Brain Center nieuws
A power solution for animal experiments
Publication Valeria Bonapersona et al - Nature neuroscience How can you use statistics to increase the power of animal experiments? Low statistical power reduces the reliability of animal research; yet, increasing sample sizes to increase statistical power is problematic for both ethical and practical reasons. Valeria Bonapersona and her colleagues present an alternative solution using Bayesian priors based on historical control data, which capitalizes on the observation that control groups in general are expected to be similar to each other. Their article is published in Nature Neuroscience.
Read moreWomen and girls in science
Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It is still not always easy for women to get into the same positions, to be treated equally and seriously as men. Elly Hol is professor of gliabiology of brain diseases. In her career she has noticed that there are all kinds of obstacles and prejudices and sees this also happen among younger research colleagues.
Read moreClinical Established Investigator grant for Mervyn Vergouwen
Stroke neurologist Mervyn Vergouwen received the Clinical Established Investigator grant of the Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting). This personal grant allows him to expand his research group in the field of unruptured intracranial aneurysms over the next 5 years.
Read moreGenes discovered that play a role in aneurysm
Researchers find 17 areas on the DNA that contribute to an aneurysm in the head.
Read moreEarlier recognition of children with sleep epilepsy
Some children have continuous epileptic activity in their brains at night, while they seldom if ever have epileptic seizures during the day. This relatively invisible form of epilepsy is called ESES syndrome. As a result, children often develop learning and behavioral problems. Not much is yet known about this syndrome. Medical researcher Bart van den Munckhof obtained his PhD in mid-October for research into causes, early recognition and better treatment.
Read moreExercise as medicine after a stroke
People sit too much and do not exercise enough. Also after a stroke. This increases the risk of another stroke and premature death. Roderick Wondergem investigated the health risks and developed a coaching program. “Excessive sitting is habitual behavior. To break that habit, confidence in one's own abilities is crucial.”
Read moreNew, international partnership: an important step for SMA research
As part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the European Union has recently awarded funding to a large, international partnership between the SMA Center of Expertise of the UMC Utrecht and researchers from other European countries. This is the first time that a large SMA consortium is sponsored by the European Union. An important step for SMA research.
Read morePhD ceremony in sneakers - Gijsje Snijders
Actually, she would obtain her PhD on March 20, 2020 in the beautiful Utrecht University Building. But the COVID-19 restrictions threw a wrench in the works. Eventually, she became the first PhD student at the Brain Center to obtain her PhD during an online ceremony on April 21st. Five questions to Dr. Gijsje Snijders.
Read moreERC Starting Grant for Ynte Ruigrok
Ynte Ruigrok receives a one-and-a-half-million-euro ERC Starting Grant. This European grant is awarded to promising researchers who have the potential to become independent research leaders. Neurologist Ynte Ruigrok is looking for smart ways to find risk factors for an aneurysm in the head.
Read moreLarge collaborative grant for more insight into brain disease
In recent years, many of the genes and DNA abnormalities involved in various brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, dementia and depression, have been identified. The next step is to see what these DNA abnormalities actually do and in which nerve cells. "It's not until you know exactly what's going wrong and where that you can you do something about it," says Jeroen Pasterkamp, professor of Translational Neuroscience at the UMC Utrecht.
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