Welcome to the Ruitenberg lab at the Health, Medical and Neuropsychology section at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Our research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor function across the lifespan, both in health and neuro(psycho)logical disorders. With our studies, we aim to work towards a better understanding of how our brain controls movement, and how such control changes due to aging or disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or depression.
The role of cognitive and perceptual processes in movement suggests that impairments in these processes may contribute to motor deficits. Understanding how movement is controlled at the cognitive and neural level in health is therefore necessary in order to be able to study movement difficulties that arise with aging and various disorders. To study the cognitive and neural aspects of movement control, we use a combination of behavioral and neuroimaging methods (fMRI, fcMRI).
Marit Ruitenberg, PhD 