About me

Most of the research work I currently do is best described as Clinical Neuroengineering: I translate a clinical neurological problem to a physico-mathematical problem, find a solution using state-of-the-art mathematical techniques and translate this solution back to neurology for application by neurologists, technicians and researchers from other fields. A research project can cover any one or more of these steps. I strongly believe in cross-disciplinary research and work together with researchers not only from neurology, but also from psychology, physiology, computer science and applied mathematics.

My job

I am Professor of Clinical Neuroengineering at the Department of Neurology/Clinical Neurophysiology of University Medical Center Groningen.

Education

  • Master degree: Numerical and applied mathematics, University of Groningen (1994)
  • PhD degree: Mathematical modeling of complex systems - microphase separation dynamics in polymer liquids, University of Groningen (1998)

Previous positions

  • Associate professor of Biomedical signal analysis, UMCG (2006-2011)
  • Assistant professor of Biomedical signal analysis, UMCG (2003-2006)
  • Biomedical informatician, Department of Neurology, UMCG (1999-2008)
  • Owner/CEO InterScale (1998-2000)
  • Postdoc, Biophysical Chemistry, RuG (1998-1999)

My Research

In june 2007 I gave my inaugural lecture entitled 'Patients in numbers: mathematics in clinical neurophysiology' (see link: in Dutch).

Most of the research work I currently do is best described as Clinical Neuroengineering: I translate a clinical neurological problem to a physico-mathematical problem, find a solution using state-of-the-art mathematical techniques and translate this solution back to neurology for application by neurologists, technicians and researchers from other fields. A more detailed explanation can be found in the annual report 2003-2008 of the research school BCN that I participate in. A research project can cover any one or more of these steps. I strongly believe in cross-disciplinary research and work together with researchers not only from neurology, but also from psychology, physiology, computer science and applied mathematics. This is reflected in the topics of my scientific publications and also in two examples of completed PhD projects using EMG-fMRI and multichannel EEG recordings.

Examples of my way of working are described in several of the links on this page (mostly in Dutch unfortunately).

Ongoing research projects

Normalization and compensation patterns in developmental dyslexia

Researcher: Ellie van Setten, MSc (PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2016
Collaborators: Prof. Ben Maassen, PhD (Dyslexia, RuG), Prof. Aryan van der Leij, PhD (UvA, Amsterdam)
Funding: NWO-GW

Children from the Dutch Dyslexia Programme will be further studied with respect to phonological and language processing mechanisms by means of behavioral, ERP and fMRI measurements to investigate the large variability in the developmental trajectory of reading acquisition and the ultimately reached level of reading proficiency among these children.

Joint publications

Motor and cognitive problems in sleep disorders

Researcher: Esther Gieteling, MD
Expected thesis defense: 2015
Collaborators: Han van der Hoeven, MD, PhD, Prof. Wiebo Brouwer, PhD
Funding:

cognitive abilities, fine motor skills, sensorimotor integration and intracortical inhibition will be assessed in groups of patients with different sleep-motor disorders to understand differences and overlap in pathophysiology

Joint publications

Predictors of long-term outcome in subarrachnoidal hemorrhage

Researcher: Miranda Schenk, BSc
Expected thesis defense: 2015
Collaborators: Han van der Hoeven, MD, PhD, Joukje van der Naalt, MD, PhD, Wencke Veenstra, MSc
Funding:

transcranial Doppler and neuropsychological evaluations to assess vasospasm and cognitive problems in patients with SAH, directly after the event and long-term

Joint publications

DiPAR: Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease by neuromuscular function evaluation

Researcher: Esther Smits, MSc (PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2015
Collaborators: Prof. Nico Leenders, MD, PhD, Rutger Zietsma, PhD (Manus Neurodynamica LtD, Newcastle, UK), Mark van Gils (VTT, Tampere, Finland), John Watt (University of Glasgow, UK), Olaf Schroeder (Pattern Expert, Borsdorf, Germany), Heinrich Grüger (Fraunhofer Institute, Dresden, Germany), Harald von Rosenberg (Fraunhofer Institute, Stuttgart, Germany), Holger von Runkewitz (Inotec)
Funding: R4SME-FP7 EU

a new system for hand writing monitoring is developed to assess differences between patients with different movement disorders. The aim is to improve early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Subjects execute different types of drawing and writing tasks.

