Major Research Interests

Mechanisms underlying brain repair following stroke and development of restorative therapies to enhance functional recovery.

Research Methods

Experimental stroke models, sensorimotor and cognitive behavioral tests, histology, electron microscopy, stereological counting methods and different imaging modalities (SPECT, MRI).

I work as the head of neurology and professor of neurology at Joensuu where I also work as a general neurologist at North Karelia Central Hospital. I have mainly studied the epidemiology and phenomenology of neurological disorders in Finland, most often concerning movement disorders, stroke and Multiple Sclerosis. Currently main goals are increasing our knowledge of the epidemiology of neurodegenerative disorders to further uncower their etiologies as well as improving the diagnostics and care of neurological disorders.

Academic Degrees

• MD, Kuopio University, 1994
• PhD, Kuopio University, 1995
• Qualified Lecturer, Docent of Experimental Neurology, Kuopio University, 1997
• Specialist in Neurology, Kuopio University, 2003
• Adjunct Professor (Docent), Neurology, Kuopio University, 2006
• Professor, Kuopio University, 2009 –

Major Positions and Appointments

• Researcher, Department of Neurology, Kuopio University, 1989 – 1994
• Junior Researcher, Academy of Finland, 1995 – 1998
• Visiting Scientist, Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), University of Heidelberg, 1997 – 1999
• Resident Physician, Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, 1995 2002
• Chief Physician of Inpatient Clinic, Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, 2003 – 2006
• Chief Physician of Outpatient Clinic, Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, 2007 – 2009
• Chief of Neurological Care Unit (Stroke Unit), Kuopio University Hospital, 2004 – 2009
• Director, The Finnish Brain Research and Rehabilitation Center Neuron, 2009 – 2012
• Professor of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Rehabilitation, UEF, 2009 – 2012
• Director and Chief Physician, NeuroCenter, Kuopio University Hospital, 2012 – present
• Professor of Neurology, UEF, 2012 – present

I am a medical doctor from Kuopio. My research areas include cardiac imaging and physiology, aortic dilation, and the impact of sleep apnea on the heart. I graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Eastern Finland in 2012, obtained my Doctor of Medicine degree in 2019, and specialized in Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine in 2022.

I have nineteen international publications (JUFO categories 1-3), and I have also written national articles and international textbooks. My doctoral dissertation, completed in 2019, examined the relationship between the electrical and mechanical function of the left ventricle in bundle branch block patients. In this research, I used myocardial perfusion imaging, vector ECG, and echocardiography.

In addition to my clinical work in cardiac imaging (KYS, Imaging Center), I work as a researcher in four research groups: the MOMESY research group investigating modern cardiac magnetic methods (principal investigator), the Heart Surgery Imaging Research Group studying aortic dilation (DilAo, KYS), the STAR (Sleep Technology and Analytics Group, UEF) research group conducting sleep research, and the METSIM research group studying the cardiac effects of the metabolic syndrome. Additionally, I serve as the principal investigator for two projects at KYS: “Detection of Coronary Artery Disease with Micro-Electro-Mechanical Sensors (DECADE, Precordior Oy), a project involving the identification of coronary artery disease using microelectromechanical sensors, and a Horizon2020 project focusing on EU-regulated sleep apnea research. I have also worked as a heart health and imaging expert in a multinational breast cancer radiotherapy study and as a research physician in two multinational cardiac medication studies sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.

I have actively participated in professional associations. I have served as the Secretary of the Finnish Medical Association’s Clinical physiology and Nuclear Medicine Section since 2015, and I became its chairman in 2018 (continuing). I also served as the Secretary of the Finnish Society of Clinical Physiology from 2016 to 2020. I have had the honor of serving on the Ethics Committee of the Northern Savo Hospital District since 2021 and as the Vice Chairman of the Imaging Section of the Finnish Cardiac Society since 2022. I am also a member of the international education-promoting committee, the Section of Nuclear Medicine of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), and the European Board of Nuclear Medicine (EBNM) CME Accreditation Committee since 2017.

A19: Sillanmäki S, Vainio HL, Ylä-Herttuala E, Husso M, Hedman M. Measuring cardiac dyssynchrony with DENSE (Displacement encoding with stimulated echoes) — a systematic review. Published Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine Sep 2023

A18: Hietakoste S, Armañac-Julián P, Karhu T, Bailón R, Sillanmäki S, Töyräs J, Leppänen T, Myllymaa S, Kainulainen S. Impaired cardiorespiratory coupling in severe sleep apnea-related hypoxemia. Published IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2023

A17: Sillanmäki S and Iso-Mustajärvi S, 18F-FDG-PET of cardiac sarcoidosis with subcutaneous nodules. Published in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology J Nucl Cardiol 2023

A16: Rissanen M, Korkalainen H, Duce B, Sillanmäki S, Pitkänen H, Suni A, Nikkonen S, Kulkas S, Töyräs J, Leppänen T, Kainulainen S. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients with Atrial Arrhythmias Suffer from Prolonged Recovery from Desaturations. Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 2023; https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2023.3236680.

A15:  Hautanen S, Kiljander T, Korpela T, Saari P, Kokkonen J, Mustonen P, Sillanmäki S, Ylä-Herttuala E, Husso M, Hedman M, Kauhanen P. 4D Flow Versus 2D Phase Contrast MRI in Populations With Bi- and Tricuspid Aortic Valves. In Vivo 2023, 37(1):88-98.

