ERC Starting Grant awarded to Karolinska researcher studying the social brain

In the project Simulating Other Minds in Autism (MINDSIM), Guterstam and his colleagues will explore how the brain automatically computes what others believe—an ability known as theory of mind, central to everyday social interaction.

“My research is primarily curiosity-driven basic research with the goal of understanding human social cognition,” says Guterstam. “Autism is a social variation where there are still major knowledge gaps about the underlying brain mechanisms. This makes it a particularly exciting area of research.”

The project combines behavioural experiments, advanced brain imaging, and studies of patients with electrodes implanted in the brain. In its final phase, autistic individuals will be included to investigate how theory of mind differs from neurotypical processing.

MINDSIM is considered high-risk but carries great scientific potential. Thanks to ERC’s support, the team can now take on this challenge.

“Without the ERC grant, it would not have been possible to launch such an ambitious project. By the end of the funding period, I hope that we will have new insights into how the brain simulates other people’s beliefs—and how this process differs in autism,” says Guterstam.

The ERC Starting Grant is one of the most prestigious research awards in Europe, aimed at strengthening early-career researchers and supporting projects with the potential to transform their fields.