Publications by authors named "Isabelle van der Velpen"
Background: A growing body of literature classifies autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a heterogeneous, complex neurodevelopmental disorder that often is identified prior to three years of age. We aim to provide a narrative review of key structural and functional properties that differentiate the neuroimaging profile of autistic youth from their typically developing (TD) peers across different neuroimaging modalities.
Methods: Relevant studies were identified by searching for key terms in PubMed, with the most recent search conducted on September 1, 2023.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how social health factors, like marital status and loneliness, are connected to the immune system and dementia risk in older adults.
- Researchers measured various immune cell counts and neurodegeneration markers in a group of 8,374 participants over several years to analyze these relationships.
- Findings suggest that being never married is linked to higher markers of immune imbalance and neurodegeneration, particularly in males, while social support shows mixed effects on immune system measures between genders.
Article Synopsis
- Imaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease can provide insights into brain health, but their manual assessment is slow and has high variability among different evaluators.
- The VALDO challenge, held alongside the MICCAI 2021 conference, aimed to develop automated methods for detecting specific brain imaging markers, including enlarged perivascular spaces, cerebral microbleeds, and lacunes, using imperfect data.
- The results highlighted significant performance differences among 12 participating teams, showing promise for detecting enlarged perivascular spaces and microbleeds, but indicating that solutions for lacunes remain less effective for individual use despite potential benefits for population studies.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to explore the link between N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure over time.
- Conducted as part of the Rotterdam Study, it involved 9,566 participants, with cognitive tests and MRI scans done over several years.
- Results indicated that higher NT-proBNP levels correlated with faster cognitive decline, specifically in overall function and word fluency, but did not show significant impacts on overall brain structure.
Background: Dysregulation of the negative feedback loop of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may have damaging effects on the brain, potentially under influence of psychosocial health factors. We studied associations between functioning of the negative feedback loop of HPA-axis, measured with a very low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (DST), and brain structure in middle-aged and older adults, and whether these associations were modified by psychosocial health.
Methods: From 2006 to 2008, 1259 participants (mean age 57.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aims to clarify the concept of social health in relation to dementia, highlighting its potential role in cognitive decline and the need for a more robust framework to guide future research.
- - An iterative process was employed to develop a conceptual model that defines social health as an individual's well-being influenced by both personal capacities and the social environment, encompassing factors like social participation and networks.
- - The framework serves as a foundation for identifying risk and protective factors in dementia, pointing towards new preventive strategies and emphasizing the importance of studying social health in dementia research.
Article Synopsis
- Poor social health, like loneliness and perceived social support, has been linked to changes in white matter integrity in the brain, which may increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders.
- A study with 3,352 participants examined the relationship between social health markers and the microstructural integrity of 15 specific white matter tracts using advanced imaging techniques.
- Findings revealed that higher loneliness correlated with lower integrity in certain brain tracts, while better social support was linked to greater integrity in others, suggesting that different aspects of social health engage distinct brain neural pathways.
The network of psychosocial health in middle-aged and older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
December 2022
Purpose: Psychosocial health problems, such as social isolation, loneliness, depression and anxiety, have gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic and are commonly co-occurring. We investigated the network of psychosocial health constructs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This study included 4553 participants (mean age: 68.
Introduction: Volumetric and morphological changes in subcortical brain structures are present in persons with dementia, but it is unknown if these changes occur prior to diagnosis.
Methods: Between 2005 and 2016, 5522 Rotterdam Study participants (mean age: 64.4) underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were followed for development of dementia until 2018.
Background: Cerebrovascular disease is regarded as a potential cause of late-life depression. Yet, evidence for associations of neuroimaging markers of vascular brain disease with depressive symptoms is inconclusive. We examined the associations of neuroimaging markers and depressive symptoms in a large population-based study of middle-aged and elderly persons over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the association of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry (PRISm) with cognitive performance and presence of vascular brain lesions (VBL).
Methods: We determined both cross-sectional and longitudinal association of lung function impairment with cognition, as well as cross-sectional association of lung function impairment with VBL, in the general population. Between 2009 and 2014 we included 3,941 participants from the Rotterdam Study with spirometry tests, brain MRI scans and cognition tests, of whom 1815 had follow-up data on cognition.
Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and accompanying lockdown restrictions impacted social life significantly. We studied associations of sociodemographic factors, mental and social health markers, and brain structure with social health trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: Prospective longitudinal population-based cohort study.
Social Health Is Associated With Structural Brain Changes in Older Adults: The Rotterdam Study.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging
July 2022
Article Synopsis
- Social health factors, like loneliness, social support, and marital status, can impact brain structure, potentially influencing cognitive function and the development of dementia in older adults.
- In a study with 3,737 participants, loneliness linked to reduced white matter volume, while good social support correlated with larger brain volumes and slower decreases over time.
- Overall, findings suggest that positive social health can lead to better brain structure, highlighting the importance of social interactions for cognitive health as we age.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex, multicausal disorder involving several spatiotemporal scales and scientific domains. While many studies focus on specific parts of this system, the complexity of AD is rarely studied as a whole. In this work, we apply systems thinking to map out known causal mechanisms and risk factors ranging from intracellular to psychosocial scales in sporadic AD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal studies suggest the involvement of natriuretic peptides (NP) in several brain functions that are known to be disturbed during Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unclear whether such findings extend to humans. In this study, we aimed to: (1) map the gene expression and localization of NP and their receptors (NPR) in human post-mortem brain tissue; (2) compare the relative amounts of NP and NPR between the brain tissue of AD patients and non-demented controls, and (3) compare the relative amounts of NP between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AD patients and non-demented controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is well established that patients with heart failure are at a greater risk for dementia. Recent evidence suggests that the heart-brain link goes beyond advanced heart failure, and even suboptimal cardiac function is associated with brain structural and functional changes leading to cognitive impairment. In this review, we address several pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this association, including hemodynamic stress and cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypercoagulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Cardiac function is a key player in maintaining energy homeostasis in the brain. Heart failure is closely related to higher risk of neurocognitive disorders. Recent evidence shows that this relationship might not be limited to patients with advanced heart failure, and even suboptimal cardiac functioning is associated with accelerated brain aging.
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