Research Projects

Synaptic transmission is an extremely energetically-demanding process that consumes 75% of the energy required for brain function. However, it remains poorly understood how synapses guarantee the necessary ATP levels required for neurotransmission. While our understanding of the metabolic pathways for ATP production is vastly detailed, very little...

Synapses are the specialized cellular junctions that form the basic units of communication between neuronal cells. Given the variety of network-dependent functions that synapses need to support, a fundamental question is how their properties are specified at the molecular level. Membrane-anchored and soluble “synaptic organizer proteins” form...

My recent discoveries show that mosaic loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in peripheral blood is associated with increased risks of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These conditions are responsible for >50% of morbidity/mortality in aging men. More than 15% of men older than 70 show some degree of LOY and these men survive on average only half as long...

Worldwide due to population ageing there will be 75 million patients with Alzheimer's disease by 2030. Alzheimer's is a disease described by accelerated brain ageing which leads to decline in both memory and cognitive skills, thus affecting everyday activities of those suffering. On average over 60% of patients do not receive a diagnosis and...

This project aims to establish a neuroimaging framework which informs about microscopic brain composition and apply it to study neurodegeneration in a genetic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is the most common cause of dementia, characterized by progressive neurodegenerative changes leading to a gradual cognitive loss and memory...

Microvascular impairment is a hallmark of many of todays most burdening diseases, including forms of ischemic heart disease, stroke, and dementia. It is also the most promising candidate to explain the link between cardiovascular and brain disease (so-called heart-brain axis). However, only histology provides comprehensive assessment of the...

Dementia is currently diagnosed largely based on cognitive decline, while pathology starts years before symptom onset. To make progress in the development of effective drugs for dementia, there is an urgent need for biomarkers to enable precision health: for early and specific diagnosis and objective monitoring of disease progression. With its...

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and dementia is rapidly increasing worldwide and is therefore a major public health concern. Carbohydrate intake (40-80%) represents the main source of energy in most populations and the quality more than the quantity has a large effect on health. Recently, a...

Multi-Sensory Environments (MSEs) is a discipline of occupational therapy that helps treat cognitive and sensory deficiencies (in memory, attention, social interaction…) of people with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, neuro-degenerative diseases and or brain-injuries. These conditions which include autism, dementia, Down syndrome...

Cognitive abilities change with development and age. Cognitive development during childhood and adolescence depends on an intellectually challenging environment, but is robustly affected in various forms of mental retardation. Adult cognitive abilities are strongly correlated with a person’s success in life. Finally, cognitive decline is an...

The objective of Mylife is to support independence for older people with reduced cognitive function by giving them access to simple and intuitive services that are adapted to their individual needs and wishes. The ambition of the Mylife project is to provide network-based access to, and management of, commercially and/or freely available software...

The list of genes contributing to increased risk of developing Alzheimers Disease (AD) grows every year. To date, large case-control Genome-Wide Association Studies have found 98 genetic loci associated with late-onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). However, apart from a small number of genes related to familial cases, it remains largely unknown the...