Contact Details

Neuroimaging Research Group
University Medical Center Utrecht
Heidelberglaan 100
3584 CX Utrecht
the Netherlands

Room: A.00.1.24

Tel.: +31 (0)88 7553386
Fax.: +31 (0)88 7555443
E-mail: m.m.g.koenis@umcutrecht.nl

Current Research Project

I am interested in the development of the healthy teenage brain. The adolescent years are characterized by major physical, cognitive and brain development. Grey matter volume and cortical thickness reach their peak and start to decline, whereas white matter continues to increase. My question is how brain regions continue to communicate during these rearrangements. Moreover, how this is related to cognitive development. To study this, I work with data from the beautiful BrainSCALE project, which comprises longitudinal data on behavior, cognition, brain scans, and hormone levels (van Soelen et al, Twin Res Hum Gen 2012). Together with Suzanne Swagerman, we collected the third wave of this project. I look at white matter (fractional anisotropy) development in a graph theoretical approach, and its relation to intelligence.

Publications

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, Swagerman SC, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Association between structural brain network efficiency and intelligence increases during adolescence. Submitted.

Swagerman SC, van Bergen E, Kan KJ, Koenis MMG, Hulshoff Pol HE, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC. No Evidence of Causal Effects of Blood Pressure on Cognition in the Population at Large. Twin Res Hum Genet. 2016;19(1):17-26.

Swagerman SC, de Geus EJC, Kan KJ, van Bergen E, Nieuwboer HA, Koenis MMG, Hulshoff Pol HE, Gur RE, Gur RC, Boomsma DI. The Computerized Neurocognitive Battery: Validation, aging effects, and heritability across cognitive domains. Neuropsychology. 2016;30(1):53-64.

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Kahn RS, Hulshoff Pol HE. Development of the brain’s structural network efficiency in early adolescence: a longitudinal DTI twin study. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 36(12)4938-53.

Swagerman SC, van Bergen E, Dolan C, de Geus EJC, Koenis MMG, Hulshoff Pol HE, Boomsma DI. Genetic transmission of reading ability. Brain Lang 2015; pii: S0093-934X(15)00166-2. Epub ahead of print

Brouwer RM, Koenis MMG, Schnack HG, van Baal GCM, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Longitudinal Development of Hormone Levels and Grey Matter Density in 9 and 12-Year-Old Twins. Behav Genet 2015; 45(3):313-23.

Swagerman SC, de Geus EJC, Koenis MMG, Hulshoff Pol HE, Boomsma DI, Kan K. Domain dependent associations between cognitive functioning and regular voluntary exercise behavior. Brain Cogn. 2015;97:32-9.

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van Baal GCM, van Soelen ILC, Peper JS, van Leeuwen M, Delemarre-van de Waal HA, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Longitudinal study of hormonal and physical development in young twins. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013;98(3):E518-27. Epub 2013 Feb 21.

Koenis MMG, Romeijn N, Piantoni G, Verweij I, Van der Werf YD, Van Someren EJW, Stam CJ. Does sleep restore the topology of functional brain networks? Hum Brain Mapp. 2013; 34(2):487-500. Epub 2011 Nov 11.

van Soelen ILC, Brouwer RM, Peper JS, van Leeuwen M, Koenis MMG, van Beijsterveldt TC, Swagerman SC, Kahn RS, Hulshoff Pol HE, Boomsma DI. Brain SCALE: brain structure and cognition: an adolescent longitudinal twin study into the genetic etiology of individual differences. Twin Res Hum Genet. 2012;15(3):453-67.

Abstracts

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, Swagerman SC, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Kahn RS, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Structural network development and IQ during adolescence. Poster presented at OHBM (2015), Honolulu, USA

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, Swagerman SC, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Kahn RS, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Structural network development and IQ during adolescence. Poster presented at Neuroscience Day (2015), Edinburgh, Scotland

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Changes in adolescent brain network efficiency relate to intellectual capacity. Europ. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014;24(suppl 2): S1869. Poster presented at 27th ECNP Congress (2014), Berlin, Germany

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Intellectual changes and structural network development in adolescence. Europ. Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014;24(suppl 1): S88-89. Poster presented at ENCP Workshop for Junior Scientists (2014), Nice, France

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Intellectual changes and structural network development in adolescence. Poster presented at SfN (2013), San Diego, USA.

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Anatomical network development in healthy adolescents. Poster presented at OHBM (2013), Seattle, USA.

Koenis MMG, Brouwer RM, van den Heuvel MP, Mandl RCW, van Soelen ILC, Boomsma DI, Hulshoff Pol HE. Development of brain connections and intelligence in teenagers. Oral presentation at Cognomics Symposium (2013), Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Koenis MMG, Hofstra WA, de Weerd AW, Romeijn N, Piantoni G, van der Werf YD, van Someren EJW, Stam CJ. Circadian changes in the functional brain network of patients with epilepsy. Oral presentation at the ENP meeting (2009), Doorwerth, The Netherlands.

Koenis MMG, de Boer M, van der Roest M, te Slaa S, Mulder AB. Flexibility of behavioural planning in mouse prefrontal cortex. Poster presented at the ENP meeting (2008), Doorwerth, The Netherlands.

 

Awards

ECNP Travel award, 27th ECNP Congress 2014, European College of Neurophychophamacology

ECNP Travel award, Junior Scientists Workshop 2014, European College of Neurophychophamacology