Will you put your brain to the test during the Brain Show?

13 March 2026 News item

On Saturday, March 21, brain researchers from Radboud University will welcome young and old during the Open Day of the Donders Institute. Expect an afternoon full of wonder with lab tours, escape rooms, short talks, and many experiences about and for the brain. Radboud Recharge already shares 5 tips.

Tip 1: Escape from the ADHD Escape Room

Imagine this: you win a contest and get to participate live in The Big Broadcast on ADHD FM. The grand prize? A dream trip. But there’s one problem: you still have a lot to do. Your suitcase is open, the hamster needs food, your test isn’t finished yet … and meanwhile the ADHD clock keeps jumping from fast to slow while the radio pressures you with quiz questions and even more chaos. On the tablet, messages, notifications, and checklists overlap. You try to bring order to the situation, but even that creates new stimuli. The room transforms into a living brain full of sounds, lights, unexpected alerts, and physical puzzles. Then the lights go out and only those who keep moving can keep ADHD FM on the air.

ADHD Escape – The Big Broadcast is an escape experience about busyness, focus, and resilience. A game that doesn’t explain what ADHD is, but lets you feel what it’s like: chaotic, creative, caring, and full of energy.

Practical information: To play the ADHD Escape during the Open Day, registration is required. Click the button below to register. On that page you will also see that the ADHD Escape is not only available during the Open Day. During Brain Awareness Week, it can also be booked (for a fee).

Book the ADHD Escape Room

Tip 2: Explore a brain live

With a razor-sharp scalpel, Wyboud Stijns from the Institute for Science Education will guide you step by step through a live dissection of a calf brain, which surprisingly resembles a human brain. During this masterclass, you’ll discover within one hour exactly where different brain functions are located and how they work. A unique chance to get to know the brain up close and actually see it!

Tip 3: Discover how language opens doors

The ADHD Escape isn’t the only escape room during the Open Day. You can also try to solve the Kletskoppen Language Stone Escape Box.

In this escape room, the fictional linguist Rosetta Steen asks children to help her unravel the mystery of the language stone. Whoever solves all the language puzzles will find the treasure hidden inside the stone.

Linguist Imme Lammertink helped develop the escape room:

“We notice that children really learn something about language by playing with the stone. For example, we hear that after playing, children realise that in other languages the same word can appear in a different place in a sentence. An impact study also shows that 74% of the children became curious after playing with the language stone and want to learn more about how language works.”

Cathelijne Radstaake en Ricardo Wennekers

Tip 4: What happens in the brain during a menstrual cycle?

How do hormones in the body affect the brain, and why do you feel happier or more emotional on some days than on others? Ricardo Wennekers and Cathelijne Radstaake study what happens in the brain during a menstrual cycle. Their research shows that these fluctuations are completely normal and that real changes occur in the brain.

By carefully measuring what happens in the brain, the researchers want to better understand how women feel and how science can help explain this. During the Open Day, Ricardo and Cathelijne will guide you through this exciting research and show how brains and hormones work together.

This research was made possible thanks to donations to the Radboud Fonds and donations are still possible.

Tip 5: Magic with MRI

During the Open Day, the Donders Institute will open its MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) lab to the general public. The lab currently houses two MRI scanners. Since opening in 2002, more than 60,000 brains have been scanned here!

Discover how researchers measure brain activity while someone performs a task in the scanner, and watch live which areas of the brain become active*. Be amazed by the magic of MRI: did you know the scanner can play music and that its powerful magnet can make a pen or metal plate float?

And do you dare to take on the classic challenge of lying perfectly still? Test your talent and discover why staying still is crucial for MRI research.

*Note: the explanation about measuring brain activity will only take place three times that afternoon: at 13:30, 14:30, and 15:30.

Donders Institute Open Dag 2026 - De Brein Show

There’s much more to discover!

Curious about the full programme? View all activities here.

Location: Trigon building. The doors open at 12:00 PM. Admission is free. Parking is available, and food and drinks will be available throughout the day.

Registration is only required for the Escape Rooms, and registration will open soon.

Contact information

Organizational unit: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Theme: Behaviour, Brain, Innovation, Artificial intelligence (AI), Society, Language, Science