Joint publications

Brain networks involved in tremor: towards improved diagnosis and treatment

Researcher: Madelein van der Stouwe (MD-PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2015
Collaborators: Prof. Nico Leenders, MD, PhD
Funding: UMCG

EMG-fMRI will be employed to identify the brain networks involved in tremor generation in homogeneous groups of patients. In addition, advanced analyses of kinematic measures obtained during different motor tasks and EMG signal analysis will be employed to further improve differential diagnosis of tremor.

Joint publications

Brain networks involved in essential tremor (ET): elucidating tremor pathophysiology using EMG-fMRI

Researcher: Marja Broersma (PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2015
Collaborators: Fleur van Rootselaar, MD, PhD (AMC, Amsterdam)
Funding: Prinses Beatrix Fonds

EMG-fMRI will be employed to identify the brain network involved in tremor generation in a homogeneous group of ET patients. The aim is to enhance our understanding of ET pathophysiology, contribute to the discussion on ET as a ‘family’ of movement disorders and help determine the best clinical care for individual ET patients. In addition, (r)TMS is investigated for its potential as a treatment for neurological (movement) disorders.

Joint publications

Challenging the ageing brain: presence and limitations of cognitive flexibility

Researcher: Emi Saliasi, MSc (bursary student)
Expected thesis defense: 2013
Collaborators: Monicque M. Lorist, PhD (Exp. Psychology, RuG)
Funding: BCN-BRAIN

EEG and EEG-fMRI, with a focus on age-related changes in working memory, employing different versions of the n-back task

Joint publications

Staying focused: inhibition in the ageing brain

Researcher: Linda Geerligs, MSc (PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2013
Collaborators: Monicque M. Lorist, PhD (Exp. Psychology, RuG), Matthias Moosmann, PhD (University of Bergen, Norway)
Funding: GMW-RuG

EEG and EEG-fMRI, with a focus on age-related changes in inhibitory processing, employing tasks that require inhibition of spatial or color information of stimuli

Joint publications

Coupled models for hemodynamic simulations

Researcher: Gerk Rozema, MSc (PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2012
Collaborators: Prof. Arthur Veldman, PhD (Mathematics – RuG)
Funding: RuG

theoretical considerations and simulations for computational fluid dynamics model of the carotid artery, using ComFlo and a 0D-model for the circulation

Joint publications
  1. Linking an artery to the circulation: introducing a quasi-simultaneous coupling approach for partitioned systems in hemodynamics. J. Vander Sloten, P. Verdonck, M. Nyssen, J. Haueisen (Eds.): ECIFMBE 2008, IFMBE Proceedings 22, pp. 1930–1934, 2008. www.springerlink.com © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009
    Rozema G, Maurits N.M., Veldman A.E.P.

Organization of initiation and inhibition of movement in Parkinson’s disease

Researcher: Carolien Toxopeus, MSc (MD-PhD student)
Expected thesis defense: 2012
Collaborators: Bauke de Jong, MD, PhD, Prof. Nico Leenders, MD, PhD, Prof. Bernie Conway, PhD (Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK)
Funding: UMCG/International Parkinson Foundation

kinematics, EMG and fMRI, focusing on movement tasks (ballistic, flexion-extension, step-tracking, wrist circumduction) executed with a custom-built MR-compatible wrist manipulandum

Joint publications
  1. Direction of movement is encoded in the human primary motor cortex.
    Toxopeus CM, de Jong BM, Valsan G, Conway BA, Leenders KL, Maurits NM
  2. Impairment of gradual muscle adjustment during wrist circumduction in Parkinson's disease.
    Toxopeus CM, de Jong BM, Valsan G, Conway BA, van der Hoeven JH, Leenders KL, Maurits NM

