NWO Vici, recent awardees

Plant movements: navigating the light environment

Sanne E A Matton · Wageningen University & Research · NL

Plants use light both as a resource for photosynthesis and as a signal about their environment. In response to light cues, plants can move their organs via directional growth driven by cell expansion. In dense vegetation where light is available in spatially heterogeneous patterns, plants need to navigate this space to improve the position of their photosynthetic tissues. In canopies blue light irradiance and red to far-red light ratio decrease due to absorption by chloroplasts, and these change

Maternal childhood maltreatment and children's psychopathology across childhood: Exploring the role of maternal early caregiving quality in a low-risk sample

Lisa Loheide-Niesmann · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment can have severe, long-lasting mental health consequences for survivors themselves and these effects can also be transmitted to the next generation: children of childhood maltreatment survivors are at a higher risk for various behavioural problems. However, the impact of maternal childhood maltreatment on developmental trajectories of child behaviour problems is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal observational study examined associations between materna

An Evidence Accumulation Model Analysis of Prior Probability and Spatial Attention Biases

Ettore Cerracchio · University of Amsterdam · NL

Abstract Both the locus of our attention and our prior knowledge bias the decisions we make. These biases can be quantitatively investigated using formal models of decision-making such as evidence accumulation models (EAMs). EAMs describe how evidence towards the possible choices is accumulated until a decision is made. Previous studies investigating the biasing effect of spatial attention and prior probability manipulations on EAMs’ parameters supported the idea that the rate of evidence accumu

The association of psychosocial work quality with changes in the mental health of young adults starting career work

M. van der Veen

Objective This study investigated whether (i) young adults’ mental health problems change when starting career work, (ii) potential changes in mental health problems differ by psychosocial work quality, and (iii) mental health problems during adolescence moderate potential changes in mental health by psychosocial work quality. Methods We used data from the TRracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort. Follow-up time was 2–4 years. Mental health was measured with the youth and a

Markov Chains and Random Walks with Memory on Hypergraphs: A Tensor-Based Approach

Shaoxuan Cui

Many complex systems exhibit interactions that depend not only on pairwise connections, but also group structures and memory effects. To capture such effects, we develop a unified tensor framework for modeling higher-order Markov chains with memory. Our formulation introduces an even-order paired tensor that links folded and unfolded dynamics and characterizes their steady states and convergence. We further show that a Markov chain with memory can be approximated by a low-dimensional nonlinear t

Accumulation and sensitive period effects for childhood abuse and financial hardship on depressive symptoms in late adolescence

Erin C. Dunn · Broad Institute · US

Accumulation rather than sensitive period hypotheses generally best explained the relationship between adversity and depressive symptoms in late adolescence, but findings varied by sex and adversity type. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple life course hypotheses, sex, and adversity type when investigating the downstream impacts of adversity.

Diels‐Alder Click Chemistry as a Dynamic‐Covalent Crosslinking Method in Spheroid‐Encapsulating Hydrogels for Cartilage Engineering

Tina Vermonden · Utrecht University · NL

In cartilage tissue engineering, there is a growing interest in dynamic hydrogels that promote spheroid fusion and cartilaginous matrix deposition, while maintaining sufficient stability for long-term construct maturation. In this study, Diels-Alder click chemistry is employed as a dynamic-covalent crosslinking method to create hydrogels composed of hyaluronic acid, gelatin, and PEG. By adjusting the pH during crosslinking, the tuneability of hydrogel stiffness and stability at pH values around

Tailoring a DMA-based cryopreservation protocol with anti-freeze (glycol)proteins for commercial and native breeds of chicken

Berenice Bernal · Wageningen University & Research · NL

This study evaluated the effects of antifreeze proteins AFPI, AFPIII, and AFGP during fresh processing, and freezing-thawing of chicken semen from a commercial broiler breed (BB) and the local breed Yellow Hungarian (YH), using 0.6 mol/L DMA as cryoprotectant. AFPI had small but significant (P < 0.05) positive effects on post-thaw sperm viability and motility in BB. For YH semen, three freezing protocols with different dilution rates (4 ×, 2.3 ×, 2.1 ×) were compared. Protocol 1 (dilution rate 4

Accumulation and sensitive period effects for childhood abuse and financial hardship on depressive symptoms in late adolescence

Erin C. Dunn · Broad Institute · US

Accumulation rather than sensitive period hypotheses generally best explained the relationship between adversity and depressive symptoms in late adolescence, but findings varied by sex and adversity type. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple life course hypotheses, sex, and adversity type when investigating the downstream impacts of adversity.

