Donders Institute

Vici Grant for Esther Aarts to study how the gut shapes the brain in overeating | Radboud University Our gut sends signals to the brain about hunger and fullness, but we still do not understand well how the gut–brain connection affects eating when people eat without being hungry.

🎉 🧠 Professor Esther Aarts has been awarded a NWO (Dutch Research Council) #Vici #grant to study how the #gut talks to the #brain in people with #obesity and #ADHD. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Ultrasound gives the brain a nudge in the right direction | Radboud University Neuroscientist Soha Farboud of the Donders Institute at Radboud University has succeeded in adjusting activity in specific brain areas using a new technique.

🧠 A nudge in the right direction

A recent study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that focused transcranial ultrasound (#FUS) can stimulate the brain ánd influence human behaviour — all without surgery or implants. 🎯 Read more: 👇

www.ru.nl/en/research/...

BrainHelpDesk: Your questions answered by neuroscience experts | Radboud University In a recent publication in Brain Structure and Function, The BrainHelpDesk is featured as an innovative way to engage with the public. This online platform enables anyone to ask questions about the br...

🧠 The BrainHelpDesk was featured in Brain Structure and Function as an example of how science communication can move beyond traditional academic settings. #science #communication as #dialogue rather than a monologue. 🗣️💬

The BrainHelpDesk welcomes your questions. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Documentary: The Missing Piece | Radboud University On Friday, 20 February, the Precognition team will present a documentary by Tim Wiesner and Dr. Charlotte Fraza, with Prof. Andre Marquand, exploring the tension between lived experience of psychosis ...

🧠🎬 The Missing Piece — Understanding Psychosis through Lived Experience

This new documentary (screening on 20 February), the team follows David — a father, caregiver and lived-experience expert. After the screening, join a discussion with the researchers and filmmakers. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Donders Institute Open Dag | Radboud Universiteit Ontdek hoe fascinerend jouw brein is tijdens De Brein Show! Een dag vol interactieve belevenissen van spannende escape rooms en illusies tot live demonstraties, lezingen en experimenten – er is voor i...

🧠 Donders Institute Open Dag: De Brein Show 🧠

Op zaterdag 21 maart organiseert het Donders Institute een bijzondere open dag: De Brein Show. Een middag vol verwondering, illusies, experimenten en ontdekkingen voor jong én oud. 👉

www.ru.nl/donders-inst...

Korsakoff in focus: why more accurate diagnosis is essential for good care | Radboud University Het syndroom van Korsakov is een ernstige hersenaandoening die veel impact heeft op het leven van mensen die het krijgen. In Nederland gaat het naar schatting om 8.000 tot 10.000 mensen. Er worden sta...

🧠 #Korsakoff’s is a serious brain disorder that has a major impact on the lives of those who suffer from it. In the #Netherlands, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people are affected. Only 20% of suspected cases actually receive the diagnosis. Getting it right is crucial. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Large-scale community study reveals information sampling drives fairness decisions - Communications Psychology This citizen science, lab-in-the-field study embedded a classic economic task, the Ultimatum Game, in a museum, capturing >18,672 decisions about fairness from volunteer members of the public, reve...

This lab-in-the-field study embedded a classic economic task, the Ultimatum Game, in a museum, capturing <18,672 decisions about fairness from volunteer members of the public, revealing that information sampling shapes responses to unfairness.
@sarahvahed.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Answer: Ségolène Bompierre and Kristin Lemhöfer of the @dondersinst.bsky.social; editing/translation: Marina Boon:

brainhelpdesk.nl/en/vraag/how...

Do you also have a #brain #question? Ask it at the @brainhelpdesk.bsky.social of the @dondersinst.bsky.social and we will come up with an #answer!

How the brain predicts objects in a changing world | Radboud University In everyday life, we often encounter objects that are partially hidden or only seen from the corner of our eye. Our brain is remarkably good at keeping track of objects, and new research reveals how t...

