Research interests:

• Etiology of emotion regulation difficulties 
• Relation between cognitive control and emotion regulation difficulties.
• Interception
• Psychophysiology/heart rate variability
• Role of alexithymia in psychopathology and treatment
• Psychotherapy research

Emotion regulation difficulties are common for individuals who have experienced aversive life events and invalidation and for some individuals with cognitive difficulties such as attention difficulties. In my research, an important measure in the study of emotion regulation difficulties has been heart rate variability (HRV) in combination with clinical, experimental, and self-report measures. HRV is considered an index of the nervous system’s ability to flexibly adapt to changing environmental demands and a biological index of emotion regulation. In my research, HRV is also applied to investigate functional aspects of phenomena related to emotion regulation difficulties, such as alexithymia, emotional bias, internalizing difficulties, and emotion regulation strategies, both in psychopathological (major depression, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and ADHD) and healthy samples.  In relation to psychotherapeutic interventions for emotion regulation difficulties, my research interest is particularly in non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH), and its relation to attention disorders and difficulties with pragmatic language. 

One transdiagnostic factor that predicts both the severity of psychopathology and prognosis is alexithymia, which refers to difficulty in verbalizing, experiencing, and differentiating emotions. An important aspect of my current and future research is developing tools to identify and study this phenomenon experimentally. It is of great importance to study both the differential manifestation of alexithymia and to study its prevalence in psychiatric populations. Furthermore, I am interested in therapeutic interventions that target and alleviate these difficulties because of their prognostic importance. This interest has a broad scope, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Unified Protocol.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Berge-Osnes

https://bymag.no/2022/03/susanne-slet-med-selvskading-i-flere-ar-det-starter-i-desperasjon

https://www.lmd.no/2017/10/hjernen-gjor-motstand/

Primary teaching responsibilities are associated with the professional psychology program within the following topics:

• Psychological treatment (PRPSYK311A, PRPSYK311B, PRPSYK312A)
• Personality disorders (PRPSYK313)
• Philosophy of science topics (PRPSYKVIT) 

In addition, Osnes is the section leader for the section for adults and the elderly at the Psychological University Clinic (Psykologisk universitetspoliklinikk)

Osnes has also extensive experience in teaching psychophysiology (PRPSYK303), cognitive neuroscience (PRPSYK304), and neuropsychological testing (PRPSYK306).

