Amsterdam Neuroscience

In total, seven projects have received the prestigious Veni Grant 2025 from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The Veni grant is awarded to outstanding early-career researchers who have demonstrated exceptional scientific talent and the ability to develop innovative research ideas. The grant provides recipients with the opportunity to further explore their research questions and build their own independent research lines. Receiving a Veni grant is an important milestone in an academic career and a recognition of dedication, and scientific excellence of the recipients.

We are delighted to see these talented researchers from Amsterdam Neuroscience receive this recognition! Congratulations to the Veni Grant recipients!

Margot van de Weijer | Amsterdam UMC | Compulsivity Impulsivity & Attention, & Complex Trait Genetics

Improving (Genetic) Insight into Depression by Incorporating Women Biology

Major depressive disorder affects women nearly twice as often as men during the reproductive years, and depressive symptoms are common in women experiencing periods of hormonal change (e.g., the premenstrual period). This project investigates whether differences in the reproductive hormone oestradiol and women-specific factors help explain these differences. Using advanced genetic methods, the research will improve genetic studies of oestradiol, conduct the first genome-wide study of premenstrual mood, and examine how these factors relate to depression in women and men. The project will generate new insights and tools to better study sex-specific mechanisms underlying mental health and other health conditions. 

Sterre de Boer | Amsterdam UMC | Neurodegeneration

A picky disease: why does drontemporal dementia only targets the front of the brain?

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a leading cause of dementia in younger people and causes major changes in personality, behaviour, and language. There are no treatments that can stop or slow the disease. A striking feature of FTD is that it often affects only one side of the brain and mainly damages the front parts of the brain. Understanding why this happens is essential for developing effective treatments. Therefore, POLAR-FTD aims to uncover the reasons behind this selective brain damage. 

Emma Coomans | Amsterdam UMC | Brain Imaging & Neurodegeneration

Alzheimer’s disease: how can we delay the onset and progression of the disease?

Why do some individuals develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology already at a young age, while others don’t develop Alzheimer’s disease pathology until very extreme ages, or never at all? This project investigates different factors that may influence the age at which Alzheimer’s disease pathology manifests. The findings will help advance strategies aimed at preventing or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Tom Fuchs | Amsterdam UMC | Neuroinfection & -inflammation & Brain Imaging

Under the surface: spotting hidden cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience slow cognitive decline, even when scans look stable and no relapses occur. This hidden decline can affect work, independence, and daily life, but it is rarely detected early. In this project, researchers will follow people with MS at home using short monthly digital thinking tests, combined with brain scans and blood tests. By linking these results to large international patient datasets, the project aims to recognize cognitive decline earlier and better predict who is at risk. 

Cyprien Guerrin | Amsterdam UMC | Brain Imaging

Why Some Brains Age Faster: How Stress and Alcohol Impact Brain Energy Pathways

Dementia develops gradually, often long before symptoms appear. Early-life stress and excessive alcohol use are common risk factors, but how they interact to accelerate brain aging, and whether this can be prevented, remains poorly understood. This project studies how stress and alcohol together disrupt the brain’s energy systems (mitochondria), leading to loss of brain connections and cognitive decline. Using brain imaging and cellular analyses in rats and human brain tissue, I will identify biological changes linked to cognitive decline and test whether a ketogenic diet can mitigate these effect. These findings may inform future preventive and therapeutic strategies. 

Jara Hees | VU Amsterdam | Cellular & Molecular Mechanisms

How brain cells use local protein production and why this is important in ALS

Our brain cells, also known as neurons, have long branches that need local protein production in order to function properly and to survive. This process is disrupted in diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In this project, the researcher will investigate how neurons decide where and when proteins are made. The main focus is on small contact points between two important brain structures: the endoplasmic reticulum, that helps with protein production, and the cytoskeleton, the transport system of a cell. Using advanced microscopy and genetic techniques, the scientist will reveal how these contactpoints function as control centers and what goes wrong in ALS cases. 

Janina Kupke | VU Amsterdam | Cellular & Molecular Mechanisms

How the brain keeps memories regardless of continuous replacement of proteins

Memories are stored in specific brain cells that strengthen their connections (synapses) during learning. Even though synapses should remain stable to keep memories intact, molecules of which synapses exists are continuously being exchanged, raising the question of how memories remain over a long period of time. This project investigates whether epigenetics, a mechanism that regulates expression of genes, helps support stable changes in memory synapses. By combining imaging with molecular analyses in memory brain cells, the investigator wants to research how memories remain stable, and identify possible mechanisms that are relevant for disorders in which the persistence of memory changes, like in traumatic memories. 

Source: NWO