The Institute for Chemical Neuroscience

The iCNS focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. For some neurological brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, it is fairly well understood what changes occur and where in the brain. However, for psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, or anxiety disorders, this is largely unknown. Within the iCNS, neurobiologists, chemists, psychiatrists, data scientists, and patient representatives work closely together to drive breakthroughs in research on psychiatric symptoms.  

 

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Organization

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iCNS news

‘Foamy’ microglia cells linked to more severe multiple sclerosis

21 May 2026

In a study just published in Nature Neuroscience, Daan van der Vliet and colleagues from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Leiden University and Utrecht University report a distinct population of lipid‑laden “foamy” microglia/macrophages in the brains of patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

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New insights into immature neurons in the aging Alzheimer’s brain

4 May 2026

iCNS associated scientist Evgenia Salta and colleagues at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), together with Paul Lucassen and Carlos Fitzsimons have published a new study in Cell Stem Cell addressing a long-standing question in brain research: do immature neurons in the adult human brain matter, especially in the context of neurodegenerative disease?

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Volkskrant article Alzheimer research

30 April 2026

iCNS Executive Board members Paul Lucassen and Bart Eggen, together with iCNS associated scientist Charlotte Teunissen, contributed to a recently published article on Alzheimer’s research in the science section of de Volkskrant.

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