Academic article

• Marie Munch; Berge Osnes; Virginia Peisch et al. (2025). The association between reaction time variability and social problems in children with ADHD: support for the role of attentional fluctuations in social interactions. (external link)
• Steven Hicks; Andrea Stautland; Ole Bernt Fasmer et al. (2021). HYPERAKTIV: An Activity Dataset from Patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). (external link)
• Elisabeth Schanche; Jon Vøllestad; Endre Visted et al. (2021). Self-criticism and self-reassurance in individuals with recurrent depression: Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and relationship to relapse. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Simen Røssland Berrefjord; Pauline Georgees Poless et al. (2022). Low heart rate variability is associated with a negativity valence bias in interpreting ambiguous emotional expressions. (external link)
• Julie Lillebostad Svendsen; Elisabeth Schanche; Berge Osnes et al. (2020). Is Dispositional Self-Compassion Associated With Psychophysiological Flexibility Beyond Mindfulness? An Exploratory Pilot Study. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2011). Increased activation in superior temporal gyri as a function of increment in phonetic features. (external link)
• Julian Koenig; Birgit Abler; Ingrid Agartz et al. (2020). Cortical thickness and resting‐state cardiac function across the lifespan: A cross‐sectional pooled mega‐analysis. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; René Westerhausen; Berge Osnes et al. (2012). Language lateralization and cognitive control across the menstrual cycle assessed with a dichotic-listening paradigm. (external link)
• Endre Visted; Lin Sørensen; Jon Vøllestad et al. (2019). The association between juvenile onset of depression and emotion regulation difficulties. (external link)
• Birgitte Berentsen; Bharath Halandur Nagaraja; Erica Persson Teige et al. (2020). Study protocol of the Bergen brain-gut-microbiota-axis study: A prospective case-report characterization and dietary intervention study to evaluate the effects of microbiota alterations on cognition and anatomical and functional brain connectivity in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; Markus Hausmann; Berge Osnes et al. (2014). Resting states are resting traits - An fMRI study of sex differences and menstrual cycle effects in resting state cognitive control networks. (external link)
• Julie Lillebostad Svendsen; Elisabeth Schanche; Jon Vøllestad et al. (2022). Self-Compassion and Its Association With Ruminative Tendencies and Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability in Recurrent Major Depression. (external link)
• Elisabet Kvadsheim; Ole Bernt Fasmer; Berge Osnes et al. (2020). Lower Cardiac Vagal Activity Predicts Self-Reported Difficulties With Emotion Regulation in Adolescents With ADHD. (external link)
• Leila Marie Frid; Ute Kessler; Olga Therese Ousdal et al. (2023). Neurobiological mechanisms of ECT and TMS treatment in depression: study protocol of a multimodal magnetic resonance investigation. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2011). Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Josef J Bless; Karsten Specht et al. (2025). The Relation Between Auditory Cognitive Control and Vagally‐Mediated Heart Rate Variability in and Outside the Lab: Differential Effects of Circadian Rhythm?. (external link)
• Julie Lillebostad Svendsen; Berge Osnes; Per-Einar Binder et al. (2016). Trait self-compassion reflects emotional flexibility through an association with high vagally mediated heart rate variability. (external link)
• Elisabet Kvadsheim; Ole Bernt Fasmer; Erlend Eindride Fasmer et al. (2022). Innovative approaches in investigating inter-beat intervals: Graph theoretical method suggests altered autonomic functioning in adolescents with ADHD. (external link)
• Jon Vøllestad; Berge Osnes; Elisabeth Schanche (2023). Unified Protocol. Transdiagnostisk behandling for emosjonelle lidelser. (external link)
• Endre Visted; Lin Sørensen; Berge Osnes et al. (2017). The association between self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation and heart rate variability: The salient role of not accepting negative emotions. (external link)
• Lin Sørensen; Berge Osnes; Endre Visted et al. (2018). Dispositional mindfulness and attentional control: The specific association between the mindfulness facets of non-judgment and describing with flexibility of early operating orienting in conflict detection. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2010). Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Lin Sørensen; Sam Vincent Wass; Berge Osnes et al. (2019). A psychophysiological investigation of the interplay between orienting and executive control during stimulus conflict: A heart rate variability study. (external link)
• Marie Munch; Signe Hjelen Stige; Steinunn Adolfsdottir et al. (2025). “They are just as different as the rest of us”–a focus group study of primary teachers’ perceptions of children with ADHD who struggle socially. (external link)
• Elisabet Kvadsheim; Lin Sørensen; Ole Bernt Fasmer et al. (2022). Vagally mediated heart rate variability, stress, and perceived social support: a focus on sex differences. (external link)
• Louise Bjerrum; Lin Sørensen; Inger Hilde Nordhus et al. (2026). Does exposure to artificial light in the morning reduce reaction time variability during cognitive control processing?. (external link)
• Louise Bjerrum; Endre Visted; Inger Hilde Nordhus et al. (2025). Light of both high and low melanopic illuminance improves alertness and attention during daytime. (external link)
• Elisabeth Schanche; Jon Vøllestad; Endre Visted et al. (2020). The effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on risk and protective factors of depressive relapse – a randomized wait-list controlled trial. (external link)
• Hans Petter Brodal; Berge Osnes; Karsten Specht (2017). Listening to rhythmic music reduces connectivity within the basal ganglia and the reward system. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2012). Stimulus expectancy modulates inferior frontal gyrus and premotor cortex activity in auditory perception. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl (2009). Detection of differential speech-specific processes in the temporal lobe using fMRI and a dynamic "sound morphing" technique. (external link)
• Elisabeth Schanche; Jon Vøllestad; Per-Einar Binder et al. (2019). Can clinical psychology students benefit from brief and intensive mindfulness training?. (external link)
• Andrea Stautland; Petter Jakobsen; Ole Bernt Fasmer et al. (2023). Reduced heart rate variability during mania in a repeated naturalistic observational study. (external link)

