Scientist Nick Weaver (UMC Utrecht) has been awarded a Dekker grant by the Heart Foundation. The Dekker grant of 276 thousand euros allows Nick to conduct research on cardiovascular diseases in the coming years.
Nick Weaver
Many people experience problems with thinking after a stroke, such as difficulty with language, memory and planning things. These problems are often noticed late. Nick Weaver will investigate how to detect these problems earlier so that people get treatment sooner. Not getting out of your words properly. Forgetting appointments. Difficulty planning or organising things. More than half of patients face these kinds of consequences after a stroke. A third of these patients even develop dementia within 5 years. Most people signal these problems when they try to resume their daily things or work. Instead, it is important to know as soon as possible after the stroke which patients are affected.
“We see these symptoms somewhat more often in older people and people with a large stroke,” says Weaver. “One of the most important factors is which brain region the stroke affected. Yet we cannot identify who is at high risk and who is not. We lose track of people when they are discharged home from hospital. People then often walk around with symptoms for a long time, leaving them stuck. Rehabilitation can help them with this.” That is why he will investigate how to predict early which people are going to have these problems with thinking after a stroke.
Weaver will extensively analyse brain scans of nearly 3,000 people who have had a stroke. Based on various data, he will develop a model. “My goal is that this model can predict well who is going to have these symptoms. The neurologist and rehabilitation doctor will notice early on which patients need treatment. I hope this will allow more people to access rehabilitation in time. And that it will enable them to resume their daily activities properly and lead an independent life.”
Scientific research is highly needed to prevent people from dying or becoming sick and increasingly ill from cardiovascular diseases. With its personalised Dekker grants, the Heart Foundation therefore tries to connect top talent to cardiovascular disease research. A Dekker scholarship helps researchers set up and develop their own line of research.
