Projects
Clinical and genetic epidemiology of Parkinson's disease: focus on disease progression and non-motor symptoms. University of Antwerp
Longitudinal measurement of synaptic density to monitor progression of Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease KU Leuven
Increasing evidence from cell or animal models and postmortem human studies suggests that synaptic pathology is important in the early disease pathophysiology of Parkinson’s (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD). PET imaging with 11C‑UCB‑J, targeting the presynaptic protein SV2A, provides an in vivo marker for synaptic density in the human brain. This thesis reports two multimodal imaging studies in people with early PD and early HD ...
A profound study of gut homeostasis in Parkinson's disease. Ghent University
ParkinsonU+2019s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and due to the
lack of early diagnosis and effective therapy, represents a large burden for our society and
healthcare system. The last years, it became increasingly apparent that non-motor symptoms,
including gastrointestinal dysfunction, precede the onset of the typical PD motor symptoms by
over two decades. Moreover, emerging ...
Do cognitive problems underlie motor deficits in Parkinson's Disease? Ghent University
ParkinsonU+2019s disease (PD) is characterized by motor symptoms such as tremor (for example, involuntarily shaking of a patientU+2019s leg) and postural instability. In addition, PD patients have difficulty learning new movement patterns. In this project, we will examine whether these motor problems may relate to problems in cognitive functioning. We will also study the role of medication in this relationship.
Towards individualized motor learning in patients with Parkinson's disease KU Leuven
Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by severe motor symptoms, including upper limb dysfunction that is only partially alleviated by medication. PD is also a motor learning disease due to the degradation of the striatum, involved in the consolidation of motor memory. We showed earlier that motor practice improves writing deficits and that there is long term potential when it is applied in a focused manner. However, retention difficulties ...
Live imaging of neurons and mitochondria in the human enteric nervous system to assess Parkinson’s disease related neurodegeneration KU Leuven
Neurodegenerative disorders, have a large impact on social and economic level; they affect quality of life to a large extent and create high financial burden for patients. Until now the only diagnosis for most of the neurodegenerative diseases is based on clinical symptoms, which occur when the disease is already advanced. Thus, available therapy for neurodegenerative disorders is unfortunately purely symptomatic. Therefore apart from ...
Functional study of the pathophysiological role of alpha-synuclein aggregation in cellular and animal models for Parkinson's disease. KU Leuven
Pathogenic mechanisms of GCH1-associated Parkinson's disease KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease is a common brain disease characterized by slowness of movement, tremor, falls, dementia and many other problems. There is still no therapy that slows down its relentless progression. In Parkinson’s disease dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain gradually become sick and eventually die. Why these cells die, is not well understood. In rare familial cases Parkinson’s disease is caused by genetic mutations. Recently, it ...
Mitochondrial imaging in live neurons from Parkinson’s disease patients. KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative movement disorder. These patients suffer from characteristic motor problems, but can also develop a variety of non-motor problems such as constipation, psychosis, depression and dementia, all of which severely undermine quality of life. A typical characteristic of Parkinson’s disease is the loss of a specific population of nerve cells that produce dopamine in a brain region called ...