Conference poster

• Berge Osnes; K Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2009). Speech sensitivity in early auditory processes. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2007). Soundmorphing": Tracing the differential perception of speech and music with gradually manipulated sound spectra. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2010). Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl (2008). Dance floor in the brain. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; Marco Hirnstein; Berge Osnes et al. (2009). The neural basis of left-right decisions – a pilot fMRI study. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Helge Nordby; Tom Eichele et al. (2009). Mismatch negativity responses to parametrically varied speech and music sounds. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2011). Instruction dependent activations during a speech perception task. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2007). “Soundmorphing”: Tracing the differential perception of speech and music with gradually manipulated sound spectra. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2010). Speech Sounds Initiate Effective Connectivity between Auditory and Premotor Areas. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2010). Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl (2010). Dance floor in the brain. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Helene Hjelmervik; Berge Osnes et al. (2010). Differential inferior frontal activation by an implicit lexical decision task. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Berge Osnes (2010). Dynamic causal modelling reveals involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2009). Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception. (external link)
• Malika Elise Hansen; Silje Mæland; Lars T. Fadnes et al. (2023). Light exposure, sleep quality, and sleepiness as predictors of memory decline in older adults: A cohort study from Norway. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; René Westerhausen; Berge Osnes et al. (2012). Intra-individual differences in cognitive control across the menstrual cycle assessed with the dichotic listening paradigm. (external link)
• Oda Bugge Kambestad; Endre Visted; Berge Osnes et al. (2023). Effect of light on an emotional go/no-go task in young adults. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2011). Instruction 
dependent 
modulation
 of 
speech

 production
 areas 
in 
auditory
perception. (external link)
• Louise Bruland Bjerrum; Oda Bugge Kambestad; Lin Sørensen et al. (2024). The Acute Effects of Artificial Light on Attention and Emotional Processing. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; René Westerhausen; Berge Osnes et al. (2012). Executive functions & frontal lobe: Cognitive control modulation of ear advantage across the menstrual cycle assessed by a dichotic listening paradigm. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Helene Hjelmervik et al. (2010). Differential Processing of Phonetic and Non-phonetic Information Involving the Same Areas in Superior Temporal Gyrus. (external link)
• Helene Hjelmervik; Berge Osnes; Karsten Specht (2012). Sex differences in resting state activity within the inferior frontal gyrus is only evident when women are in the follicular phase. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Helge Nordby; Tom Eichele et al. (2011). Asymmetric Mismatch Negativity Responses to Parametrically Varied Speech and Music Sounds. (external link)
• Oda Bugge Kambestad; Endre Visted; Berge Osnes et al. (2023). The effects of different Light Conditions on Emotional Processing in Young Adults. (external link)

Conference lecture

• Bjørn Brunborg; Anne Marita Milde; Berge Osnes et al. (2022). Foreldrestøtte ved ADHD vansker. (external link)
• Karsten Specht; Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl (2008). When a sound becomes speech. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Kenneth Hugdahl; Karsten Specht (2010). “Non-auditory” involvement in auditory perception. (external link)
• Bjørn Brunborg; Anne Marita Milde; Berge Osnes et al. (2023). Parent training for ADHD difficulties. (external link)
• Anne Marita Milde; Berge Osnes; Lin Sørensen et al. (2022). Foreldreveiledning ved ADHD vansker hos barn - forskningsevaluering av tiltaket. (external link)
• Bjørn Brunborg; Anne Marita Milde; Berge Osnes et al. (2022). De Utrolige Årene foreldreveiledning rettet mot ADHD vansker. (external link)
• Bjørn Brunborg; Anne Marita Milde; Berge Osnes et al. (2022). Foreldrestøtte ved ADHD vansker - De Utrolige Årene. (external link)
• Lin Sørensen; Elisabeth Schanche; Steinunn Adolfsdottir et al. (2016). The functional interaction between attention networks reflects enhanced flexible and adaptive abilities – as measured with heart rate variability. (external link)
• Joakim N. Kolle; André Høberg; Amalie Austgulen et al. (2025). Emotion Dysregulation in Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The predictive value of core ADHD symptoms. (external link)
• Berge Osnes; Jan Reinert Karlsen (2016). This is not a brain: The problem of data visualisation in cognitive neuroscience. (external link)

Media feature article

• Jan Reinert Karlsen; Berge Osnes (2017). Hjernen gjør motstand. (external link)

Report

• Louise Bjerrum; Endre Visted; Inger Hilde Nordhus et al. (2024). Acute Effects of Polychromatic and Monochromatic Light Modalities on Measures of Sustained Attention. (external link)
• Malika Elise Hansen; Lin Sørensen; Line Iden Berge et al. (2025). The Acute Alerting Effects of Artificial Lighting among Older Adults. (external link)

