Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN)

The Kalsbeek group is organising a symposium!
🧠 Unraveling the Hypothalamus in the Era of Single Cell Transcriptomics 🧠

📅 Thursday 30 April
📍 Het Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, Amsterdam
🔗 Register here: benchmarkinghypothalamus.com

Last week we hosted the annual Brain Award ceremony. Three postdocs were awarded a first prize and two special distinctions in clinical relevance and open science. Congratulations Rasa Gulbinaite, Julian Packheiser, and Paolo Papale! 🏆 🎉

Read more on our website: nin.nl/news/winners...

Publication alert: Vicarious body maps bridge vision and touch in the human brain. 🧠

Read the full article here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congratulation @tknapen.bsky.social and all researchers involved!

EBRAINS-Neurotech: Building the next generation of brain technology Over the past decade, neurotechnology – the science of connecting technology directly with the brain – has grown at an astonishing pace. This field is developing devices that can monitor or even influ...

Big news for Dutch neuroscience! 🧠

The EBRAINS-Neurotech consortium received an €18.3M NWO grant to develop smarter & smaller brain-computer interfaces.

Among the participants is @pieterroelfsema.bsky.social known for his work on visual prostheses.

Read more: www.uva.nl/en/content/n...

Timing is everything: how exercise shapes metabolic health and brain adaptability - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

How can the timing of eating and exercising influence your internal clocks, metabolism and even the adaptability of your brain?

During her PhD, Ayano Shiba explored how the these internal respond to changes in our behaviour.

Read the full article on our website: nin.nl/news/timing-...

PhD Student Brain multiregion singlecell transcriptomics of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/CFSyndrome NIN - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

We're hiring a PhD student! 🧠 🎓

Do you want to contribute to unravelling the cellular and molecular signatures of one of the most enigmatic illnesses, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)?

Read the full vacancy on our website and apply now 👇
nin.nl/vacancies/ph...

Open science Data Manager - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

We're hiring an open science data manager to further implement and develop our data policy 🧠

Our research groups generate a lot of data. We are determined to store our data according to the FAIR principles and make our data easily available for other scientists.

Apply now 👇
nin.nl?post_type=va...

Exploring hypothalamic orexin neurons and glial changes in ME/CFS - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

Internship alert in Inge Huitinga's group 🧠 🧪

We are looking for an intern to investigate Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in postmortem human brain tissue.

Learn more and apply here 👇
nin.nl/internships/...

Investigating neuron–microglia interactions in multiple sclerosis (MS) - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

Internship alert! 🧠 🔬

Maarten Kole's group is offering an exciting master student internship focused on the neuron–microglia interactions in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Learn more and apply on our website 👇
nin.nl/internships/...

Investigating SCN Alterations in Parkinson’s Disease Using Human Postmortem Brain Samples - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

We're hiring an intern! 🧪🥼

You will investigate suprachiasmatic nucleus alterations in Parkinson's disease using human postmortem brain samples

Read more and apply here 👇
nin.nl/internships/...

PhD candidate neuroplasticity in depression, physician-researcher (MD) neuroscience - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

We're hiring a PhD candidate 🎓 💡

Together with the Amsterdam UMC, department of Psychiatry we have a vacancy for a joint PhD research project to better understand reduced neuroplasticity and synapse density as a mechanism for depression.

Read the full vacancy here 👇

nin.nl/vacancies/ph...

Intracranial electrophysiological biomarkers of compulsivity in obsessive–compulsive disorder - Nature Mental Health This research identifies local field potential markers associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms in patients during provocation. Key findings reveal increased delta and alpha power in spe...

Researchers from the Willuhn group revealed how deep neural networks behave during obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. "For the first time, we have found a clear biological marker for OCD in the brain," says Tara Arbab, first author.

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The elderly brain is less mature than you think and that could protect you from Alzheimer’s Disease - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

Why do some people with Alzheimer’s do not show symptoms of Alzheimer's?

During her PhD, @giorgitos.bsky.social explored this question. Part of the answer led her to an unexpected group of brain cells: underdeveloped neurons.

Read the full article on our website: nin.nl/news/the-eld...

Cortical activity upon awakening from sleep reveals consistent spatio-temporal gradients across sleep stages in human EEG How does the brain awaken from sleep? Several studies have suggested that the awakening process occurs asynchronously across brain regions, but the pr…

The Siclari group uncovered how the brain transitions from sleep to wakefulness. “This study offers a window into one of the most fundamental transitions in human consciousness,” says Aurélie Stephan, first author.

Read the full publication here 👇:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Developing a minimally invasive gene therapy for multiple sclerosis Nijhuis and colleagues present a gene therapy strategy for multiple sclerosis. In a mouse model, adeno-associated viral vectors that pass the blood-brain barrier were combined with cell-selective prom...

The Verhaagen group has taken the first step towards a gene therapy for multiple sclerosis. “This way we avoid complex neurosurgical procedures to deliver the therapeutic gene to its target” says Paul Nijhuis, lead author.

Read the full publication here 👇
www.cell.com/molecular-th...

A new Science study shows the adult brain may still produce neurons. Researchers found genetic traces of active progenitor cells. “This paper will make a huge contribution to the field,” said Evgenia Salta of the NIN.

