljung & Reimers LLC, Malmö, Sweden
2009 – now:  Dept. of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
2010 – 2014: Pediatric Clinic of Neurology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
2007 – 2009: Memory Disorder Center, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg,
Sweden
 
Education
2018:               Doctorate of Philosophy, Medical Faculty, Lund University, Sweden
2010 – 2014: Specialist training in neuropsychology
2001 – 2007: Doctorate of Psychology (licensed & registered psychologist), Lund University, Sweden
 
Experience & skills

• Prospective clinical studies of cognition in epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, cardiac arrest, brain tumors, mild cognitive impairment and dementia
• Initiating, organizing and executing interdisciplinary national and international projects  
• Cognition in neurological and non-neurological disorders
• Cognition and drugs
• Forensic neuropsychology: written and oral presentation of scientific and clinical neuropsychological expert opinions in Swedish District Courts and Courts of Appeal (criminal law & civil law)
• Scientific writing – articles, book chapters, legal documents and popular science
• Common knowledge in IT (Excel, Windows, SPSS, etc.)
• Languages: Swedish, English, Norwegian, Danish

Commitments and memberships
Lecturer/teacher for:

• Psychologists specializing in neuropsychology
• Physicians specializing in neurology, neurophysiology, radiology
• Nurses, paramedics, patient organizations, pharmaceutical companies

 
Co-author:

• National Guideline for Treatment of Epilepsy, 2018
• National health care program for treatment of epilepsy, 2021 – now
• National health care program for treatment of brain tumor, 2022 – now

 
Supervisor for psychologists in training, 2015 – now
 
Peer reviewer:
Scientific journals (Epilepsia, Epilepsy Surgery, Neuropsychiatric Disorders & Treatment etc.) 
 
Board member:

• Swedish Epilepsy Surgery Group
• Nordic Epilepsy Surgery Research
• Swedish Neuropsychological Association
• Advisory board: screening tool for cognitive side-effects from antiepileptic drugs, UCB Pharma

 
Memberships:

• Swedish Psychological Association
• Swedish Neuropsychological Association
• American Psychology Association: Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (division 40), American Psychology-Law Society (division 41)
• European Association of Psychology and Law
• Swedish Epilepsy Association
• Royal Society of Medicine

 
Neuropsychologist in charge of the neuropsychological database (part of the Swedish Registry for Epilepsy Surgery), 2020 – now

Publications
A. Original papers & Reviews

1. Reimers A, Odin P, Ljung H. Drug-Induced Cognitive Impairment. Drug Safety 2024 Dec 24. doi: 10.1007/s40264-024-01506-5. Epub ahead of print. 
2. Reimers A, Ljung H. Cognitive Safety is Largely Ignored in Clinical Drug Trials: A Study of Registered Study Protocols. Drug Saf. 2024 Jan;47(1):23-28.
3. Blennow Nordström E, Vestberg S, Evald L, Mion M, Segerström M, Ullén S, Bro-Jeppesen J, Friberg H, Heimburg K, Grejs AM, Keeble TR, Kirkegaard H, Ljung H, Rose S, Wise MP, Rylander C, Undén J, Nielsen N, Cronberg T, Lilja G. Neuropsychological outcome after cardiac arrest: results from a sub-study of the targeted hypothermia versus targeted normothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (TTM2) trial. Crit Care. 2023 Aug 26;27(1):328
4. Ljung H, Berron D, Björkman-Burtscher IM, Compagno Strandberg M. 7T MRI: Structure Correlated with Memory Functions in Difficult to Treat Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Manuscript in preparation
5. Blennow-Nordström Erik, Lilja Gisela, Vestberg Susanna et al. Neuropsychological outcome after cardiac arrest: A prospective case control sub-study of the Targeted hypothermia versus targeted normothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest trial (TTM2). BMC Vascular Disorders 2020 20(1)
6. Yoo JG, Jakabek D, Ljung H, Velakoulis D, van Westen D, Looi JCL, Källén K. MRI morphology of the hippocampus in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy: shape inflation of left hippocampus and correlation of right-sided hippocampal volume and shape with visuospatial function in patients with right-sided TLE. J Clin Neurosci 2019 sep;67-68-74
7. Reimers A, Ljung H. The emerging role of omega-3 fatty acids in neuropsychiatric disorders. Ther Advances Psychopharmacol 2019;9: 1-18
8. Reimers A, Ljung H. An evaluation of zonisamide, including its long-term efficacy, for the treatment of focal epilepsy. Exp Opin Pharmacother 2019;20(8): 909-915
9. Ljung H, Compagno Strandberg M, Björkman-Burtscher IM, Psouni E, Källén K. Test-specific differences in verbal memory assessments used prior to surgery in temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior 2018:25;87:18-24
10. Hansen C, Ljung H, Brodtkorb E, Reimers A. Aggressive behavior induced by antiepileptic drugs. Behavioural Neurology 2018:2064027
11. Hansson O, Palmqvist S, Ljung H, Cronberg T, van Westen D, Smith R. Cerebral hypoperfusion is not associated with an increase in amyloid β pathology in middle-aged or elderly people. Alzheimer’s Dement 2018;14:54-61
12. Ljung H, Strandberg M, Bengzon J, Källén K. Response: Memory decline from hippocampal electrodes? Let’s not forget statistics and study design. Epilepsia 2018;59:503-50
13. Strandberg M, Mannfolk P, Stenberg L, Ljung H, Rorsman I, Larsson EM, van Westen D, Källén K. A Functional MRI-Based Model for Individual Memory Assessment in Patients Eligible for Anterior Temporal Lobe Resection. Open Neuroimag J 2017;11:1-16
14. Ljung H, Nordlund A, Strandberg M, Bengzon J, Källén K. Verbal memory decline from hippocampal depth electrodes in temporal lobe surgery for epilepsy. Epilepsia 2017;58:2143-2152

 
B. Other
12.   Ljung H, Reimers A. (organizers and lecturers). Drugs and cognition - specialist education course for neuropsychologists given first on 15 – 18 November 2021 (recurring, 2 times annually).
13.   Ljung H, Reimers A: Drugs and Cognition. Book chapter. In: Nyman H, Bartfai A (eds): Clinical Neuropsychology, Studentlitteratur. Lund, Sweden. In press.
14.   Ljung H: Neurodegenerative Disorders. Book chapter. In: Nyman H, Bartfai A (eds): Clinical Neuropsychology, Studentlitteratur. Lund, Sweden. In press.
15.   Ljung H, Rorsman I: Epilepsy. Book chapter. In: Nyman H, Bartfai A (eds): Clinical Neuropsychology, Studentlitteratur. Lund, Sweden. In press.
16.   Ljung H. Predictors of Verbal Memory Deficits from Temporal Lobe Surgery in Epilepsy. Thesis. Medicinska fakulteten, Lunds Universitet, 2018
17.   Swedish National Guidelines for Epilepsy Treatment, Socialstyrelsen, 2018
18.   Epilepsy surgery, Science & Health, 2017 (popular science article)