Study protocol

• Ane Wilhelmsen-Langeland; Berge Osnes; Michael Gradisar et al. (2025). Group bright light therapy compared to treatment as usual for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder among patients in psychiatric care (the SIP trials): a protocol for a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. (external link)
• Ane Wilhelmsen-Langeland; Ingvild W. Saxvig; Michael Gradisar et al. (2025). Group cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia compared with treatment as usual for sleep problems in psychiatric care (the SIP trials): a protocol for a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. (external link)
• Maximilian Bayas; Tobias D. Kockler; Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga et al. (2024). Dynamics of affect modulation in neurodevelopmental disorders (DynAMoND) – study design of a prospective cohort study. (external link)

Conference abstract

• Louise Bjerrum; Lin Sørensen; Berge Osnes et al. (2024). The acute effects of artificial light on aspects of sustained attention. (external link)

Doctoral thesis (PhD)

• Berge Osnes (2012). Temporal and Posterior Frontal Involvement in Auditory Speech Perception. (external link)

Academic book chapter

• Lin Sørensen; Berge Osnes; Per-Einar Binder et al. (2015). Attentional Lapses as a Transdiagnostic Factor to Target Treatment in Mental Health Disorders: The Role of Mindfulness Training. (external link)

Lecture

• Berge Osnes; Joakim Njaastad Kolle (2025). Emosjonsregulering ved emosjonell ustabil personlighetsforstyrrelse, bipolar lidelser og ADHD: Presentasjon av prosjektet "Dynamics of Affect Modulation in Neurpdevelopmental Disorders". (external link)

Journal corrigendum

• Julie Lillebostad Svendsen; Berge Osnes; Per-Einar Binder et al. (2018). Correction to: Trait Self-Compassion Reflects Emotional Flexibility Through an Association with High Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability\. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (Unified Protocol):

The Unified Protocol (UP) focuses on underlying emotion regulation difficulties that are common across various mental disorders. This project consists of multiple components. A feasibility study of UP has been initiated in a Norwegian context. The project will also enable the investigation of potential changes in interoceptive ability (sensing internal bodily functions like the heart and respiration) and heart rate variability (which is linked to emotion regulation ability) in individuals undergoing treatment within the framework of UP. Professor Elisabeth Schanche, Associate Professor Jon Vøllestand, and Associate Professor Berge Osnes lead this project. A larger European multisite study (RCT) involving units from Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Denmark, and Norway is planned. In this part of the project, new digital solutions and technological tools, such as smartphone apps, will be utilized and tested.

Sleep in Psychiatric Care (SIP): A Transdiagnostic Group-based Sleep School as Treatment for Comorbid Sleep Disorders:

This project involves manualizing non-pharmacological sleep treatment in groups for people with psychiatric illness and substance use disorders. It offers an evidence-based approach to delivering non-pharmacological sleep treatment to people with psychiatric illness and SUD with comorbid insomnia and delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD). Dr. Ane Wilhelmsen-Langeland is the project leader. The project includes actigraphy, 24-hour heart rate variability monitoring, and regular sleep measurements. It is supported by the DAM Foundation.

https://www.uib.no/fg/sc/142812/sleep-psychiatric-care-sip-transdiagnostic-group-based-sleep-school-treatment-comorbid

Dynamond:

ADHD, bipolar disorder (BipD), and borderline personality disorder (BPersD) are all characterized by fluctuations in affect. In this project, we use the DynAffect model, which posits the existence of an affective attractor (homebase) reflecting an individual's primary affective state. This project proposes the existence of a second "homebase" during depressive episodes. The aim of this project is to analyze mood changes using detailed real-world data from young patients. The goal is to explore both shared and unique aspects of affective fluctuations across these disorders and to link external stressors to their affective state.

The project is funded by the EU (ERA-NET NEURON https://www.neuron-eranet.eu) and involves multiple units across Europe, coordinated by Dr. Professor Andreas Reif (University Hospital Frankfurt). The Norwegian unit is led by Professor Jan Haavik (project leader), Associate Professor Anne Halmøy, Professor Astrid Lundervold, and Associate Professor Berge Osnes.

https://www.neuron-eranet.eu/projects/DynAMoND/

Other Collaborative Projects:

• ENLIGHT Project https://www.uib.no/fg/bright/133449/enlight
• Neurobiological Mechanisms of ECT and TMS Treatment in Depression
  • Protocol article: https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-05239-0
  • The project is part of GEMRIC https://mmiv.no/how-to-join-gemric/