Ronald van Kesteren studies the pathological mechanisms of early changes in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. Whereas a critical role was previously attributed to the accumulation of the amyloid protein, it is now becoming increasingly clear that other processes in the brain are also disrupted at an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, neuronal network activity and the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain are impaired early on.
“I am investigating the cellular and molecular triggers of these processes for Alzheimer’s disease and hope to find ways to restore them. An important aspect of this research is the translation of observations in mice to Alzheimer’s patients.”
As a newly appointed professor, he will aim to develop new ideas and hypotheses on the onset of dementia, especially the earliest cognitive decline. An important aspect of this will be to integrate fundamental research (cell and animal models), new insights from genetic research, and clinical research to be able to diagnose dementia in the future. In cooperation with the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, researchers are looking into whether knowledge of disturbed network activity in mice can help find early changes in human brain activity that may be indicative of the onset of Alzheimer’s and how these changes can then be inhibited.
Bio
Ronald van Kesteren obtained an MSc in Biology at Leiden University in 1990 and a PhD in Neuroscience at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1994. He has been a team leader at the Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR) since 2003. Van Kesteren has also been the Programme Director of the Bachelor’s program in Biomedical Sciences at VU Amsterdam since 2016.