Name Activity "Applied Molecular Genomics" "Psychiatric disorders, such as major depression or unipolar disorder (UP), manic depression or bipolar disorder (BP) and schizophrenia, are among the most frequent brain diseases worldwide. An estimated 9-10% of the world population suffers from major depression, while bipolar disorder and schizophrenia each affect ~1% of the population. Although the precise causes of psychiatric diseases are still largely unknown, family studies argue for a strong genetic determination. However, these studies also point to the importance of environmental factors in determining disease susceptibility. Most probably, these disorders result from a complex interplay between various genetic and environmental risk factors. More information on these so-called ""multifactorial diseases"" can be found on this website. Based on scientific research, more and more insight is gained into the causes of psychiatric disorders, especially with regard to the genetic factors that play a role in determining susceptibility to these diseases. In the long term, these insights may lead to the development of new and more efficient treatment strategies for psychiatric patients. But although significant progress has been made during the last years in identifying genetic risk factors, there is still a long way to go. The unraveling of the genetic basis of psychiatric diseases is a slow and complicated process, in which every scientific result is only a small piece of the complex genetic puzzle. Based on a many years' experience in the field of psychiatric disorders and DNA technology development, our research group aims to contribute to this process. Our research is mainly directed towards the identification of genetic risk factors for affective disorders (UP and BP) and psychotic disorder. For that purpose we use various molecular genetic techniques, including linkage analysis and population-based association studies of candidate genes. In this way we already identified several potential candidate genes and regions. For more detailed information about our research, please visit the VIB website. Next to fundamental genetic research, our group also develops new computational technologies to streamline the process of gene identification and variant detection in complex diseases. Examples of recently developed tools can be found on the VIB website. Website: http://www.molgen.ua.ac.be/Public/Research/ResearchGroups/" "Research Group Psychiatry" "Stephan ClaesKoen Demyttenaere" "Research group Psychiatry with six aspects of research: Contextual Psychiatry, Developmental Psychiatry, Public Health Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry, Clinical  Psychiatry and Mind-body Research." Neuropsychiatry "Mathieu Vandenbulcke" "The Center for Neuropsychiatry comprises 2 groupsLaboratory for Translational Neuropsychiatry, investigating the neurobiology of late onset psychiatric disorders and social cognitive deficits caused by neurodegeneration;Academic Center for ECT and Neuromodulation (AcCENT), focusing on brain stimulation techniques in psychiatric disorders.Their joint aim is to define imaging biomarkers of neuropsychiatric disorders and to develop targeted interventions." "Cell Biology and Histology" "The Department of Cell Biology (CYTO-VUB) is specialized in molecular and cellular liver research, with a main focus on the (patho)biology of hepatic stellate cells and liver progenitor cells. Prof. A. Geerts contributed to the first paper on isolation, purification and culturing of hepatic stellate cells (1) and is the author of a side scatter activated cell sorting method to purify freshly isolated hepatic stellate cell up to 95 - 100% (2). CYTO-VUB also has long term experience in isolating, purifying and culturing liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and Kupffer cells. The group has the required expertise and know-how to perform molecular and morphological studies on isolated cells and on tissues. Hepatic stellate cells surround the endothelial lining of sinusoids in the liver. They play important roles in : (i) vitamin A metabolism, (ii) formation of extra cellular matrix, (iii) pathogenesis of fibrosis and cirrhosis, (iv) regulation of flow and pressure in the sinusoids, (v) secretion of growth factors and cytokines in normal liver and under physiological and pathological regeneration, (vi) progression of primary or metastatic tumor growth and (vii) neural signal propagation. Besides these classical functions that are attributed to hepatic stellate cells, it appears that a subpopulation of these cells plays a role in formation of the hepatic progenitor cell niches. References: (1) de Leeuw, A. M., S. P. McCarthy, A. Geerts, and D. L. Knook. Purified rat liver fat-storing cells in culture divide and contain collagen. Hepatology 1984, 4:392-403. (2) Geerts, A., T. Niki, P. De Bleser, D. De Craemer, K. Van den Berg, J. M. Lazou, G. Stange, and M. Van De Winkel. Purification of hepatic stellate cells by side scatter activated cell sorting. Hepatology 1998, 27, 590 - 598." "Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI)" "Manuel Morrens" "The clinical scientific research in the department of psychiatry is focused on the following topics: 1. Anxiety disorders : electrical brain stimulation in treatment refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder. 2. Mood disorders : - ectrical brain stimulation in treatment refractory major depressive disorder - association analysis to identify genetic factors in mood disorders 3. Mood disorders and psychosomatic disorders : functional and genetic studies of HPA-axis dysfunction in mood disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome 4. Forensic psychiatry : treatment of sexual abusers 5. Sleep disorders : - Sleep induced pathology - The influence of psychopharmaca and other substances on driving proficiency - The influence on cognitive functions of sleep wake behaviour 6. Personality Disorders - The Assessment of DSM-IV Personality Disorders questionnaire - Personality Disorders and remembered child-parent interactions - Personality Disorders and remembered youth experiences In collaboration with the Yale Child Study Center and the Free University of Amsterdam. The main targets within this project are delinquency, substance abuse, sexual deviant behaviour and eating disorders. - Young sexual offenders : By order of the Department of Justice a reliable risk taxation in young sexual offenders will be examined. - Autism and pervasive developmental disorders : In collaboration with the University Center Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Research Unit Developmental Disorders of the University of Gent sexual development and behaviour in patients with autism will be examined. A second part will focus on neurobiological, metabolic and molecular genetic components in the etiology of this disorder. - Anorexia nervosa : Research into this topic can be subdivided into a neuropsychological, a