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Complex Trait Genetics lab

VU University & VU Medical Centre Amsterdam
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research
Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam

Cutting edge research

VU University & VU Medical Centre Amsterdam
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research
Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamNovel statistical tools
From P-values to functional genomics
Linking brain function to genetic susceptibility

We love science

VU University & VU Medical Centre Amsterdam
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research
Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamNovel statistical tools
From P-values to functional genomics
Linking brain function to genetic susceptibilityWe love big data
We love supercomputing

We love complex networks

Research

Research in CTGlab explores the genetic and environmental causes of individual differences in brain-related health and disease. We integrate knowledge from different fields (genetics, neuroscience, bioinformatics, biology, machine learning), use and develop analytical tools to analyze and understand genomic data for complex traits, and connect to neuroscience to prove causation in wet-lab experiments.

Research

Research in CTGlab explores the genetic and environmental causes of individual differences in brain-related health and disease. We integrate knowledge from different fields (genetics, neuroscience, bioinformatics, biology, machine learning), use and develop analytical tools to analyze and understand genomic data for complex traits, and connect to neuroscience to prove causation in wet-lab experiments.

Read more about Research

Video's

NWO Brain & Cognition has awarded CTGlab PhD students Anke Hammerschlag and Sabine Mous the first prize for best integrated project and the attractive joint presentation of their collaboration on “An Integrative Theory of the Genetically Mediated Neural Substrates of ADHD”.

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News

PoC grant awarded to Karen Laupman and Nathaniel Bell

PhD candidates Karen Laupman and Nathaniel Bell, with supervisors Associate Professor Vivi Heine and Professor Danielle Posthuma, have been awarded a Proof of Concept (PoC) grant for €55.000 from Amsterdam Neuroscience for their innovative research on repurposing drugs specifically for schizophrenia (SCZ).

Read more about PoC grant awarded to Karen Laupman and Nathaniel Bell

Reward sensitivity plays a role in youth crime

Boys who associate with delinquent friends are more likely to display antisocial behavior. A new study by neuroscientists and behavior experts from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC, led by CNCR colleague Jorim Tielbeek (dept. of Complex Trait Genetics) shows that this association is stronger in boys with an increased sensitivity to reward.

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Best Student Paper Award awarded to Ilan Libedinsky

The paper of CNCR researcher Ilan Libedinsky “Genetic timeline of human brain and cognitive traits” has been awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the 23rd annual conference of the International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR), held in Berkeley, California, from July 27-29, 2023.

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Read more about Best Student Paper Award awarded to Ilan Libedinsky

Research Statement

In the post-GWAS era the aim of genetic research has expanded to the identification of the actual genes underlying stable genetic contributions to various key traits of behavior, cognition and health. Identifying these genes is important as it may lead us to understand why some people are more prone to mental disorders and physical disease than others, and may help improve early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease.

Research in our lab explores the genetic and environmental causes of individual differences in human traits related to behavior, cognition and mental and physical health. We integrate knowledge from different fields (biology, genetics, neuroimaging, bioinformatics) and use and develop statistical tools to analyze and understand GWAS data for complex traits.