Research
We investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie plasticity of synapses and neuronal circuitry in animal models, as well as the human brain.
Projects and Networks
MCN teams contribute to national and international research projects and consortiums
About us
The MCN department was initiated in 2003 and in its current form has ~40 lab members. MCN participates in Amsterdam Neuroscience. Photo: lab outing to France 2023
Our latest activities
SUPERGLUE consortium, lead by Mark Verheijen and Rogier Min, receives NWO-XL funding
In SUPERGLUE, PI’s at the VU (Mark Verheijen, Priyanka Rao-Ruiz, Natalia Goriounova, Harold MacGillavry) and AUMC (Rogier Min, Erik Bakker, Elga de Vries) will collaborate to investigate how subcellular compartments of the astrocyte control cognitive processing .
Early-life stress and amyloidosis share pathogenic pathways
Collaborative work between the teams of Mark Verheijen (VU-MCN) and Aniko Korosi (UvA-SILS), is recently published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The research was mainly performed by Mandy Kater (VU) and Janssen Kotah (UvA), among others, and shows that ‘Early-life stress and amyloidosis share pathogenic pathways involving astrocyte lipid metabolism and the synaptic mitochondrial proteome’.
Mechanisms Of DEMentia (MODEM): connecting the dots
“We all believe in the importance of a different piece of the puzzle.” prof. dr. Guus Smit says when he explains why this consortium was formed together with 20 other researchers. “It’s about connecting the dots, the cohesion between seemingly different processes underlying the development of dementia from different perspectives. That is what we are looking for in Mechanisms Of DEMentia (MODEM). Because that coherence has to be there. There is no other way.”
