Speaker

Peter van Ruitenbeek, PhD, Faculty of Psychology and Neurosciene, Maastricht University.
 

Peter van Ruitenbeek has obtained his PhD (2009) in Maastricht for his studies on the role of histamine in human cognition. Utilizing cognitive neuroscience and psychopharmacological methods, he examined whether the histaminergic system could be targeted to enhance cognition, for example in age-related decline. As a post-doc (2009-2012) he continued his work on histamine in both Maastricht and London (King’s College London), meanwhile taking an interest in the role of dopamine in frontal cortex-based cognitive functioning. He then took a side step and worked at the KU Leuven, Belgium (2012-2016) on age-related decline in motor control using a wide variety of MR-based neuroimaging methods. In 2016 he returned to Maastricht to study behavioural and neurobiological mechanisms of addiction. The current aim of his studies is to better understand cognitive and neurobiological maladaptations in addiction to, ultimately, be able to target them as a treatment for addiction.