News Archive

2011

20-09-11
Esther Lips and Danielle Posthuma identify synaptic gene groups as risk factor for schizophrenia and publish their findings in Molecular Psychiatry.

19-09-11
International study finds five novel loci for schizophrenia.
A large international research consortium has identified several new genes associated with schizophrenia. Their study, co-authored by Danielle Posthuma from the Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, reveals that common genetic variants contribute to a person’s risk of schizophrenia.
The findings, reported by the Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study Consortium (PGC) and published online this week in the journal Nature Genetics, included 51,695 schizophrenic patients and controls, in which a million DNA markers were scanned. Results from this study provide novel molecular clues into the etiology of schizophrenia. See paper online.

06-04-11
Sophie van der Sluis presents ‘Complex Phenotypes in Genetics’ during Neuroscience Campus Annual Meeting 2011

20-02-11
Danielle Posthuma is appointed Full Professor at the CNCR-VU Amsterdam. She will focus on the genetics of complex traits, in particular cognitive functions and dysfunctions. See also press release

13-01-11
CTG researcher Tinca Polderman participated in the Dutch popular scientific program Pavlov. She investigated cognitive traits of writer and actress Sanne Vogel. The program will air on TV January 13th, at 20.55.

05-01-11
The IQ and DNA data collection in the Science Live program of NEMO Science Centre is finished. A total of 1384 people participated!

2010

01-11-10
PhD ceremony Annabelle Vinkhuyzen: General cognitive ability and the interplay between genes and environment

24-08-10
Posthuma, Verhage and Heutink receive prestigious grant - in the ‘Programmes for Excellence’ - round from the ‘National Initiative Brain and Cognition: an integrated approach’ (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research).

19-08-10
IQ study in science center NEMO. Researchers Danielle Posthuma and Tinca Polderman collect IQ data and DNA from visitors of science center NEMO, Amsterdam, as part of NEMO’s Science Live experiment.

02-04-10
Researchers Find Genetic Variants Linked to Smoking Behavior.
A international team of scientists has used data from genome-wide association studies to identify genetic variants associated with key smoking behaviors that have a significant impact on health.

 CNCR researcher Danielle Posthuma was part of the statistical analysis subgroup of the largest genetic study of smoking to date, called the Tobacco and Genetics Consortium (TAG).

01-03-10
Life events moderate the heritability of cognitive ability

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CNCR researchers Annabelle Vinkhuyzen, Sophie van der Sluis and Danielle Posthuma found that going through major life events changes the relative influence of genes on cognitive ability. Their results are available online and will be published in Molecular Psychiatry.

01-01-10
G-proteins and intelligence.
Groups of Posthuma and Verhage apply novel functional gene group analysis and detect a role for G-proteins in cognitive ability. Their results are published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

2009

01-06-09
NWO open competition grant for Danielle Posthuma
CNCR researcher Danielle Posthuma, in collaboration with Peter Hagoort and Guillén Fernandez (FC Donders Centre Nijmegen), won an NWO Open Competition grant with a proposal that aims to integrate neurogenetics with the field of neuroimaging. This will improve her understanding of the interaction between intellectual functioning and the genetic make-up of an individual.

01-05-09
Peter Visscher KNAW Visiting Professorship at CNCR
Renowned expert in the epidemiology and statistics of genetics, dr. Peter Visscher will make a total of three visits to the VU/CNCR - CTG lab. Visscher received a TOP visiting professorship grant, subsidised by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

2008

05-08-08
Sophie van der Sluis receives Veni from the Netherlands Society for Scientific Research.

2006

01-07-06
Aspasia grant for Danielle Posthuma.

01-05-06
Danielle Posthuma receives NWO Middelgroot grant to buy a Cluster Computer dedicated to genetic research.

2005

11-2005
Sophie van der Sluis receives ISED-award for the best research paper published in 2004, Institute for the Study of Education and Human Development.

02-07-05
Danielle Posthuma receives JL Fuller & JP Scott Memorial Award for Early Career Outstanding Achievements from the international Behavior Genetics Association, presented in Hollywood, CA.

01-07-05
Danielle Posthuma receives VIDI grant from the Netherlands Scientific Organization to study the complex interplay between genes and environment in intelligence.

2004

18-11-04
Danielle Posthuma selected as a member of the Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences