Projects
The memory of smell: the role of olfactory processing in the recall of memories. KU Leuven
You catch a whiff of school glue and suddenly memories of your childhood come flooding back. What is it about smells that can trigger memories so strong and real it feels like you’ve been transported back in time? Research shows that odors are especially effective as reminders of past experience, much more so than cues from other senses. Smells get routed through our olfactory bulbs, closely connected to hippocampus and amygdala, brain ...
Towards prediction and therapeutic targets of Alzheimer's disease through directed analysis of genetic risk loci. University of Antwerp
Deciphering the role of TMEM106B in neurodegeneration using a humanized cortical neuronal xenotransplantation model. University of Antwerp
Understanding lysosomal dysfunction in the frontotemporal dementiaamyotrophic lateral sclerosis spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders. KU Leuven
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) are two related incurable neurodegenerative disorders typically
striking people in mid-life. Loss of neurons in the frontal and temporal
lobes in FTD gives rise to behavioural changes and language
disturbances. Loss of neurons of the motor system in ALS causes
progressive muscle weakness and wasting. Due to the progressive
nature of FTD and ALS ...
TMEM106B in vesicle trafficking and biology as shared disease modifying mechanism across multiple disorders. University of Antwerp
Developing a non-invasive biomarker for early BBB breakdown in Alzheimer’s disease Ghent University
Novel biomarkers that reliably detect the disease onset before any clinical symptoms occur, are crucial for research of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias. One of the earliest pathological alterations in AD is the loss of the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) integrity, which can be directly imaged and mapped using positron emission tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Of these methods, arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI is ...
ENdothelial Retinal function as Indicator for vascular Cognitive Health (ENRICH) KU Leuven
Microvascular dysfunction is a key player in cardiovascular diseases and precedes vascular dementia. This project aims to explore the potential of retinal parameters to detect and monitor microvascular dysfunction in the clinic as well as in the laboratory, making use of Artificial Intelligence. The final goal is to correlate these with cognitive decline in order to enable prevention of vascular neurodegeneration through early vascular ...
Urbanization and mental diseases in Flanders KU Leuven
Urbanization causes more air pollution, less green space and higher temperatures during heat waves. These urbanization factors have been linked to more and more serious cardiovascular en respiratory diseases. However, regarding the association of this urbanisation with common mental disorders (depression, anxiety problems…) knowledge is limited up to date. What we do know is that mental disorders are common in Flanders, have a high impact on ...
Elucidating how Physical Activity and Sleep relate to Optimal Cognitive Ageing: the PASOCA- study KU Leuven
Increased longevity is one of the greatest success stories in public health. However, ageing is accompanied by cognitive decline which affects people’s daily functioning and, if it develops to dementia, their ability to live independently. By 2050, the number of people who develop dementia will triple to 152 million. The aim of this PhD project is to precisely examine how physical activity (PA) and sleep, both modifiable lifestyle factors, ...