Karin Nordström
Researcher at Department of Medical Cell Biology; Research group Karin Nordström
- E-mail:
- karin.nordstrom@uu.se
- Visiting address:
- BMC
Husargatan 3
751 23 Uppsala - Postal address:
- Box 571
751 23 UPPSALA
- Academic merits:
- PhD, Associate Professor
Short presentation
My research group works on the neural mechanisms underlying motion detection in the fly brain. For more, check my up-to-date homepage.
Biography
Jan 2010: Docent in Neurophysiology, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University.
April 2010 – present: Visiting Lecturer, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide
2009 – present. Presentation technique coordinator for The Biomedical Program, Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University. 10% appointment.
June 2009 – present: Swedish Research Council (VR) Research Fellow (Forskarassistent, 4 years), Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University.
Jan 2008 – May 2009: Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Fellow (APD, 3 years), School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide.
May 2007 – May 2009: Lecturer in Physiology (continuing appointment), School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, the University of Adelaide.
April – Dec 2006: Maternity leave.
Jan 2005 – April 2007: Swedish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow (2 years), School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide.
2004: Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, with Dr. David O’Carroll.
Jan – April 2004: Research associate, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, with Prof. Caroline McMillen.
1999 – 2003: PhD, Department of Cell & Organism Biology, Unit of Zoology, Lund University and Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Pharmacology, Uppsala University.

Publications
Recent publications
Image statistics substantiate Gaudí's naturalistic design principles
Part of Scientific Reports, 2025
- DOI for Image statistics substantiate Gaudí's naturalistic design principles
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Part of The Science of Nature, 2025
- DOI for Innate floral object identification in a solitary pollinator employs a combination of both visual and olfactory cues
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Combining Unity with machine vision to create low latency, flexible and simple virtual realities
Part of Methods in Ecology and Evolution, p. 126-144, 2024
- DOI for Combining Unity with machine vision to create low latency, flexible and simple virtual realities
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Part of Current Biology, 2023
Part of Ecology and Evolution, 2023
- DOI for Temperature during pupal development affects hoverfly developmental time, adult life span, and wing length
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All publications
Articles in journal
Image statistics substantiate Gaudí's naturalistic design principles
Part of Scientific Reports, 2025
- DOI for Image statistics substantiate Gaudí's naturalistic design principles
- Download full text (pdf) of Image statistics substantiate Gaudí's naturalistic design principles
Part of The Science of Nature, 2025
- DOI for Innate floral object identification in a solitary pollinator employs a combination of both visual and olfactory cues
- Download full text (pdf) of Innate floral object identification in a solitary pollinator employs a combination of both visual and olfactory cues
Combining Unity with machine vision to create low latency, flexible and simple virtual realities
Part of Methods in Ecology and Evolution, p. 126-144, 2024
- DOI for Combining Unity with machine vision to create low latency, flexible and simple virtual realities
- Download full text (pdf) of Combining Unity with machine vision to create low latency, flexible and simple virtual realities
Part of Current Biology, 2023
Part of Ecology and Evolution, 2023
- DOI for Temperature during pupal development affects hoverfly developmental time, adult life span, and wing length
- Download full text (pdf) of Temperature during pupal development affects hoverfly developmental time, adult life span, and wing length
Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) pursuit of artificial targets
Part of Journal of Experimental Biology, 2023
- DOI for Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) pursuit of artificial targets
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Descending neurons of the hoverfly respond to pursuits of artificial targets
Part of Current Biology, p. 4392-440400000, 2023
- DOI for Descending neurons of the hoverfly respond to pursuits of artificial targets
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Efference copies: Context matters when ignoring self-induced motion
Part of Current Biology, 2021
Facilitation of neural responses to targets moving flow
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021
- DOI for Facilitation of neural responses to targets moving flow
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The impulse response of optic flow-sensitive descending neurons to roll m-sequences
Part of Journal of Experimental Biology, 2021
- DOI for The impulse response of optic flow-sensitive descending neurons to roll m-sequences
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Visual motion sensitivity in descending neurons in the hoverfly.
Part of Journal of Comparative Physiology A. Sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, p. 149-163, 2020
- DOI for Visual motion sensitivity in descending neurons in the hoverfly.
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Persistent Firing and Adaptation in Optic-Flow-Sensitive Descending Neurons
Part of Current Biology, p. 2739-274800, 2020
- DOI for Persistent Firing and Adaptation in Optic-Flow-Sensitive Descending Neurons
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Insect Vision: Novel Mechanism for Contrast Constancy in Dim Light.
Part of Current Biology, 2020
Acute sleep loss induces signs of visual discomfort in young men
Part of Journal of Sleep Research, 2019
- DOI for Acute sleep loss induces signs of visual discomfort in young men
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Image statistics of the environment surrounding freely behaving hoverflies
Part of Journal of Comparative Physiology A. Sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, p. 373-385, 2019
- DOI for Image statistics of the environment surrounding freely behaving hoverflies
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Rearing and Long-Term Maintenance of Eristalis tenax Hoverflies for Research Studies.
