Our teams: EpiAgeing
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I studied medicine at Maastricht University (finishing in 2017), then an Msc in epidemiology from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (2020) and a PhD on determinants of early retinal changes in (pre)diabetes at The Maastricht Study (2022). In addition, I acquired a bachelor and master in classical music (piano) from The Maastricht Music Academy (finalized in 2016).
I joined the EpiAgeing-CRESS team in 2023.
My research aims to contribute to further development of the concept that retinal imaging biomarkers may be tools for the early identification of individuals with dementia. I worked with data from The Maastricht Study initially, and later I also collaborated with researchers from other cohort studies, including researchers from the European Eye Epidemiology consortium (from France and Norway) and The UK Biobank. My current aims are to acquire further expertise in the field of dementia epidemiology; and work on epidemiological research in the fields of retinal imaging and dementia. |
Research interests
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Retinal imaging biomarkers
- Epidemiology
- Neurodegenerative and microvascular complications in diabetes
- Precision medicine
- Diabetic retinopathy
Key publications
- van der Heide, Frank CT, et al. "Association of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, an index of neurodegeneration, with depressive symptoms over time." Jama network open 4.11 (2021): e2134753-e2134753.
View publication - Van Der Heide, Frank CT, et al. "Associations of inner retinal layers with risk of incident dementia: An individual participant data analysis of four prospective cohort studies" Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Aug 8. doi: 10.1002/alz.13167.
View publication - van der Heide, Frank CT, et al. "Alcohol consumption and microvascular dysfunction: a J-shaped association: The Maastricht Study." Cardiovascular Diabetology 22.1 (2023): 67.
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