Read the full article here 👇
www.science.org/content/arti...

How to build an AI that more closely resembles the biological brain - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

How can we build an AI model that resembles a biological brain?

During her PhD, Sanne van den Berg explored this question and the answer involved a rather unusual approach: rewarding the model with pleasurable numbers.

Read the full article on our website: nin.nl/news/how-to-...

PhD student - mechanisms of myelin repair - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

We're hiring a PhD student! 💡🧠

Are you fascinated by the challenge of restoring brain repair in multiple sclerosis (MS)? Then a PhD in Inge Huitinga's group may be the one for you!

Apply via de link on our website: nin.nl/vacancies/ph...

Broad rim lesions are a new pathological and imaging biomarker for rapid disease progression in multiple sclerosis - Nature Medicine This study identifies a unique multiple sclerosis lesion, the broad rim lesion, which is associated with rapid disease progression and marked by a distinct inflammatory profile involving innate inflam...

💡 New publication on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 🧠

Researchers identify "broad rim MS lesions": a new subtype of lesion linked to faster disease progression and detectable via PET-MRI. A promising biomarker and therapeutic target.

Read the full article 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

SND internship: Analysis of behavioral states in neonatal mice - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

🧠🐁 Internship Opportunity - Synapse and Network Development group

Are you interested in uncovering behaviour from neonatal mouse facial expressions? Join our project analysing face videos and body sensor data to identify stereotyped behaviors.

Read more 👇
nin.nl/internships/...

Nieuwe stage vacature! 🧠💤

Ben jij geïnteresseerd in slaap en mentale gezondheid rond zwangerschap en bevalling? De Sleep & Cognition-groep zoekt een gemotiveerde bachelor- of masterstudent voor een stageproject rond perinatale slapeloosheid.

Lees hier meer 👇
herseninstituut.nl/stages/bache...

Masterstage bij de Sleep & Cognition-groep - Nederlands Herseninstituut - KNAW | Master the mind

Nieuwe stage vacature! 🧠 🛌

Ben jij geïnteresseerd in de werkingsmechanismes van slapeloosheid? De Sleep & Cognition-groep is op zoek naar een enthousiaste en gedreven stagiair(e).

Lees hier meer 👇 herseninstituut.nl/stages/maste...

PhD student - cellular mechanisms of psychiatry - Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience - Master the Mind

PhD position 2/2: Cellular mechanisms of psychiatry 🧠

Join us as a PhD candidate exploring cellular mechanisms in neuropsychiatry using cutting-edge imaging, chemical tools & glia research.

Apply by 15 June 2025: 👇
nin.nl/vacancies/ph...

#PhDposition #BrainResearch #Neuroscience

PhD position 1/2: Neuron-glia mechanisms in psychiatry 🧠

We're hiring a PhD candidate to study neuron-glia interactions in neuropsychiatry using cutting-edge electrophysiology & viral tools.

Apply by 15 June 2025: 👇
nin.nl/vacancies/ph...

#PhDposition #BrainResearch #Neuroscience

In the "BBC World Service - CrowdScience" episode “Why can't I fall asleep?”, sleep expert Prof. Dr. Eus van Someren discusses sleep and insomnia research. You can listen to the podcast version of the episode on the BBC website (see the Link provided).

Why do some people struggle to fall asleep? 💤🧠

In the "BBC World Service - CrowdScience" episode “Why can't I fall asleep?”, sleep expert Prof. Dr. Eus van Someren discusses sleep and insomnia.

Listen to the podcast here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#SleepResearch #Insomnia #SleepStudy

Multimodal brain imaging of insomnia, depression and anxiety symptoms indicates transdiagnostic commonalities and differences - Nature Mental Health The authors used data from the UK Biobank to identify associations of self-rated symptoms of insomnia, depression and anxiety with cortical area, cortical thickness, subcortical volume, structural con...

💡 New publication on insomnia, anxiety, and depression. 🧠

Large-scale brain imaging study reveals shared and distinct neural features, pointing to a common brain circuit underlying these disorders.
@siemon.bsky.social @eptissink.bsky.social

Read the article here 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Check the GUTS Special Issue published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Journal featuring the @socialbrainlab.bsky.social 🧠

Read the full set of articles here: www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...

Onderhandelaars voorjaarsnota maakten het zichzelf lastig met marathonsessie De gesprekspartners kregen zowel met slaaptekort als verstoring van hun bioritme te maken.

“We didn't sleep at all, not even a minute, but it was worth it,” said PVV leader Wilders.

In this NOS article, sleep researcher Roxanne Bongers explains how a 24-hour negotiation may impact crucial decision-making processes. 🧠💤

nos.nl/artikel/2563...

A few weeks ago we welcomed students from Brainwave (@utrechtuniversity) to our institute. They were given a tour of the Netherlands Brain Bank and sleeplab, as well as presentations about research on fMRI, metabolism and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Let's just say, they asked a lot of very good questions!

How can art and neuroscience help us reflect on our own perception and experience of the world? To explore that question, NeuroNarratives has paired eight neuroscientists and artists together so they can create thought-provoking artworks that will be presented in the centre of Amsterdam in 2026.