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    Towards a more inclusive society to raise awareness of basic skills gaps

    In the Netherlands, 2.5 million people struggle daily with reading, writing, math, and digital skills, also called basic skills. These deficiencies make it difficult for them to fully participate in society, such as reading and understanding a letter or buying a train ticket, leading to various personal and societal problems.

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    Project NEUROTREND

    29 January 2020

    NEUROTREND (Neurological MRI-based biomarkers for treatment navigation in depression) is a study aimed at improving the selection of the right treatment strategy for depression.

    Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness characterized by at least two weeks of abnormal gloominess often associated with, among other things, loss of interest and inability to enjoy something. MDD can lead to reduced quality of life and is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.

    The primary goal of the NEUROTREND study is to use brain scans to predict the course of a depression. We also want to better understand why some people respond to treatment for depression while for others the same treatment does not help. We will do this by identifying so-called MRI-based biomarkers. These MRI-based biomarkers are physiological changes or findings in the brain that we can observe by means of MRI scans and at the same time are an indicator of the state of depression. Examples of physiological changes or findings in the brain are the volume, activity and connections of and between different parts of the brain. In addition to the scans, the severity of the depression is also measured periodically so that we can determine the effectiveness of the treatment. By combining the MRI-based biomarkers and treatment effectiveness, we hope to be able to make predictions before a treatment is started.

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