New research from @peelen.bsky.social, shows our brain actively predicts how they should look based on the 3D structure of the environment. Even when objects are temporarily hidden from view, their expected orientation can be decoded from activity in the visual cortex. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

🗺️ 🧠 #Parkinson’s disease is not evenly distributed across #NL. Parkinson’s is more common in the #northern #provinces, occurs more often in men than women, and is linked to higher socioeconomic status. The risk increases with age, peaking between 75 and 85 years. 👇

www.radboudumc.nl/en/news-item...

Many young people experience long-term cognitive impairments after ischemic stroke - Thinking problems often persist and affect working life 14 January 2026

🧠 Each year, 2k–3k people aged 18 to 50 experience a #stroke. Many develop long-term cognitive problems, such as slower information processing, language difficulties and memory impairments. Recognising and acknowledging these problems is the first step.

www.radboudumc.nl/en/news-item...

🎥 Wat gebeurt er in je hersenen als je bang bent – en kun je angst uitzetten?

😱 Angsthaas Jurre Geluk en 💪 durfal Sahil Amar Aissa doken het lab van @epanlab.bsky.social in en testten met VR of het beroemde ‘angstknopje’ aan- en uit te zetten is:

www.zapp.nl/programmas/p...

2026 Executive Board update: Donders Institute continues to support collaboration | Radboud University While the institute was formally established on 18 May 2024, this agreement now formally underpins our collaboration across the network.

✨ 2026 Executive Board update: Donders Institute continues to support collaboration 🤝🧠

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Trauma in het vrouwenbrein | NPO Start Vrouwen hebben een twee keer zo grote kans om PTSS te ontwikkelen, een posttraumatische stressstoornis. Dat terwijl het meeste onderzoek naar deze stoornis is gedaan bij mannen. Petra Grijzen volgt on...

📺 💥 Gisteren bij NPO Focus: Sabrina van Heukelum onderzoekt welke sporen #PTSS achterlaat en of die anders zijn bij vrouwtjes dan bij mannetjes?

@epanlab.bsky.social Roelofs onderzocht hoe agenten in opleiding reageren onder druk als ze moeten kiezen om te schieten of niet: 👇

🎉 muZIEum reopens its doors this weekend! 👀

After a major renovation, muZIEum will open again — just in time for the Christmas holidays!
In the fully redesigned spaces, new routes and sensory encounters await: a place where you don’t need to see anything to experience everything. 👉

muzieum.nl

Answer by Ineke van Rossum of the Leiden University Medical Center; editing and translation by Marina Boon: brainhelpdesk.nl/en/vraag/wat...

Do you also have a #brain #question? Ask it at the @dondersinst.bsky.social @brainhelpdesk.bsky.social and we will come up with an #answer!

Why we sleep: insights from current research | Radboud University In the sleep lab of Martin Dresler, scientists work every day to piece together the scientific puzzle of sleep. We spend roughly a third of our lives asleep, switching off for eight hours makes any or...

🧠💤 #Sleep is crucial for the production of #antibodies, the #clearing of harmful substances from the brain, and the release of #growthhormone. 👶🧒 Some recent examples of sleep benefits according to @dresler.bsky.social. Read the full article here: 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

ERC Consolidator Grants for research on methane eaters, air showers and language in our brain | Radboud University Five Radboud University researchers are set to receive a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). Their research covers topics such as methane-eating micro-organisms, air showers f...

2/2 and Prof. @martinavinck.bsky.social for the NONLIN project, which investigates the non-linear mechanisms that underpin human cognition:

www.ru.nl/en/research/...

ERC Consolidator Grant of €2 million to map how language emerges in the human brain | Radboud University Stephanie Forkel has been awarded a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant worth €2 million to transform our understanding of how language arises from the complex interplay of neural systems in the human ...

1/2 ERC Consolidator Grants for @stephforkel.bsky.social Forkel, for the project EMERGENCE, which aims to transform our understanding of how language arises from the complex interactions within the connected brain:

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

Bas Bloem: Parkinson’s is the canary in the coal mine warning us that our environment is sick | Radboud University In a recent publication in The Lancet Neurology, Bloem and a group of internationally recognised scientists place Parkinson's in historical perspective, beginning with James Parkinson, who first descr...

