Projects
Assessing the adverse effects of Perfluoralkyl compounds on birds: an integrated field and laboratory approach using passerine birds as model system University of Antwerp
The take-over of visually deprived areas by somatosensation: where, when and how. KU Leuven
The mammalian brain is able to adapt to a sensory loss or trauma by reorganizing itself using a host of different mechanisms. This phenomenon is called brain plasticity. One of the best-studied examples of experience-dependent modifications of neuronal circuits in the brain is ocular dominance plasticity. Although it is responsible for the reactivation of the binocular visual cortex after the loss of one eye, it does not explain the recovery ...
Model-based monitoring of recovery and cure for improved mastitis management in dairy cows KU Leuven
With an annual production value of 639 million euros, dairy production is the fourth most important agricultural sector of Flanders. About 18% of all farms have dairy cows, summing up to a total of more than 300 000 animals. The modern dairy sector is characterized by strong specialization and scale enlargement, in which technology plays a prominent role. This technology supports the management on farm, and secures that despite the large herd ...
Study on the neural substrate of speech development using fMRI in the zebra finch model. University of Antwerp
3D Dynamical Morphology by Biplane high speed Xray-videography. University of Antwerp
Optogenetic interrogation of the role of interneuron subtypes in age-dependent visual cortex plasticity in mice KU Leuven
The intrinsic capacity of the mammalian brain to recover from lesions early in life gradually loses strength and impact on brain function with age. Ocular dominance plasticity is one of the best studied examples of experience- and age-dependent modifications of visual cortical circuitry. Several interventions like dark exposure and GABAA receptor antagonist treatment have revealed how inhibitory synaptic transmission imposes limitations on ...
Vesicular recycling from the plasma membrane and disturbance of Ca2+ homeostase as determinants for alpha-synuclein induced cytotoxicity. KU Leuven
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the Western world. Early studies mainly focused on the involvement of environmental factors in the development of PD. More recently, evidence is increasing that genetic factors also play a major role. The first gene identified to be associated with PD encodes for α-synuclein, an unfolded protein of 140 amino acids that is ubiquitously present in the brain. In ...
Virus-ïnduced mechanisms in the regulation of RNAi in insects. KU Leuven
The aim is the application of RNAi as a novel technology in crop protection to control pest insects in a modern agriculture that is also safe for the environment with beneficial organisms and pollinators.
Validation of the role of the cystine/glutamate antiporter or system Xc- in visual system disorders. KU Leuven
Glaucomatous optic neuropathies (GONs), a major cause of blindness in developed countries, are characterized by progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons, leading to visual pathway deactivation. The degenerative as well as plasticity mechanisms at the level of respectively retina/optic nerve and visual cortex, are tightly intermingled with proper/dysfunctional glutamate (glu) neurotransmission as well as oxidative ...