Postdivorce family complexity and child problems

Weverthon Barbosa Machado

Objective: This study explores the prevalence of family complexity in Joint physical custody (JPC) versus sole physical custody (SPC) and investigates the relationship between custody arrangements and children’s socioemotional problems, focusing on the moderating effect of parental repartnering. Background: JPC is increasingly common and shown to be beneficial for children. However, the rise in family complexity due to parental repartnering raises questions about JPC’s benefits for children's we

Diels‐Alder Click Chemistry as a Dynamic‐Covalent Crosslinking Method in Spheroid‐Encapsulating Hydrogels for Cartilage Engineering

Tina Vermonden · Utrecht University · NL

In cartilage tissue engineering, there is a growing interest in dynamic hydrogels that promote spheroid fusion and cartilaginous matrix deposition, while maintaining sufficient stability for long-term construct maturation. In this study, Diels-Alder click chemistry is employed as a dynamic-covalent crosslinking method to create hydrogels composed of hyaluronic acid, gelatin, and PEG. By adjusting the pH during crosslinking, the tuneability of hydrogel stiffness and stability at pH values around

Accumulation and sensitive period effects for childhood abuse and financial hardship on depressive symptoms in late adolescence

Erin C. Dunn · Broad Institute · US

Accumulation rather than sensitive period hypotheses generally best explained the relationship between adversity and depressive symptoms in late adolescence, but findings varied by sex and adversity type. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple life course hypotheses, sex, and adversity type when investigating the downstream impacts of adversity.

Beyond 4×: pathways to higher expansion factors in expansion microscopy

Josiah B. Passmore · Utrecht University · NL

Abstract Expansion microscopy (ExM) enables nanoscale imaging with conventional light microscopes by physically magnifying biological specimens. While classical ExM achieves ∼4× linear expansion, advances in polymer chemistry and workflow design now routinely push expansion factors beyond 4×, thereby improving resolution while retaining compatibility with diverse labelling strategies. Here, we review current one-step and multi-step (iterative) high-expansion approaches, outlining how modificatio

Replication-IDentifier links epigenetic and metabolic pathways to the replication stress response

Sophie C. van der Horst · Leiden University Medical Center · NL

Perturbation of DNA replication, for instance by hydroxyurea-dependent dNTP exhaustion, often leads to stalling or collapse of replication forks. This triggers a replication stress response that stabilizes these forks, activates cell cycle checkpoints, and induces expression of DNA damage response genes. While several factors are known to act in this response, the full repertoire of proteins involved remains largely elusive. Here, we develop Replication-IDentifier (Repli-ID), which allows for ge

A model of Notch signalling control of angiogenesis: Evidence of a role for Notch ligand heterodimerization

Daipeng Chen · Leiden University · NL

The ubiquitous Notch receptor signalling network is essential for tissue growth and maintenance. Operationally, receptor activity is regulated by two principal, counterposed mechanisms: intercellular Notch transactivation triggered by interactions between receptors and ligands expressed in neighbouring cells; intracellular cis inhibition mediated by ligands binding to receptors expressed in the same cell. Moreover, different Notch receptor/ligand combinations are known to elicit distinct molecul

Crossing-Preserving Geodesic Tracking on Spherical Images

Nicky J. van den Berg · Eindhoven University of Technology · NL

Dynamics of a liquid lamella during vertical impact of a solid plate

Nayoung Kim · Max Planck University of Twente Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics · NL

We study the dynamics of a thin liquid sheet that flows upwards along the sides of a vertically aligned, impacting plate. Upon impact of the vertical solid plate onto a liquid pool, the liquid film is ejected and subsequently continues to flow over the solid surface while the plate enters the water. With increasing impact velocity, the liquid film is observed to rise up faster and higher. We focus on the time evolution of the liquid film height and the thickness of its upper rim and discuss thei

Establishment of patient-derived 3D in vitro models of sarcomas: literature review and guidelines on behalf of the FORTRESS working group

Sanne Venneker · Leiden University Medical Center · NL

Sarcomas are a large family of rare and heterogeneous mesenchymal tumors, which respond poorly to available systemic treatments. Translation of preclinical findings into clinical applications has been slow, limiting improvements in patients' outcomes and ultimately highlighting the need for a better understanding of sarcoma biology to develop more effective, subtype-specific therapies. To this end, reliable preclinical models are crucial, but the development of 3D in vitro sarcoma models has bee

Guidelines for the Echocardiographic Assessment of the Right Heart in Adults and Special Considerations in Pulmonary Hypertension: Recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography

Monica Mukherjee

Solvent and temperature effects in the photoiniferter RAFT polymerisation of PEG methacrylate

R.‐C. CHANG · University Medical Center Groningen · NL

= 1.30 even at 40 °C.

