Kjetil Vikene

Kjetil Vikene is an associate professor at the Department of Biological and Medical Psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway. He holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, specializing in rhythm perception in persons with neurodegenerative diseases, but with a general interest in the interplay between music and the brain.

The last few years he has led a music therapy intervention study – teaching persons with Parkinson’s disease how to play the drumkit – collecting data ranging from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI-scanning) and behavioural data, to cognitive tests and quality of life-questionnaires.

Vikene also frequently writes about live music performances for different national magazines and is also passionate about science communication – both as a reviewer of popular science books for the national press and in his role as general secretary for the Bergen Society for the Advancement of Science. He is also an amateur musician.