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GUTS November 2024 Newsletter
Busy Times, Big Updates, and Exciting Plans!
Dear GUTS researchers and supporters,
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Welcome to the November edition of the GUTS newsletter! With our researchers actively engaged in participant recruitment, impactful outreach, and expanding the reach of our work, there's a lot to share. Each of our research work package has updates for you, and we've included a few media recommendations to enrich your understanding and inspiration around our work.
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We’re thrilled to welcome new members to the GUTS team and share that Yolijn and Kitty are working diligently behind the scenes. They're not only organizing multiple events slated for 2025 but are also establishing the GUTS Youth Advisory Board—a fantastic new step to ensure that young voices are actively part of our project.
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As always, this newsletter is made for you! We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you find most valuable in these GUTS newsletters and any topics you'd like us to cover in the future. Have a story, insight, or suggestion for the next edition(s)? Please reach out to us at guts@eur.nl.
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In this newsletter...
- Research Updates
- News
- New GUTS team members
- Impact
- Media recommendations
- Calendar
We hope you enjoy this edition!
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WORK PACKAGE 1 AMSTERDAM: SES & EDUCATION
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WP1 Amsterdam conducted a flyer campaign across various Amsterdam neighborhoods and held introductory sessions at a local school, sharing information and providing guest lectures on brain function and (f)MRI to student groups. Project updates were also shared through a school newsletter, with additional flyers distributed in the community. The team organized a presentation on adolescent brain development for parents and teachers and led brain science workshops for young children at a museum in Amsterdam.
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WORK PACKAGE 1 ROTTERDAM: SES & EDUCATION
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WP1 Rotterdam (EUR) successfully completed a pilot with over 30 participants, refining behavioral tasks, EEG, MRI, and participant protocols. The Erasmus Behavioral Lab is fully equipping for EEG testing. A photoshoot with the researchers near Erasmus Bridge provided outreach material, and over 80 potential participants were recruited with Talenthub’s support. Approval from the medical ethical committee allows testing to begin soon. However, delays with the new MRI scanner have shifted testing a bit. Next quarter, WP1 EUR will contact participants, conduct EEG and MRI testing, and continue recruitment. Collaboration with WP1 Amsterdam led to adopting WhatsApp for participant communication.
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WORK PACKAGE 2: SOCIAL NETWORKS
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WP2 Pilot data analysis provided insights to guide the next steps. In mid-October, WP2 secured ethical approval for their study. This allowed the team to conduct the first participant measurements, including consent and initial questionnaires. However, obtaining ethical approval took longer than expected which delayed the initial measurement. Upcoming activities include the T1 behavioral measurement in late November and finalizing the MRI protocol, with MRI measurements set to start in mid-December. Additionally, a real-life team meeting for WP2 is planned in Leiden at the start of November, where teams from Groningen, Leiden, and Amsterdam will gather for presentations and discussions.
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WORK PACKAGE 3: GUTS GO
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WP3 is awaiting final approval from the METC and is prepared to proceed with data collection initially without genetic components if needed. Final preparations for the SNAT task are underway, and a new phd student will join the team. Recent months have focused on testing protocols, and in mid-November, a pilot with 10 children (ages 10-15) will begin, continuing until the Christmas break for evaluation and adjustments. Contact with the first participants will follow, with official data collection scheduled to start in January.
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WORK PACKAGE 4: INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
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WP4 finalized Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for hormone data collection and have been shared with other WPs for streamlined collaboration. Data collection kits are delivered to sites. Pilot data for genetics and hormones has been collected, with hormone samples sent to Dresden for analysis on storage conditions. The aim of this pilot is to test the effect of different storage conditions of the saliva samples on hormone level measurement outcomes. WP4 co-organized an AI tools workshop. Hardware at UU is set up for data analyses, and are working on polygenic risk score analysis. Delays in genotyping approval have impacted the timeline, but upcoming plans include organizing the GUTS genetics symposium in February and attend and present GUTS research at the Kennisnetwerk Welbevinden Jeugd meeting in December to discuss mental health research with experts in the field.
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WORK PACKAGE 5: RESPONSIBLE PREDICTIVE MODELING
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WP5 presented the stacking framework at the European Conference on Data Analysis, where its performance was demonstrated through simulations under different data conditions. However, two tested examples from the ABCD project, have not proved suitable for demonstrating the method. This has delayed progress. WP5 is now testing nine additional outcome variables to find a suitable real data example, which will lead to a paper comparing simulated and real data results. Upcoming activities include finalizing Project 1 (demonstrating the method in its first stage), initiating Project 2 (combining the research domains selected by the method and testing the interactions between the domain-specific variables). WP5 is collaborating with WP4 (Utrecht University) for ABCD data access.