cognitive, a cardiac, a metabolic and a molecular genetic focus. - Congenital metabolic disorders : In collaboration with the Antwerp Research Centre for Congenital Metabolic Disorders. The main focus will be the prevalence of psychopathology. - Stress coping system and the relation with psychopathology : Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in infants, children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, disruptive disorders, autism, etc. Differences will be further examined in relation to etiological and therapeutical significance. - Protective factors and risk factors in the development of behaviour, cognitive and social functioning and psychopathology in preterm-birth children : This project is a prospective follow-up study in collaboration with the department of gynecology and neonatology of the Univeristy Hospital Antwerp, the Hospital Network Antwerp and the Antwerp Research Centre for Developmental Disorders. - Effectiveness of psychosocial interventions on parental educational skills : In collaboration with the Stobbe, an Antwerp Centre for Family Support. Effectiveness of Atomoxetine in ADHD. - Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in Special Health Care : Evaluation of the effectiveness of child and adolescent psychiatry in children and adolescents in Special Health Care programs." "Laboratory of Neuronal Differentiation (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research)" "The Laboratory of Neuronal Differentiation conducts research into four research lines:On the establishment of neuronal polarity.On the maintenance of neuronal polarity.On the role of membrane lipids in late life defects: involvement in death/survival signaling during neuronal ageing.On the search for g-Secretase Activity modulators: the usefulness of Drosophila melanogaster genetics." "Cell Metabolism" "Myriam Baes" "The primary objectives of the lab are 1) to understand the role of peroxisomes and in particular of peroxisomal β-oxidation in diverse tissues and during different stages of life 2) to investigate the pathological mechanisms in peroxisomal diseases which should allow the development of therapies. To approach these questions we generated a series of mouse models with global or cell type selective inactivation of functional peroxisomes or of the pivotal peroxisomal β-oxidation enzyme, multifunctional protein 2. During the last 2 decades, we have gathered a broad expertise in phenotyping these mouse models with peroxisome deficiencies.." "Medical Biochemistry" "Diabetes mellitus is in many cases a disease state of the pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells, which are either destroyed by an auto-immune assault (type 1 diabetes) or fail to produce and secrete sufficient amounts of insulin under different physiological conditions (type 2 diabetes). Reseach performed within the VUB-unit BIOV is situated within the Diabetes Research Centre (DRC) and has as general aim to better understand how normal beta cells work and how these cells fail during the development of diabetes. Two different aspects of this problem are studied. First, the research unit 'Molecular Pharmacolgy' within BIOV (spokesman F. Schuit) is interested in the molecular mechanisms by which normal beta cells are regulated in their secretory action. We focus on nutrients (glucose) and neutrotransmitters or hormones (glucagon, GLP-1, GIP) or pharmacological tools which mimck or counteract these natural substances. We presently study the signaling pathways of nutrients, and agents which raise cyclic AMP and focus on gene-expression networks that mediate beta-cell regulatory steps. A second part of the BIOV team (Spokesman: Bart Van der Auwera) studies the genetic factors associated with beta cell destruction and development of type I diabetes. This investigation is situated within the framework of the Belgian Diabetes Registry." "Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences" "Wolf Vanpaemel" "The Research Group Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences focuses on the interplay between substantive-psychological research and the development of novel formal models (including associated procedures for model estimation and testing). On the basis of substantive questions new formal models are being developed; in turn, these models are estimated and tested in substantive research, and contribute there to a breeding ground for the formulation of new substantive questions.Central families of models we focus on include generalized (non)linear mixed models, clustering models, dynamic process and reaction time models, time series models, and models for multiway and multiblock data. Current substantive research themes include: (1) the study of the time dynamics of emotions and its association with psychological well-being (with questions such as: How do people move within an affective space and what does this tell us about somebody’s mental health?), (2) the unravelling of processes at the basis of emotions and emotion-related behavior (with questions such as: Does low control lead to aggressive or avoidant behavior tendencies?), and (3) the identification of subgroups of clients that differ with regard to the type of treatment they most benefit from.The research group takes part in the Interuniversity Graduate School of Psychometrics and Sociometrics." "Leuven School for Mass Communication Research" "Laura Vandenbosch" "The Leuven School for Mass Communication Research studies the use of mass media, social media and ICT, and how these media may harm or enhance an individual’s wellbeing. In our research, we describe the relationship between exposure to information and entertainment media and various components of individuals’ wellbeing, and develop theoretical insight into the underlying mechanisms of these media effects. Our work draws on, and strives to contribute to, the most advanced techniques and insights available in communication studies, cognitive and developmental psychology, sociology, and public health. The School’s ultimate intent is to inspire key players and stakeholders in society as well as individuals and their families with robust evidence on both adverse and beneficial effects of media and with a sound understanding of how media can be employed to achieve goals of social relevance. Issues studied in recent years include alcohol and drug abuse, sexuality and sexism, aggression, fear of crime, fear of sexual violence, road safety, depression, body image, sleep, and nutrition. The School adheres to the highest academic standards and strives towards publishing its research in top academic journals in various disciplines. We also aim at contributing to national and international multidisciplinary research projects with societal relevance. The School is committed to guiding PhD students towards high international standards, as well as teaching undergraduate students towards a deep understanding of communication processes and media psychology."