🧠📚 #Longread: Parkinson’s is the canary in the coal mine

In The Lancet Neurology, experts map out the historical development of #Parkinson’s and have a #call #to #politicians: If we act now, we can reverse this pandemic. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

AI en EEG zetten je brein (om) in actie Je hebt het vast al eens een gezien: zo’n ‘badmuts’ met draadjes, op het hoofd van een proefpersoon of patiënt. We gingen langs bij twee labs, waar AI herseninfo van zo’n EEG-muts koppelt aan acties.

👀 🖥️ #NEMO Met behulp van AI schreef journalist Niels Olfert #NEMO door alleen naar de letters te kijken. Lees en zie hoe dat werkt en hoe je in de toekomst er deuren mee kan openen of zelfs koffie zetten: 👇

www.nemokennislink.nl/publicaties/...

Scientific Director Donders Institute | Radboud University Do you want to work as a Scientific Director Donders Institute at the Donders Institute? Check our vacancy!

Donders Institute seeks to appoint a new Scientific Director to lead our internationally oriented and interdisciplinary organisation 🌍🧠

Are you ready to help shape the future of brain, cognition, and behaviour research?👇

www.ru.nl/en/working-a...

🎓✨ A milestone worth celebrating and framing! 🖼️

Today, the Donders Institute celebrates its #750th #PhD #thesis. The full mosaic of all those thesis covers looks so good, we believe it deserves a spot in a museum.

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

🎯🤝🧠 We were happy to welcome an international press delegation to the Donders Brain Museum last week to share the story of how our 1,400+ researchers advance understanding of the human brain, cognition, and behaviour. Thanks for coming, Tack för ditt besök, Vielen Dank für Ihren Besuch!

Mobility Opportunities between the Donders Institute and Western University | Radboud University The Donders Institute and the Western Institute for Neuroscience (WIN) at Western University (Ontario, Canada) are delighted to continue their mobility collaboration.

🎓🌍🤝 “I had a fantastic time at Western Institute for Neuroscience. I expanded my professional network and learned a lot about their scientific culture. ” — Lucas Billen

Lucas shows exactly why international exchange matters. Curious about the exchange possibilities? 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

🥇 🎉 Yesterday, at the Computable Awards, an event with over 20,000 votes cast. Advanced Neural Control to Restore Brain Function was voted best healthcare project! Curious about the project? Read the article previously featured in ICT&health:

www.icthealth.nl/nieuws/unive...

Radboudumc-neurologist Bas Bloem receives international prize for Parkinson’s research - Michael J. Fox Foundation Pritzker Prize honors work integrating science, care and community for people with Pa... 17 November 2025

🎉 Bas Bloem has received the Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research from the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. 'We keep pushing the boundaries of science, care and creativity until Parkinson’s stops.' 👇

www.radboudumc.nl/en/news-item...

Donders’ Research Stimulation Funds: call for new collaborations and focus groups | Radboud University At the Donders Institute, new ideas often begin at the crossroads of disciplines. Through its Research Stimulation Funds, the institute encourages researchers to explore collaborations.

🌱 The Donders Research Stimulation Funds give early-career scientists the freedom to build something new from the bottom up like the #Neuro-#AI #Focus #Group.

A new round of the Donders Research Stimulation Funds is open until December 1st. 👇

www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...

YouTube video by Radboud Reflects Neurodiversiteit: elk brein uniek? | Amy De Roubaix en Léon de Bruin

🧠 🎥 Elk brein uniek? In de nieuwste Radboud Reflects-lezing gaan onderzoeker Amy De Roubaix PhD en filosoof Leon de Bruin in gesprek over #neurodiversiteit — van #autisme en #ADHD tot #dyslexie: 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-uH...

💪🧠🥦 Can lifestyle slow Parkinson’s disease?

Increasing physical activity, reducing stress, and improving nutrition can not only alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms, they may even slow the progression of the disease. Curious about the latest recommendations? 👇

www.radboudumc.nl/en/news-item...