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NEWS
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PhD Defence and Interview with Kayla Green
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Kayla will defend her dissertation, titled “Becoming and Thriving in a Changing World,”on October 31, 2024. Her research focuses on the wellbeing of young people growing up in a rapidly changing society, with special attention to underrepresented groups. Learn more about Kayla’s dissertation and why she chose this topic on the website!
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New Websites for GUTS Participants are Live!
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We are excited to announce that our new website for young people is now live! Visit the links below to find all the information you need about participating in the GUTS project:
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New Book Release: Generatie Zelfvertrouwen
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In the new book Generatie Zelfvertrouwen, Eveline Crone explores how young people today can build a healthy self-image amidst social media pressures, academic expectations, and other modern challenges. Co-authored with Renske van der Cruijsen, the book is based on extensive research and offers insights for both youths and parents on fostering resilience and confidence. Perfect for anyone working with or raising adolescents, Crone’s optimistic approach sheds light on the unique strengths of the current generation.
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Congratulations to Our Colleagues on NWO Open Competition Grant!
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Mark de Rooij (Leiden University) and Hilde Huizenga (University of Amsterdam) have been awarded the Open Competition SGW L Grant from NWO!
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- Mark’s project focuses on: Linking brain function and structure to phenotypes: does more data in fixed sample sizes lead to higher replicability?
- Hilde’s research examines: How intentions and outcomes shape adolescents’ climate friendly choice: A reinforcement learning approach.
Congratulations to our awardees—we look forward to the shared insights and innovations this opportunity will bring!
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Coen Koevoet
PhD Candidate
WP1 Rotterdam
Coen is a PhD candidate in the Clinical Psychology department at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), actively contributing to the GUTS and Healthy Start projects. His research focuses on enhancing assessment tools for Social Anxiety Disorder and exploring the relationship between social anxiety and prosocial behavior in adolescents. His work will integrate EEG measurements with Experience Sampling Method (ESM) data.
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Coen earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychobiology from the University of Amsterdam and completed his Master's in Legal and Forensic Psychology at EUR. His academic journey has fueled a deep curiosity about adolescent behavior, which he approaches from both biological and psychological perspectives.
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Fun fact: Coen spent nearly nine years working as a chef in a restaurant 👨🍳.
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Stan de Visser
Research Assistant
WP1 Rotterdam
Stan is a Research Assistant for Work Package 1 in Rotterdam. His current responsibilities include participant communication, managing participant payouts, and organizing lab meetings. In the future, he will also contribute to MRI data collection and analysis.
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Stan holds a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as a research master's in Neuropsychology from Maastricht University. During his internship, he worked in the Developmental Neuroscience Lab at Cambridge under Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, where he wrote his thesis on the relationship between social interaction and learning in one-on-one online dialogues.
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Fun fact: Stan is really into movies, books, and shows, but somehow always finds himself with nothing to watch or read. So, if anyone has recommendations, he’d love to hear them! Just a heads-up—he’s super picky.
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Andrea Gradassi
Postdoc SYNC lab EUR
WP1 Rotterdam
Andrea is a postdoc at the SYNC lab in Rotterdam, where he also contributes to the “technical aspects” of the GUTS project. He is interested in studying how the social environment influences youth's upbringings and decision making.
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Andrea is finishing his PhD at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in designing behavioral experiments to study social learning strategies in adolescents and adults. He looked at what types of peers are most influential within classrooms, what types of social cues (confidence, expertise, majority) people use when they look at others’ opinions, and whether following others is beneficial or not.
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Andrea has a background in Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy and obtained his Master's Degree at the Humboldt University in Berlin, where gained his first experience in measuring brain activity using EEG. In Berlin, he also worked as Research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
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Fun fact: “I once caused all the Psychology building at the UvA to evacuate because I left a slice of bread in the toaster a little too long.”
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IMPACT
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Last month, several of our GUTS colleagues traveled to Baltimore for the Flux Conference. Developmental cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists gathered to share their latest findings with the international research community. Through engaging presentations and posters, our team highlighted diverse aspects of their research. Notably, Eveline Crone serves as the president of Flux through 2025, and Barbara Braams holds the position of Director-at-Large through 2027.