A model of Notch signalling control of angiogenesis: Evidence of a role for Notch ligand heterodimerization

Daipeng Chen · Leiden University · NL

The ubiquitous Notch receptor signalling network is essential for tissue growth and maintenance. Operationally, receptor activity is regulated by two principal, counterposed mechanisms: intercellular Notch transactivation triggered by interactions between receptors and ligands expressed in neighbouring cells; intracellular cis inhibition mediated by ligands binding to receptors expressed in the same cell. Moreover, different Notch receptor/ligand combinations are known to elicit distinct molecul

Amygdala Hyperactivity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Disentangling Predisposing From Consequential Factors Using a Prospective Longitudinal Design

Lycia D. de Voogd · Leiden University · NL

BACKGROUND: Substantial interindividual differences exist in the vulnerability to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following trauma exposure. Identification of neurocognitive risk markers for PTSD symptoms could aid early assessment and identification of preventive intervention targets for PTSD, particularly in high-risk professionals. Therefore, large prospective longitudinal studies with pretrauma measurements are essential to disentangle whether previously observed neurob

Suppression of Plant Resistance May Be a Common Trait Among Adapted Herbivores

Jéssica Teodoro‐Paulo · Sustainability Institute · ZA

populations sampled from tomato at three field sites were compared. To discriminate between mites that induce/suppress defenses and to assess their degree of resistance, the magnitude of induced defenses was measured and aligned with oviposition data. The expression of effector 84 was also assessed to determine whether its magnitude of expression is a good predictor of suppression with the magnitude of suppression. Surprisingly, we observed that suppression is the dominant phenotype in mite popu

Unraveling the paradox: cardiovascular risk profiling in migraine– a correspondence

Linda Al‐Hassany · Erasmus MC · NL

We read with great interest the recent publication by Marston and colleagues in Nature Medicine, entitled "Endothelial cell-related genetic variants identify LDL cholesterol-sensitive individuals who derive greater benefit from aggressive lipid lowering" (issue 31, March 2025, pages 963-969). Among their compelling findings, the association between the endothelial cell-specific polygenic risk score (EC-PRS) - which consists of SNPs associated with coronary artery disease - and a reduced risk of

Unpacking similarity effects in visual memory search: categorical, semantic, and visual contributions

Marius V. Peelen · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Abstract Visual memory search involves comparing a probe item against multiple memorized items. Previous work has shown that distractor probes from a different object category than the objects in the memory set are rejected more quickly than distractor probes from the same category. Because objects belonging to the same superordinate category usually share both visual and semantic features compared with objects of different categories, it is unclear whether the category effects reported in previ

Endothelial to mesenchymal transition in cardiovascular diseases: molecular insights and clinical perspectives

Ignacio Fernando Hall · The Queen's Medical Research Institute · GB

Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a process whereby endothelial cells transition to adopt a mesenchymal-like fate, e.g. to become smooth muscle cells, osteoblasts, fibroblasts, or chondrocytes. In embryonic heart development, the importance of EndMT was established several decades ago, with ECs undergoing EndMT to give rise to the endocardial cushions that ultimately develop into the cardiac valves. More recently, EndMT has been observed in various adult cardiovascular diseases. T

Tiny Droplets, Large Insights: Studying Peptide Aggregation with Droplet-based Microfluidics Hyphenated with Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Ariadni Geballa-Koukoula · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Peptide and protein aggregation is a hallmark of numerous neurodegenerative diseases. However, the structural characterization of oligomeric intermediates remains challenging due to their low abundance, heterogenic nature, and the complexity of coinciding and transient reaction networks. Confining reactions to microenvironments, such as picoliter droplets in droplet-based microfluidics (DBMF), simplifies these networks and thereby enabling high-throughput analysis and controlled reaction kinetic

Psilocybin alters visual contextual computations

Marco Aqil · Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience · NL

Psilocybin alters perception and brain dynamics. Here, we investigate the effects of psilocybin using psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling. We find that psilocybin alters contextual perception in the Ebbinghaus illusion, as well as contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli. We propose a computational model capable of capturing and linking these changes. Leveraging vision as a beachhead, our findings highlight the alteration of contextual

Unobtrusive inference of diurnal rhythms from smartphone data

Loran Knol · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Diurnal rhythms are an integral feature of psychopathology but difficult to measure at scale. Smartphones are ubiquitous and therefore uniquely positioned to measure such rhythms non-invasively and continuously. Here, we propose a digital phenotyping framework to quantify diurnal rhythms. We use it to predict sleep duration from smartphone typing dynamics and analyse rhythm phase during time zone transitions with a clinical outpatient sample and a year-long longitudinal data set.

Psilocybin alters visual contextual computations

Marco Aqil · Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience · NL

Psilocybin alters perception and brain dynamics. Here, we investigate the effects of psilocybin using psychophysics, ultra-high field functional MRI, and computational modeling. We find that psilocybin alters contextual perception in the Ebbinghaus illusion, as well as contextual modulation in cortical responses to visual stimuli. We propose a computational model capable of capturing and linking these changes. Leveraging vision as a beachhead, our findings highlight the alteration of contextual