Neurobiologist Corette Wierenga
Dr Corette Wierenga is Associate Professor in Neurophysiology. Together with her research team at the Faculty of Science, she focuses on the development of the brain at a cellular level. As a neurobiologist, Wierenga is fascinated by the brain and studies synapses, the connections between nerve cells. She uses advanced microscopes to make these brain connections visible in the lab. She now brings this expertise to the theme The first 1001 days of a child's life.
Our brain makes millions of synaptic connections, which brain cells use to communicate. These connections are changeable structures which respond to experiences and constantly adapt. This quality makes the network of brain cells in our brain extremely flexible and allows it to adapt when we learn something or respond to diseases, for example. If these synaptic connections and their adaptability are disrupted, it causes several developmental disorders and neurological conditions. The cellular signals that regulate such adjustments in the brain are not yet well known.
‘During the first 1001 days, for instance, a child learns to recognise sounds, forms an emotional bond with its environment and learns how to make accurate muscle movements such as grabbing, eating or walking’, Wierenga explains. ‘All these events and learning processes determine which brain connections are formed and therefore how specific brain functions develop. If something goes wrong with the development of one brain functions or if it is delayed, it also has consequences for the development of other aspects.’
How do brain connections change during development?
More than just language development
What does she hope to achieve with this topic? ‘We want to understand how brain connections change during development and which cellular signals play a part in this change. If we understand which brain connections are responsible for aspects of language acquisition, we could encourage language development in young children through specific brain functions. This process would allow us to intervene early on in the development of children who show problems or a delay in language development.’
Wierenga insists that the topic is broader than just language. ‘We can gather new insights if we look at language as an assembly of different cognitive skills and at problems with language development as problems with one or more of these skills.’
Innovation through collaboration
Wierenga has worked with other fields of study before; she is currently at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. ‘Working together with scientists from another field always produces new ideas. This topic allows us to study several underlying aspects of language in detail within simpler systems such as cultured brain cells and animal models. There are interesting parallels between brain development in humans and animals.’
Corette Wierenga's first 1001 days
How did her own language development progress? ‘When I was two years old, my parents and I lived in California for a year, where I went to an American nursery. I always think that this reason is why I found it easier than my classmates to learn English, even though I don’t have a head for languages at all.’