The fascination with ageing arose at a young age, when Michelle worked in a nursing home. ‘I thought it was so special and educational to work with people with dementia. That sparked my interest in psychology,’ she says. During her studies, she consciously chose Nijmegen, partly because of the opportunities and expertise offered by the Donders Institute.
Her PhD research started at an exceptional moment: her first working day coincided with the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Nevertheless, she managed to adapt her research to the circumstances. Whereas the original plan revolved around one large data collection, she eventually opted for a combination of existing datasets and new research. Her thesis has two parts: understanding differences in cognitive ageing, including by identifying potentially influencing factors, and improving research methods.
From education level to lifestyle
One of her key findings is that differences in thinking ability can be partly explained by education level and ‘cognitive reserve’. ‘People with richer cognitive lives may be able to tolerate more brain damage without directly experiencing symptoms,’ Michelle said. It also appears that lifestyle factors such as blood pressure in middle age are already related to brain health in later life. Michelle: ‘The process of healthy ageing takes place across the life course,’ she said.
Michelle not only provided substantive insights, but also contributed to the scientific infrastructure. For example, she developed a tool to better report memory interventions, made a unique MRI dataset available to other researchers, and showed that people can use different brain regions to perform the same cognitive tasks, with no difference in performance.
Gratefully, she looks back on the collaboration with her supervisors and colleagues. ‘I felt really supported by my team and the Donders Institute. The open culture and accessibility of people made a big difference.’
PhD defense
Michelle Jansen's PhD defense will take place on Tuesday 27 May 2025 at 14:30 in the Radboud University auditorium (Understanding cognitive ageing: From unraveling inter-individual variability in cognitive functioning to advancing research).