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Suzanne van de Groep for NL Wetenschap: "Do teenagers only think about themselves, or does it just seem that way?"
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Last week, SYNC researcher Suzanne van de Groep had the opportunity to discuss her research on the (pro)social behavior of adolescents and how it works in the brain on NPO Radio 1.
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AI Research Tools: A Successful Hands-On Workshop in Utrecht
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Konrad and Tim hosted a successful workshop in Utrecht, introducing AI tools for research. Attendees learned about AI-driven literature search tools and had the chance to try them in a practical session. This event highlighted the value of AI in research for the GUTS community.
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'What do you think are optimal conditions for adolescents to grow up?'
This month the Radboudumc hosted an open day to showcase all its work and science to everyone of any age. At the open day, Marieke Klein and Barbara Šakić presented the research work of GUTS. We had a poster to explain our work and what we do as a consortium as a whole. Moreover, we also asked everyone at the open day to participate and think along with our GUTS research. We created a poster board where everyone could place post-its on what their opinion or ideas are on the development of adolescents in our society today. People could take a post-it and write a positive and/or negative factor influencing optimal development. They placed green post-its for positive factors influencing development, or red post-its for negative factors influencing development and growing up in society. Some examples of positive factors according to the audience were: ‘working out/moving with friends’, ‘structure’ and ‘going outside’, whereas examples of negative influences were: ‘low self-esteem’ and ‘performance pressure’. Feel free to check out the results yourself in the image below!
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It was a fun and interactive way to ask adolescents, but also adults and children about their view and ideas on growing up in our current time. We look forward to many more events to communicate our work!
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Highlighting Youth Participation at the P&V Event in Brussels
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On September 18th, colleagues Ethell-Marjorie Dubois and Kitty de Vries had the pleasure of presenting the Young Xperts method (SYNC Lab EUR) and the GUTS project – Growing Up Together in Society – at the P&V event in Brussels. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to highlight the importance of youth participation.
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Article: Kind met antisociaal gedrag? Dat kan ook een hersenafwijking zijn
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Researcher Lucres Nauta-Jansen shared insights in Trouw about the largest study so far on Conduct Disorder (CD), revealing differences in the brains of children with CD. While the connection between brain structure and behavioral issues in CD is now evident, Nauta-Jansen emphasizes in Trouw that to determine the cause and effect, it’s crucial to study children more frequently and over extended periods during their development to understand when and why these brain changes happen.
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Explore Your Brain: Empowering Adolescents with Growth Mindset through Neurofeedback
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Curious about how adolescents can build confidence in their learning potential? Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have been piloting Explore Your Brain, an innovative tool that uses neurofeedback to help young people understand their brain's adaptability. Led by Nienke van Atteveldt and Tieme Janssen, this project combines neuroscience with practical experience, encouraging a growth mindset and supporting mental well-being.
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Addressing Inequalities in International Student Mobility: New Findings from a Systematic Literature Review
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How do social factors influence who gets to participate in international student mobility (ISM)? In collaboration with the EU COST Network on International Student Mobilities, Nathalie Aerts and colleagues explore these inequalities in a systematic literature review, examining ISM access, experiences, and outcomes. Covering research from 2000-2022, this study highlights barriers faced by students based on gender, socio-economic background, ethnicity, and more, with key insights into underrepresentation and discrimination.
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TV show “Tieners tegen kwalen”
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Back in August, Lysanne te Brinke appeared on TV as an expert in the MAX show "Tieners tegen kwalen." This unique social experiment brought together eight teenagers and eight seniors to see how their interactions could positively impact their lives. The program aired starting August 14 at 9:30 PM on MAX, NPO 1.
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Book 'Educated', by Tara Westover
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Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life.
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Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
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CALENDAR
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Location: Social Impact Factory Vredenburg
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During the GUTS genetics symposium we will organize an inspiring morning with an introduction to genetics and great keynote speakers (Prof. Steve Faraone, Prof. Meike Bartels, Prof. Philipp Koellinger). In the afternoon, we’ll discuss how your GUTS research can benefit from genetic insights.
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Save the date! Registration details will be shared soon.
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We need your input!
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Do you have ideas to enhance our newsletter? Or do you want to share your story with the GUTS community? Feel free to reach out!
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GUTS is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW)
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Research programme: Gravitation file number: 024.005.011
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