Specialization
Clinical neuropsychology
Focus of research
The Department of Medical Psychology performs clinical research within four research themes: Quality of Life, Medical communication, Psychological and behavioral interventions and Cognitive disorders. The themes are imbedded in the research programs. The Cognitive disorders theme is imbedded in the Amsterdam Neuroscience, the research institute of neuroscience investigators in the Amsterdam area.
Cognitive disorders often are present in medical and psychiatric diseases. The profile of cognitive disorders can help in the medical diagnostic procedure in neurological diseases. Furthermore, cognitive disorders frequently are a side effect or adverse event of treatment. Therefore, cognitive disorders are a primary or secondary outcome in several prospective clinical cohort studies and randomized clinical trials.
In general, Geurtsen's research focuses on applied neuropsychological topics such as delineating the cognitive profile of neurological and psychiatric diseases, and neuropsychological (side) effects of medical treatments as well as the prognosis and implications of cognitive disorders for neurodegeneration.
More in particular, his current research focuses on cognitive profiles in medical diseases for instance Parkinson’s disease (especially Parkinson's Disease Mild Cognitive Impairment), HIV and several (inherited metabolic) diseases.