Researcher: Madelein van der Stouwe, MD, PhD Thesis defense: 2015 Second promotor: Prof. Marina de Koning-Tijssen, MD, PhD Collaborator: Prof. Nico Leenders, MD, PhD Funding: UMCG Everyone suffers from trembling hands from time to time. For instance, when you are nervous, such as during a speech, or after a few of cups of coffee. Some […]
Author: Natasha Maurits
Are you a student looking to gain some research experience?
We are currently looking for a student who can aid us in our research on quantification of symptoms in movement disorders. Specifically, we would like some help with our ongoing project ‘Quantification of the SARA scale in patients with early onset ataxia’. Ataxia is a movement disorder characterized by the lack of movement coordination. It […]
Functional connectivity of the primary somatosensory cortex and its role during action observation
Researcher: Nikola Valchev, PhD Thesis defense: 2014 During the observation of actions performed by other people, our brain activates a broad network of cortical areas. It is commonly believed that information is first processed by the visual system and then the “action observation” network calculates a mental simulation of the observed motor act. Ultimately this […]
Images of healthy aging : functional brain networks and selective attention
Researcher: Linda Geerligs, MSc (PhD student) Thesis defense: 2014 First promotor: Monicque Lorist, PhD Funding: GMW-RuG We all grow older, yet a lot is unknown about the causes behind age-related changes in cognitive functioning. In this thesis, we have investigated how communication between brain areas changes with age and how this affects cognitive functioning. Brain […]
A non-unitary view of aging: Behavioral and neural variability during working memory performance in younger and older adults
Researcher: Emi Saliasi, PhD Thesis defense: 2014 Second promotor: Monicque M. Lorist, PhD (Exp. Psychology, RuG) Funding: BCN-BRAIN Aging is not a unitary process; rather the trajectory and degree of age-related changes vary not only considerably across older individuals but also across cognitive domains. In this thesis, we have showed that some older adults are […]
Micro-TMS increases heat pain threshold
On April 19, 2013 we published an article in PLoS One describing how weak pulsed electromagnetic fields can increase heat pain threshold in healthy volunteers. The study employed a double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover design. The flexible configuration with small coils on a head cap improves clinical applicability. The press release that came out on April 22, […]
PredSL website online
Today the website for the project PredSL ‘Predicting sustained functioning at work across the lifespan’ was launched. The goal is to provide a virtual platform for the PredSL team.
DiPAR featured in Dutch newspaper Telegraaf
Last saturday, the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf featured DiPAR in their weekly item ‘Het Onderzoek’. Today, the UMCG followed this publicity up with a press release. More information on the DiPAR project can soon be found at a dedicated project website.
Older brains communicate differently
Ageing makes the networks in our brain less specific. Linda Geerligs, one of my PhD students, used connectivity analysis of fMRI results to prove that the connections in our brain change as we grow older. When compared with their younger counterparts, connectivity in the brain networks of older people decreases, while connectivity between brain networks […]
Organization of initiation and inhibition of movement in Parkinson’s disease
Researcher: Carolien Toxopeus, MSc (MD-PhD student) Other supervisors: Nico Leenders, MD, PhD, Bauke de Jong, MD, PhD Thesis defense: 2012 The main aim of this thesis was to investigate the organization of basic components of movement constituted by initiation, inhibition and gradual modulation of movement, focused on the role of the basal ganglia (BG) and interconnected […]