Brain research
Brain research

Theme 3: Development and lifelong plasticity

Donders Theme 3: Development and lifelong plasticity focuses on plasticity, referring to the capacity to continuously alter neural structure and function in response to experience or injury.

Plasticity

Plasticity contributes to development, learning and memory, responses to environmental stimuli (e.g. stress) and ageing, and can lead to both adaptation and maladaptation of organisms or a population relative to their life stage and environment. Plasticity can thereby support healthy conditions and contribute to prevention or increased resilience, but can also lead to mental brain disease and influence treatment responsiveness. Since the brain does not function in isolation, also the influences of somatic and social processes on brain function are studied.

Knowledge derived from this approach is used to inform a diversity of clinical fields that strive to improve mental and physical health throughout the lifespan, including clinical genetics, pediatrics, geriatrics, neurology, psychiatry, psychology, and vascular medicine.

Fundamental and clinical research

Plasticity is genetically co-determined driven by conserved preprogrammed biological events as well as individual genetic and environmental factors, and can take place at the level of molecules up to the organism and an entire population. This theme thus covers fundamental and clinical research based on cell systems, organoids, animal models and research in healthy volunteers as well as patients. These levels of research are linked together through extensive interactions between researchers and translational methodologies.

Contact

Each of the four research themes of the Donders Institute has a Theme Leader. They coordinate discussions on subjects, host theme meetings and take part in the Research Platform to discuss strategic policy aspects. For more info on this meeting, reach out to the Theme Leader Hans van Bokhoven or theme management assistant Nadine Brouwer. Marcel Verbeek and Sharon Kolk are panel members of this theme.

Hans van Bokhovennadine.brouwer [at] radboudumc.nl (Nadine Brouwer)

 

Research groups linked to this theme

Donders brain plasticity

Affective disorders

Anne Speckens

Affective disorders
marcelolderikkert

Alzheimer Center Nijmegen

Marcel Olde Rikkert

Alzheimer Center Nijmegen
Judith Homberg

Behavioural Neurogenetics

Judith Homberg

Behavioural Neurogenetics
Donders brain plasticity

Behavioural Neuroscience

Benno Roozendaal

Behavioural Neuroscience
Nanda Rommelse

Bridging the gap between science and practice for ADHD

Nanda Lambregts-Rommelse

Bridging the gap between science and practice for ADHD
Dirk Schubert

Cellular Neurophysiology

Dirk Schubert

Cellular Neurophysiology
Donders brain plasticity

Cerebral Circulation and Cognition in Aging Humans

Jurgen Claassen

Cerebral Circulation and Cognition in Aging Humans
Amanda Kiliaan

Cerebral Circulation and Cognition in Mice and Men

Amanda Kiliaan

Cerebral Circulation and Cognition in Mice and Men
Indira Tendolkar

Clinical Neuroscience in Psychiatry

Indira Tendolkar

Clinical Neuroscience in Psychiatry
Erno Hermans benoemd tot hoogleraar Cognitieve Affectieve Neurowetenschappen

Cognitive Affective Neuroscience

Erno Hermans

Cognitive Affective Neuroscience
Iris Wiegand

Cognitive Aging

Iris Wiegand

Cognitive Aging
joukjeoosterman

Cognitive Aging

Joukje Oosterman

Cognitive Aging
Donders brain plasticity

Cognitive Rehabilitation

Dirk Bertens

Cognitive Rehabilitation
Donders brain plasticity

Developmental Psychobiology Lab

Carolina de Weerth

Developmental Psychobiology Lab
Annette Schenck benoemd tot hoogleraar Translational Genomics of Neurodevelopmental disorders

Drosophila Models of Brain Disorders

Annette Schenck

Drosophila Models of Brain Disorders
Donders brain plasticity

Genetic Epidemiology of Brain Traits and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Alejandro Arias Vasquez

Genetic Epidemiology of Brain Traits and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Portret Barbara Franke

Genetics of Brain Function and (Psychiatric) Malfunction

Barbara Franke

Genetics of Brain Function and (Psychiatric) Malfunction
Donders brain plasticity

Genomic profiling in intellectual disability

Bert de Vries

Genomic profiling in intellectual disability
Eric Ruhe

Innovative Neurobiological Treatments of Difficult to treat Depression

Eric Ruhe

Innovative Neurobiological Treatments of Difficult to treat Depression: Mechani…
Donders brain plasticity

Long-term dementia

Raymond Koopmans

Long-term dementia
Donders brain plasticity

Memory and Emotion

Nils Kohn

Memory and Emotion
Donders brain plasticity

Molecular dynamics of the Synapse

Anne-Sophie Hafner

Molecular dynamics of the Synapse
Marijn Kuijpers

Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration

Marijn Kuijpers

Marijn Kuijpers
Erik Storkebaum

Molecular Neurobiology

Erik Storkebaum

Molecular Neurobiology
Hans van Bokhoven

Molecular Neurogenetics

Hans van Bokhoven

Molecular Neurogenetics
Nael Nadif Kasri benoemd tot hoogleraar Medical Neuroscience for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Molecular Neurophysiology

Nael Nadif Kasri

Molecular Neurophysiology
Lisa Genzel

Networks of memory and sleep

Lisa Genzel

Networks of memory and sleep
Donders brain plasticity

Neural Correlates of Spatial Memory

Gabriele Janzen

Neural Correlates of Spatial Memory
Freyja Ólafsdóttir

Neural Mechanisms of Episodic and Spatial Memory

Freyja Ólafsdóttir

Neural Mechanisms of Episodic and Spatial Memory
Portretfoto Marcel Verbeek

Neurochemistry of Neurodegeneration

Marcel Verbeek

Neurochemistry of Neurodegeneration
Sharon Kolk

Neurodevelopment

Sharon Kolk

Neurodevelopment
Donders brain plasticity

Neuronal Networks of Memory

Francesco Battaglia

Neuronal Networks of Memory
Roy Kessels

Neuropsychology

Roy Kessels

Neuropsychology
Corina Greven benoemd tot hoogleraar Environmental Sensitivity in Health

Positive Developmental Psychopathology

Corina Greven

Positive Developmental Psychopathology
Donders brain plasticity

Preclinical Neuroimaging

Joanes Grandjean

Preclinical Neuroimaging
Donders brain plasticity

Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Genetics

Emma Sprooten

Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Genetics
Donders brain plasticity

Sleep and Memory

Martin Dresler

Sleep and Memory
Donders brain plasticity

Stress-related psychopathology

Marloes Henckens

Stress-related psychopathology
Corette Wierenga

Synaptic Physiology

Corette Wierenga

Synaptic Physiology
Portrait Inti Brazil

Systems Approach to Maladaptive Behaviour & Antisociality (SAMBA)

Inti Brazil

Systems Approach to Maladaptive Behaviour & Antisociality (SAMBA)
Lisenka Vissers benoemd tot hoogleraar Translational Genomics

Translational Genomics

Lisenka Vissers

Translational Genomics
Donders brain plasticity

Translational research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Wouter Staal

Translational research in Autism Spectrum Disorders