Geert Jan Biessels,

JAD profile

Affiliation(s): 

Dept Neurology UMC Utrecht

Areas of Interest: 

vascular cognitive impairment

Biography & Research: 

Geert Jan Biessels is Professor of Neurology and chairs the cerebrovascular disease and cognition programme in the Department of Neurology at the Brain Center Rudolf Magnus Institute, University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD in 1997 and was certified as a neurologist in 2004. Professor Biessels’ research focuses on the role of vascular disease in cognitive decline and dementia. The development and application of novel imaging markers of vascular cognitive impairment and studies on cognition and dementia in people with diabetes are his two key areas of interest. For this work he received the senior investigator award of the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) 2015. His research group has evaluated the severity and course of development of cognitive reductions in the presence of diabetes and pre-diabetic stages and has identified brain MRI correlates of impaired cognition. He is currently also involved in intervention studies. His group currently comprises 15 PhD students with backgrounds in neurology, neuropsychology, radiology, image sciences, geriatrics, epidemiology, and primary care. His research has led to the publication of over 200 papers he has authored or co-authored on the impact of diabetes and other vascular risk factors on the brain, as well as novel imaging markers of small vessel disease.