MRI scans, an X-ray of your knees, a blood test, a psychosocial assessment. As a participant in the Maastricht Study, your health will be comprehensively assessed in four half-day sessions. Thousands of people in South Limburg have already taken part in the study – and it has brought results. It is providing the scientific world with a great many new and applicable insights. For example, we have shown that depression is associated with damage to the smallest blood vessels in the brain. This damage to what is called the microcirculation of the body also underlies type 2 diabetes. It is therefore not odd that patients with these chronic diseases have an increased risk of depression. But we are now trying to discover the underlying mechanism. Is there really a connection between depression and diabetes, and can we identify it in a timely fashion? If we find this out, we will be able to search for new forms of treatment in a more targeted fashion. For our studies we use, among other things, the research facilities at the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, such as the MRI scanners of Scannexus. We use these to detect the tiniest connections in the brain. Are they impaired in people with depression, for example, and do we see the same thing in diabetes patients? We also adapt the MRI technology to meet our precise research needs. Other scientists will ultimately benefit from our work and be able to test new hypotheses. In addition, we look at biological factors. If there is a vascular problem underlying a depression, for instance, it might be possible to repair the damage to the small blood vessels with specific medication. Ultimately, we need to put everything into a wider context. For example, living in social isolation has a negative influence on a person’s mental condition. Our research also shows that a lack of social contact is a risk factor for diabetes. There are increasing indications that care professionals need to take a broader look at a chronic disease such as diabetes. With the scientific knowledge that we acquire, we can offer new insights that will help to provide continuous improvements in healthcare. On the job Dr. Miranda Schram researcher
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