Completed research projects

The spread of muscle fiber conduction velocity: increasing scope and usability

Researcher: Fiete Lange, MD, PhD
Thesis defense: 2009

Joint publications

Biochemical and neurophysiological parameters of acute brain injury

Researcher: Jan Willem Elting, MD, PhD
Thesis defense: 2008

Joint publications
  1. P300 analysis techniques in cognitive impairment after brain injury: comparison with neuropsychological and imaging data.
    Elting JW, Maurits N, van Weerden T, Spikman J, De Keyser J, van der Naalt J
  2. P300 after head injury: pseudodelay caused by reduced P3A amplitude.
    Elting JW, van der Naalt J, van Weerden TW, De Keyser J, Maurits NM
  3. P300 component identification in auditory oddball and novel paradigms using source analysis techniques: reduced latency variability in the elderly.
    Maurits NM, Elting JW, Jager DK, van der Hoeven JH, Brouwer WH
  4. Acetylsalicylic acid and acetaminophen to combat elevated body temperature in acute ischemic stroke.
    Sulter G, Elting JW, Maurits N, Luijckx GJ, Luyckx GJ, De Keyser J
  5. P300 component identification using source analysis techniques: reduced latency variability.
    Elting JW, van Weerden TW, van der Naalt J, De Keyser JH, Maurits NM
  6. Admitting acute ischemic stroke patients to a stroke care monitoring unit versus a conventional stroke unit: a randomized pilot study.
    Sulter G, Elting JW, Langedijk M, Maurits NM, De Keyser J
  7. Comparison of serum S-100 protein levels following stroke and traumatic brain injury.
    Elting JW, de Jager AE, Teelken AW, Schaaf MJ, Maurits NM, van der Naalt J, Sibinga CT, Sulter GA, De Keyser J

Multichannel EEG visualization

Researcher: Michael ten Caat, PhD
Thesis defense: 2008

Joint publications
  1. The influence of mental fatigue and motivation on neural network dynamics; an EEG coherence study.
    Lorist MM, Bezdan E, ten Caat M, Span MM, Roerdink JB, Maurits NM
  2. Data-driven visualization and group analysis of multichannel EEG coherence with functional units.
    ten Caat M, Maurits NM, Roerdink JB
  3. High-density EEG coherence analysis using functional units applied to mental fatigue.
    Ten Caat M, Lorist MM, Bezdan E, Roerdink JB, Maurits NM
  4. Design and evaluation of tiled parallel coordinate visualization of multichannel EEG data.
    ten Caat M, Maurits NM, Roerdink JB

Multichannel EEG: towards applications in clinical neurology

Researcher: Wilma van de Wassenberg, PhD
Thesis defense: 2008

(winner BCN Thesis award)

Joint publications
  1. 128-channel somatosensory evoked potentials in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian disorders.
    van de Wassenberg WJ, van der Hoeven JH, Leenders KL, Maurits NM
  2. Multichannel recording of tibial-nerve somatosensory evoked potentials.
    van de Wassenberg WJ, Kruizinga WJ, van der Hoeven JH, Leenders KL, Maurits NM
  3. Quantifying interhemispheric symmetry of somatosensory evoked potentials with the intraclass correlation coefficient.
    van de Wassenberg WJ, van der Hoeven JH, Leenders KL, Maurits NM
  4. Multichannel recording of median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials.
    van de Wassenberg W, van der Hoeven J, Leenders K, Maurits N

Cervical dystonia: Abnormal cerebral activation patterns related to preparation and execution of hand movement

Researcher: Paulien de Vries, MD, PhD
Thesis defense: 2008

Joint publications
  1. Abnormal surface EMG during clinically normal wrist movement in cervical dystonia.
    de Vries PM, Leenders KL, van der Hoeven JH, de Jong BM, Kuiper AJ, Maurits NM

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: quantification of muscular parameters and prednisone therapy

Researcher: Martijn Beenakker, MD, PhD
Thesis defense: 2005

Joint publications
  1. Intermittent prednisone therapy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a randomized controlled trial.
    Beenakker EA, Fock JM, Van Tol MJ, Maurits NM, Koopman HM, Brouwer OF, Van der Hoeven JH
  2. Functional ability and muscle force in healthy children and ambulant Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
    Beenakker EA, Maurits NM, Fock JM, Brouwer OF, van der Hoeven JH
  3. Muscle ultrasound in children: normal values and application to neuromuscular disorders.
    Maurits NM, Beenakker EA, van Schaik DE, Fock JM, van der Hoeven JH
  4. Quantitative assessment of calf circumference in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
    Beenakker EA, de Vries J, Fock JM, van Tol M, Brouwer OF, Maurits NM, van der Hoeven JH
  5. Reference values of maximum isometric muscle force obtained in 270 children aged 4-16 years by hand-held dynamometry.
    Beenakker EA, van der Hoeven JH, Fock JM, Maurits NM