Projects
Breaking down the molecular code directing specific synaptic connectivity in hippocampal circuits. KU Leuven
Neurons in the brain are interconnected with striking precision. The specificity of connectivity is crucial for correct neural function, as aberrant connectivity contributes to diseases such as epilepsy. However, there is a notable lack of knowledge on how synaptic connections are specified during development. CA1 pyramidal dendrites show an exquisite synaptic specificity: inputs from different brain areas are segregated in distinct dendritic ...
Effects of external frequency entrainment on bimanual network function and connectivity in healthy conditions and during recovery from stroke. KU Leuven
Nearly every activity of daily life requires the integrated movements of both hands. How smooth this interaction is actually being controlled becomes only obvious when the system is challenged, as for example in the case of higher task demand or when interregional neural communication is hampered following a lesion. A local lesion following a stroke might eventually lead to complex disturbance and subsequent remodelling of brain structure and ...
Delineation of effector-specific representations in motor cortex and their structural/functional connectivity. KU Leuven
In many daily activities such as tying your shoelaces, driving a car or playing a musical instrument, a high degree of collaboration between the hands and fingers is critically important. Although it is well known that a dynamic network of various brain areas, including the corpus callosum (CC), is involved in the control of such bilateral movements, its exact neural organization remains a relatively unknown territory. Therefore, I will ...
Functional connectivity and green infrastructure KU Leuven
The FUNgreen project will assess how green infrastructure and functional connectivity interact to facilitate the persistence of plants and maintenance of ecosystem services in fragmented European landscapes. The project will investigate the respective roles of green infrastructure - the configuration of the landscape - and plant functional connectivity - the effective dispersal of seeds and pollen - in the the maintenance of biodiversity and ...
Effect of spread of tau on functional connectivity patterns in the preclinical and prodromal stage of Alzheimer disease KU Leuven
Dementia is a worldwide growing problem. It is estimated that there will be around 130 million cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by 2050, mainly due to ageing of the baby boom generation. Cognition results from an optimal cooperation of local information processing and interregional integration. This communication can be approximated by the measurement of the functional connectivity, quantified with graph analysis. Neurofibrillary tangles ...
Broken mirron neurons in autism spectrum disorders? Exploration of a partial deficit and/or neuronal connectivity problems within the mirror neuron system. KU Leuven
The effect of personality on default mode network functional connectivity of in age-related cognitive decline KU Leuven
In the last few decades, more and more research focuses on the aging population. A big part of this research examines changes in the brain that lead to cognitive decline due to neurodegeneration. However, substantially less research delves into cognition and its neural correlates in combination with other factors, that contribute to age-related cognitive decline and could potentially identify individuals that are at higher risk for the ...
Conservation management of polar ecosystems: using genomic approaches to study connectivity across spatial and functional scales. KU Leuven
The COPE project focusses on the sustainable management of polar ecosystems through the integration of evolutionary connectivity in the design of Marine Protected Area’s (MPAs). It does so a full genomic assessment and niche modeling of key taxa of the polar seas, accounting for the influence of the seascape. Choice of model organisms follow a long research tradition among the partners.
Social isolation in adolescent AD mice: effects on behaviour and functional connectivity KU Leuven
Adolescent transgenic mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will be separated into two groups at random: standard housing and social isolation (SI). In addition, wild-type mice will also be randomly separated into a standard housing and isolation group. Each of the four groups will be tested as outlined below. We expect that SI to exacerbate AD-like symptoms in transgenic mice (see e.g. Huang et al., 2015; Hui, Feng, Zheng, Jin, and Jia, 2017). ...