Freek Linders

My name is Freek, and in April 2024, I started as a PhD candidate. I have a background in psychobiology (bachelor’s, UvA), but driven by my clinical interests, I decided to pursue a combined clinical and research master’s in neuropsychology (VU). The overall aim of my PhD project is to characterize cognitive and daily life functioning in elderly patients with primary brain tumors, an area that remains largely unexplored. This growing patient group faces age-related challenges such as comorbidities and declining general brain health, which complicates clinical decision-making and the accurate prediction of outcomes.

By using a wide range of techniques, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), investigations of age-related biomarkers, and symptom network analysis, we aim to better understand the correlates of cognitive and daily life functioning in elderly brain tumor patients.The questions we seek to answer in this project require an interdisciplinary approach, combining expertise from fields such as (cognitive) aging, neuro-oncology, and (network) neuroscience. I am excited to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and institutions, as the project is a partnership between the Neurosurgery Department of Elisabeth Tweestedenziekenhuis, MULTINET, and the Clinical Neuropsychology section of the VU. By joining forces, I hope we can contribute to a better understanding of cognitive symptoms in this vulnerable group and pave the way for improved treatment decision-making. If you are interested in my project or would like to share your thoughts, feel free to contact me at f.j.b.linders [at] vu.nl. I am looking forward to get in touch!