My area of expertise is vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and small vessel disease (SVD), with a particular focus on MRI markers to improve diagnosis and prognostication and support personalized treatment.

Using the unique properties of high field 7T-MRI we have been able – for the first time -to detect cerebral microinfarcts in vivo. We have translated the technique to more widely available 3T-MRI, and published standards on microinfarct detection in the Lancet Neurology. Currently we explore small vessel disease at the level of the small vessels themselves using novel measures of small vessel structure and function at 7T MRI and study the cognitive impact of vascular lesions through multicenter lesion symptom mapping studies (META VCI MAP consortium; https://metavcimap.org/ ) and through white matter network studies with diffusion MRI.

I am actively involved in several national and international VCI and SVD research networks, including STRIVE and HARNESS. I lead the Dutch Heart Brain Connection consortium  (https://www.hart-brein.nl/ ). I was PI in two large RCTs in diabetes with cognitive outcomes.

I have mentored over 40 PhD students and have over 450 peer-reviewed publications. I am a Dutch National Research Council Vidi and Vici laureate and was appointed Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh in 2016 and received the Senior Investigator Award of the European Stroke Organisation in 2015 in recognition of my work.

Research line

Vascular Cognitive Impairment, cerebral small vessel disease

Recent key publications

1. Van Den Brink H, Pham S, Siero JC, … Biessels GJ Assessment of Small Vessel Function Using 7T MRI in Patients With Sporadic Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: The ZOOM@SVDs Study. Neurology 2024; 102(5): e209136.
2. Biesbroek JM, Coenen M, DeCarli C, … Biessels GJ Amyloid pathology and vascular risk are associated with distinct patterns of cerebral white matter hyperintensities: A multicenter study in 3132 memory clinic patients. Alzheimers Dement 2024.
3. van den Brink H, Kopczak A, Arts T, … Biessels GJ CADASIL Affects Multiple Aspects of Cerebral Small Vessel Function on 7T-MRI. Ann Neurol 2023; 93(1): 29-39.
4. Kopczak A, Stringer MS, van den Brink H, , … Biessels GJ … Effect of blood pressure-lowering agents on microvascular function in people with small vessel diseases (TREAT-SVDs): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, crossover trial. Lancet Neurol 2023; 22(11): 991-1004.
5. Duering M, Biessels GJ, Brodtmann A, et al. Neuroimaging standards for research into small vessel disease-advances since 2013. Lancet Neurol 2023; 22(7): 602-18.
6. Coenen M, Kuijf HJ, , … Biessels GJ, Biesbroek JM Strategic white matter hyperintensity locations for cognitive impairment: A multicenter lesion-symptom mapping study in 3525 memory clinic patients. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19(6): 2420-32.
7. Weaver NA, Kuijf HJ, Aben HP, , … Biessels GJ Strategic infarct locations for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from 12 acute ischaemic stroke cohorts. Lancet Neurol 2021; 20(6): 448-59.
8. Biessels GJ, Nobili F, Teunissen CE, Simo R, Scheltens P. Understanding multifactorial brain changes in type 2 diabetes: a biomarker perspective. Lancet Neurol 2020; 19(8): 699-710.
9. Ferro DA, van den Brink H, Exalto LG, , … Biessels GJ Clinical relevance of acute cerebral microinfarcts in vascular cognitive impairment. Neurology 2019; 92(14): e1558-e66.
10. Biessels GJ, Verhagen C, Janssen J, et al. Effect of Linagliptin on Cognitive Performance in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiorenal Comorbidities: The CARMELINA Randomized Trial. Diabetes Care 2019; 42(10): 1930-8.
11. Biessels GJ, Despa F. Cognitive decline and dementia in diabetes mellitus: mechanisms and clinical implications. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2018; 14(10): 591-604.
12. van Veluw SJ, Shih AY, Smith EE, , … Biessels GJ Detection, risk factors, and functional consequences of cerebral microinfarcts. Lancet Neurol 2017; 16(9): 730-40.
13. Biessels GJ, Reagan LP. Hippocampal insulin resistance and cognitive dysfunction. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16(11): 660-71.
14. van Veluw SJ, Zwanenburg JJ, Engelen-Lee J, … Biessels GJ In vivo detection of cerebral cortical microinfarcts with high-resolution 7T MRI. JCerebBlood Flow Metab 2013; 33(3): 322-9.
15. Wardlaw JM, Smith EE, Biessels GJ, et al. Neuroimaging standards for research into small vessel disease and its contribution to ageing and neurodegeneration. Lancet Neurol 2013; 12(8): 822-38.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Biessels+G

Awards

1998: Dutch Association for Pharmacology, best thesis: Cerebral function in diabetes mellitus

1999: Neurodiab prize for preclinical science. Neurodiab is the official diabetic neuropathy study group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

2015: Senior Investigator Award European Stroke Organisation

2015: Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh

Personal grants/awards

2004: Cognitive dysfunction in DM2: course of development and relation to vascular disease. (2004-2009), Career Development Grant from the Dutch Diabetes Foundation.

2005: Glucose, insulin and cerebrovascular disease: impact on cognition (2005-2009). Clinical Fellowship from Dutch Research Council (ZonMW).

2006: Vascular cognitive impairment: interactions between clinical features, brain imaging and memory (2006-2011). High Potential grant University of Utrecht, together with RPC Kessels

2010: ‘Diabetes and vascular damage: who is at risk for dementia?’, VIDI, from Dutch Research Council (ZonMW).

2010: Vascular cognitive impairment: the hidden burden of cerebrovascular disease, Clinical Established Investigator Grant, Nederlandse Hartstichting

2015: Senior Investigator Award of European Stroke Organisation (ESO) for VCI research program

2016: Microvascular function and brain networks: Keys to understanding the vascular burden in dementia. VICI, from Dutch Research Council (NWO).

GJ Biessels has consulted for and received research support from Boehringer Ingelheim.  He has also consulted for Eli Lilly and Nestle HealthScience. All financial compensation for these services is transferred to his employer, the UMC Utrecht.