Aleksandra Komornicka - FASoS, European History

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reopened debates on the end of the Cold War, the 1989 transformations of socialist regimes, and the European Union’s eastern enlargement. ‘The Market Next Door’ revisits these debates by investigating the involvement of Western European Multinational Corporations in Central Europe between 1969 and 1993. Based on research in multiple public and corporate archives, the project sheds light on the contribution of business actors to the making of Europe as we know it today.

Natasha Mason - FPN, Psychopharmacology

Psychedelics, like psilocybin, have a unique ability to make the brain more open to change. This research project explores using this effect to help people with anxiety shift their focus away from negative thoughts. Typically, such negative focus is hard to change, even with current methods like Attention Bias Modification Training (ABMT), which tries to redirect attention away from negative, and towards positive, information. This project tests if combining psilocybin with ABMT makes this retraining more effective and lasting. By doing so, the project aims to discover more efficient ways to treat anxiety and improve well-being.

Glenn Franken - FHML (MHeNs), Neurology

Chronic nerve pain is often caused by a disturbed firing pattern of nerve cells in the dorsal root ganglion and the spinal cord, which therefore constantly send pain signals to the brain. This research will investigate if and how electrical stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion can decrease this disturbed firing pattern on these 2 important locations, and thereby treat chronic nerve pain.

Job Verdonschot - FHML (CARIM), Heart Failure

A dilated heart is a severe cardiac muscle disease, often caused by a genetic mutation, and can lead to heart failure and death. Relatives of these patients also have an increased risk of developing this disease and are therefore screened annually using ultrasound. Additionally, an MRI is recommended to visualize stiffening of the heart muscle, an important predictor of sudden death. However, there is insufficient capacity to screen all relatives by MRI. This research validates a cheaper and more accessible alternative imaging method to detect stiffening of the heart in an early stage and initiate treatment.