Five Amsterdam Neuroscience researchers awarded Vidi Grant
Five talented researchers from Amsterdam Neuroscience have been awarded a Vidi grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Congratulations to Elsmarieke van der Giessen, Elseline Hoekzema, Max Koppers, Anouk Schrantee and Jorien Treur. NWO has granted a maximum of 850.000 euros to the researchers. With the help of the Vidi grant, the scientists can start their own line of research and further develop their talent.
The NWO Talent Program gives researchers the freedom to pursue their own research based on creativity and passion, fostering innovation and curiosity. Curiosity-driven research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow’s society.
Mark van den Brink
Elsmarieke van de Giessen, Amsterdam UMC, Brain Imaging
The inflamed brain: neuroinflammation in dementia Neuroinflammation plays a key role in Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Novel treatments targeting neuroinflammation are emerging. Our knowledge of the development of the neuroinflammatory process during the disease is very limited though, and it is still unknown when neuroinflammatory treatment could be most effective during the disease process. The researcher will characterize the neuroinflammatory process and develop measures that can be used to determine the phase of the neuroinflammatory process.
Mind the Mother: A spotlight on the maternal brain and hidden disorders of maternal mental health Previous research has shown that pregnancy renders changes in brain structure and function, which relate to mother-infant bonding. Hoekzema’s project will address key gaps in knowledge related to peripartum brain changes. First, she will investigate the brain in women suffering from mother-infant bonding disorders, serious postpartum conditions that can severely impact both mother and child but for which the neural bases are not known yet. In addition, she will compare women's pregnancy-induced neuroplasticity with brain changes in rodents and monkeys. Finally, she will investigate the impact of a second pregnancy on a woman’s brain and her neural responses to infants.
Max Koppers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Cellular & Molecular Mechanisms
Spatiotemporal regulation of protein synthesis in neuronal circuit formation We can walk, talk and form memories because neurons in our brain communicate with each other via thousands of small connections called synapses. These synapses are often formed far away from the cell body of a neuron, which makes it enormously challenging for neurons to gather all the proteins required to make these synapses at the right place and the right time. This project aims to understand how neurons achieve this by using innovative molecular techniques to study the local production of proteins at synapses.
Anouk Schrantee, Amsterdam UMC and University of Amsterdam, Compulsivity, Impulsivity & Attention
Neurotransmitters and brain networks: key to psychiatric treatment Mental health disorders affect nearly 1 billion people worldwide, yet current treatments, like pharmacotherapy and neuromodulation, often have limited success and significant side effects. Schrantee’s project investigates how brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) influence communication networks in the brain, a key factor in these disorders. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, Schrantee will map how these chemicals shape brain connections in healthy individuals and those with conditions like ADHD, OCD, and depression. By understanding how medications and brain stimulation treatments affect these chemical networks, this research could lead to more precise and personalized mental health treatments.
Harnessing triangulation to uncover next-gen risk factors for mental health problems Mental health disorders are a major global health issue, and there's an urgent need to understand how modern behaviours like vaping and sedentary lifestyles might cause these problems. Traditional studies can't always answer such questions, so researchers use advanced methods like genetic analyses and hypothetical trial simulations. However, these methods also have their limitations and can't provide definitive answers alone. To address this, the concept of "triangulation" is used, combining multiple methods to minimize biases. Treur’s project aims to refine triangulation techniques and apply them to determine if vaping and sedentary behaviour impact mental health, utilising diverse methods and datasets.
NWO Talent Program - Vidi grant Vidi is a funding instrument in the NWO Talent Program. It allows researchers who have already spent several years doing postdoctoral research to develop or expand their own innovative line of research. This year, NWO has awarded a Vidi grant to 149 researchers.
Jianbo Zhang - iGuMI: An infant Gut-Microbe-Immune-on-a-chip model to decipher crosstalk between bacterial colonisation, mucosal barrier integrity and macrophage function in early life
Jan-Willem van Dalen - Clever use of blood pressure lowering medication for dementia prevention