A14: Leppänen T, Kainulainen S, Korkalainen H, Sillanmäki S, Kulkas A, Töyräs J, Nikkonen S. Oximetry: The Working Principle, Signal Formation, and Applications. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1384:C1. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-06413-5_23

A13: Ebrahimian S, Sillanmäki S, Hietakoste S, Duce B, Kulkas A, Töyräs J, Leppänen T, Lipponen JA, Kainulainen S. Inter-sleep stage variations in corrected QT interval differ between obstructive sleep apnea patients with and without stroke history. PLoS One. 2022 Dec 1;17(12):e0278520.

A12:  Anttila V, Saraste A, Knuuti J, Hedman M,  Jaakkola P, Laugwitz KL,  Krane M, Jeppsson A, Sillanmäki S, Rosenmeier J, ZingmarkP, Rudvik A, Garkaviy P, Watson C, Pangalos MN, Fritsche-Danielson R, Collén A, Gan LM. Direct intramyocardial injection of VEGF mRNA in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Mol Ther. 2023, 17;S1525-0016(22)00675-X.

A11: Hietakoste S, Karhu T, Sillanmäki S, Bailón R, Penzel T, Töyräs J, Leppänen T, Myllymaa S, Kainulainen S. OSA-related respiratory events and desaturation severity are associated with the cardiac response.  ERJ Open Research, 2022, 22(1), 204.

A10:  Sillanmäki S, Lipponen JA, Korkalainen H, Kulkas A, Leppänen T, Nikkonen S, Töyräs J, Duce B, Suni A, Kainulainen S. QTc prolongation is associated with severe desaturations in stroke patients with sleep apnea. BMC Pulmonary Medicine. May 2022.

A9: Sillanmäki S, Istomina M, Husso A, Hedman M. Reversible myocardial ischaemia caused by ectopic left circumflex coronary artery: a case report. European Heart Journal – Case Report, April 2022.

A8:   Hietakoste S, Korkalainen H, Kainulainen S, Sillanmäki S, Nikkonen S, Myllymaa S, Duce B, Töyräs J, Leppänen T. Longer apneas and hypopneas are associated with greater ultra-short-term HRV in obstructive sleep apnea. Sci Rep. Dec 2020.

A7: Sillanmäki S, Gimelli A, Ahmad S, Samir S, Laitinen T, Soman P. Mechanisms of Left Ventricular Dyssynchrony – A Multinational SPECT study of Patients with Bundle Branch Block. In press. J Nucl Cardiol. 2020 Feb 14.

A6: Soman P, Sillanmäki S. Mechanisms of cardiac resynchronization therapy: Inching closer to the truth. J Nucl Cardiol. 2019 Jun 21.

A5: Sillanmäki S, Aapro S, Lipponen JA, Tarvainen MP, Laitinen TM, Hedman M, Hämäläinen H, Laitinen T. Electrical and mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with Right Bundle Branch Block.  Accepted for publication J Nucl Cardiol. Aug 2018

A4: Sillanmäki S Lipponen JA, Tarvainen MP, Laitinen TM, Hedman M, Hedman A, Kivelä A, Hämäläinen H, Laitinen T. Relationships between electrical and mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with left bundle branch block and healthy controls. J Nucl Cardiol. 2018 Feb 8. doi: 10.1007/s12350-018-1204-0.

A3: Koivumäki T, Fogliatac, Zeverinod, Bomane, Sierpowska, Moecklid, Vallet, Cozzici, Heikkilä, Väänänen, Vuolukka, Sillanmäki S, Seppälä. Dosimetric evaluation of modern radiation therapy techniques for left breast in deep-inspiration breath-hold, Physica Medica 2018

A2: Sillanmäki S, Koivumäki T, Laitinen TM, Hakulinen M, Hedman M, Laitinen T. BMI influence on the reproducibility of ECG-gated myocardial perfusion imaging phase analysis in comparison with novel echocardiographic dyssynchrony estimation methods. Nuclear Medicine Communications. 2016 Jul;37(7):767-74.

A1: Koivumäki T, Heikkilä J, Väänänen A, Koskela K, Sillanmäki S, Seppälä J. Flattening filter free technique in breath-hold treatments of left-sided breast cancer: The effect on beam-on time and dose distributions. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2016 Jan;118(1):194-8.

 

Academic Degrees

• MD, University of Eastern Finland
• PhD Public Health
• Docent in Public Health

Clinical Trial Experience
Participation in the phase I-IV of several clinical drug trials (over 60) on Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, stroke, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome as investigator/principal investigator since 2000.

Major Research and Clinical Interests

• Epidemiology, prevention, diagnostics and therapy of Alzheimer’s disease Aging
• Biomarkers, epidemiology, diagnostics and therapy for cardiovascular diseases.
• Heart brain connection in various

Major Positions and Appointments

• Nov. 2008 – onwards: Researcher, Neurology, University of Eastern Finland, Finland.
• Nov. 1998 – Oct. 2008: Researcher in Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
• 2003 Doctor of Medicine.
• 2008: Adjunct Professor (Docent) in Experimental Neuroradiology.
• 1995 – Oct. 1998: Attending doctor and teaching secretary in Department of Radiology, Tianjin First Central Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, China.
• 1995 Nov. – Dec.: MRI Fellowship Training Program. Saint Joseph Central Hospital, Burbank, California, USA.
• 1994 – 1997: Postgraduate School, Tianjin Medical University. Master of Diagnostic Radiology 1997.
• 1990 – 1994: Resident in Radiology Department, Tianjin First Central Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, China.
• 1985 – 1990: Department of Medical Imaging, Tianjin Medical University, China. Licentiate doctor 1990.

Doctoral Thesis
MRI Characterization of Human Acute Ischemic Stroke: Diffusion and Perfusion Weighted Imaging and Phase Contrast Angiography. Kuopio University, Kuopio Finland, 2003.