Brain

Researchers at Erasmus MC have discovered a biomarker in the blood that can predict the progression of Parkinson’s disease. ‘Knowing how severe the disease will be in three years allows doctors to plan treatment much more precisely. ’

Neuroscientist Zhenyu Gao and molecular geneticist Miao-Ping Chien from Erasmus MC have been awarded Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council. They will use this 2 million euro grant for research into difficult-to-treat stomach cancer and the brain’s control of movement.

A fragmented sleep-wake rhythm, where people often transition from rest to active during the day and night, is already visible in the brain before the accumulation of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid-beta. That has been shown by research from Erasmus MC involving over 300 residents of the Ommoord district in Rotterdam.

Pediatrician Daniëlle Veenma and neuroscientist Geeske van Woerden are collaborating on a treatment for the rare CAMK2 syndrome. Currently, a cure is not possible. With funding from the Dutch Hersenstichting, they are mapping out the potential of a form of gene therapy. ‘We have good hope that we will succeed.’

Associative learning was always thought to be regulated by the cortex of the cerebellum, often referred to as the “little brain”. However, new research from a collaboration between the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, and Champalimaud Center for the Unknown reveals that actually the nuclei of the cerebellum make a surprising contribution to this […]

Neuroscientists at Erasmus MC have discovered a previously unknown connection in the brain of mice. This pathway appears to be highly important for the coordination of fast movements, for example of the eyes. ‘It works exactly the opposite way from what textbooks tell us.’

The omicron BA.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 is less infectious in the brain and triggers less inflammation in brain cells than the virus variant responsible for the first SARS-CoV-2 wave. This has been shown in research with hamsters and human brain cells by scientists from the Erasmus MC. ‘Good news, but no guarantees for the future.’

One thing stands out about children with the rare SETD1B syndrome. More boys than girls have the disease, and boys are more severely affected. Scientist Kristina Lanko is on a quest to discover what causes this sex difference. ‘Brain cells are my favorite cells.’