Marieke Blom

My name is Marieke, and in August 2022 I started my PhD and joined the MULTINET lab. I studied Human Movement Sciences at the VU and became interested in the field of rehabilitation. I am fascinated by the human movement system. It may seem simple, but it’s actually highly complex. This complexity becomes especially apparent when something goes wrong, for example in the brain.

During my master research project, I focused on physical fitness in patients with slowly progressive neuromuscular diseases. Exercise has many positive effects and can be an important part of patient care in various conditions, including brain tumor patients.

Brain tumor patients often experience a wide range of symptoms. In the GRIP project (GuaRding quality survivorshIP), we explore different treatments to address these symptoms, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. One common symptom is reduced physical fitness. In my PhD, I am focusing on improving physical fitness in brain tumor patients with the FeelFit study.

In the FeelFit study, we are investigating the effect of High-Intensity Interval Training in patients with primary brain tumors on self-reported physical fitness. In addition to self-reported physical fitness as the primary outcome, we measure several secondary outcomes such as the VO2max (objectively measured physical fitness), fatigue, depression, and cognition. We also perform neuropsychological assessments, MEG and MRI in these patients.

My overall goal in my PhD is to better understand which brain tumor patients experience reduced physical fitness, the underlying mechanisms, and how their physical fitness can be improved.