Part of Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2018
Visual approach computation in feeding hoverflies
Part of Journal of Experimental Biology, 2018
Part of Journal of Neuroscience, p. 10725-10733, 2018
- DOI for Integration of Small- and Wide-Field Visual Features in Target-Selective Descending Neurons of both Predatory and Non-Predatory Dipterans
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A Novel Interception Strategy in a Miniature Robber Fly with Extreme Visual Acuity
Part of Current Biology, p. 854-859, 2017
In situ modeling of multimodal floral cues attracting wild pollinators across environments
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, p. 13218-13223, 2017
- DOI for In situ modeling of multimodal floral cues attracting wild pollinators across environments
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The price of looking sexy: visual ecology of a three-level predator–prey system
Part of Functional Ecology, p. 707-718, 2017
Hoverfly locomotor activity is resilient to external influence and intrinsic factors
Part of Journal of Comparative Physiology A. Sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, p. 45-54, 2016
- DOI for Hoverfly locomotor activity is resilient to external influence and intrinsic factors
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Target detection in insects: optical, neural and behavioral optimizations
Part of Current Opinion in Neurobiology, p. 122-128, 2016
A higher order visual neuron tuned to the spatial amplitude spectra of natural scenes
Part of Nature Communications, 2015
- DOI for A higher order visual neuron tuned to the spatial amplitude spectra of natural scenes
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Spatio-temporal dynamics of impulse responses to figure motion in optic flow neurons
Part of PLOS ONE, 2015
- DOI for Spatio-temporal dynamics of impulse responses to figure motion in optic flow neurons
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The Killer Fly Hunger Games: Target Size and Speed Predict Decision to Pursuit
Part of Brain, behavior, and evolution, p. 28-37, 2015
p. 83-105, 2014
2014
Robust prey detection in a small nervous system
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, p. 389-390, 2013
Novel Flicker-Sensitive Visual Circuit Neurons Inhibited by Stationary Patterns
Part of Journal of Neuroscience, p. 8980-8989, 2013
- DOI for Novel Flicker-Sensitive Visual Circuit Neurons Inhibited by Stationary Patterns
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Invertebrate vision: Peripheral adaptation to repeated object motion
Part of Current Biology, 2013
Temporal and spatial adaptation of transient responses to local features
Part of Frontiers in Neural Circuits, p. 1-12, 2012
Octopaminergic modulation of contrast sensitivity
Part of Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 2012
Higher-order motion sensitivity in fly visual circuits
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, p. 8758-8763, 2012
Neural specializations for small target detection in insects
Part of Current Opinion in Neurobiology, p. 272-278, 2012
Spatial facilitation by a high-performance dragonfly target-detecting neuron
Part of Biology Letters, p. 588-592, 2011
- DOI for Spatial facilitation by a high-performance dragonfly target-detecting neuron
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Local and global responses of insect motion detectors to the spatial structure of natural scenes
Part of Journal of Vision, p. 20, 2011
Rapid contrast gain reduction following motion adaptation
Part of Journal of Experimental Biology, p. 4000-4009, 2011
Motion adaptation and the velocity coding of natural scenes
Part of Current Biology, p. 994-999, 2010
First year expectations and experiences: Student and teacher perspectives
Part of Higher Education, p. 157-173, 2009
Local and large-range inhibition in feature detection
Part of Journal of Neuroscience, p. 14143-14150, 2009
Feature detection and the hypercomplex property in insects.
Part of TINS - Trends in Neurosciences, p. 383-391, 2009
The motion after-effect: local and global contributions to contrast sensitivity.
Part of Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences, p. 1545-1554, 2009
Sexual dimorphism in the hoverfly motion vision pathway.
Part of Current Biology, p. 661-667, 2008
Neural mechanisms underlying target detection in a dragonfly centrifugal neuron.
Part of Journal of Experimental Biology, p. 3277-3284, 2007
Retinotopic organization of small-field-target-detecting neurons in the insect visual system.
Part of Current Biology, p. 569-578, 2007
Insect detection of small targets moving in visual clutter.
Part of PLoS biology, 2006
Small object detection neurons in female hoverflies.
Part of Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences, p. 1211-6, 2006
Prediction of transcription factor binding to DNA using rule induction methods
Part of Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics - JIB, p. 42, 2006
- DOI for Prediction of transcription factor binding to DNA using rule induction methods
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Part of Genomics, p. 852-72, 2004
A simple visual system without neurons in jellyfish larvae.
Part of Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences, p. 2349-54, 2003
Part of Gene, p. 81-7, 2003
Articles, review/survey
Image statistics and their processing in insect vision
Part of Current Opinion in Insect Science, p. 7-14, 2017
- DOI for Image statistics and their processing in insect vision
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Evolution of vertebrate rod and cone phototransduction genes
Part of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences, p. 2867-2880, 2009
Chapters in book
Identification of the Reichardt elementary motion detector model
Part of Signal and Image Analysis for Biomedical and Life Sciences, p. 83-105, Springer, 2015
Conference papers
On identification of elementary motion detectors
Part of Computational Models for Life Sciences, p. 14-23, 2013
Laguerre Domain Identification of the Elementary Motion Detector Model in Insect Vision
Part of Adaptation and Learning in Control and Signal Processing, p. 623-628, 2013
Part of Proceedings of 7th International conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing, p. 131-136, 2011
Part of Proc. Second. Int. ICSC Symposium Brain Inspired Cognitive Systems (BICS), p. 34-34, 2006