I am a psychiatrist and psychologist with an interdisciplinary background in mental health, psychonomics, and biological psychiatry. Passionate about the evolving nature of mental health—particularly mood fluctuations across the lifespan—I focus on adolescence, a period of remarkable neurobiological plasticity and psychological change. Recognizing the unique malleability of the nervous system during this critical developmental stage, I explore interventions to prevent the onset and chronicity of mood disorders, including depression.
My research adopts a complex systems approach, integrating biological, psychological, and environmental factors to develop innovative, personalized interventions. With a dual background in psychiatry and psychonomics, I bridge methods and theories from both fields, incorporating metabolic psychiatry to investigate how energy metabolism, inflammation, and hormonal dynamics intersect with mood disorders. My work ranges from hormonal and metabolomic studies to exploring the human microbiome as a key modulator of brain function and mental health. The microbiome, positioned at the nexus of the exposome and psychobiological functioning, is central to my research in collaboration with the Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences (SILS), the Center for Urban Mental Health (UMH), and the Amsterdam Microbiome Expertise Center (AMEC). Through discovery, mechanistic, and intervention studies, I aim to translate scientific knowledge into clinical practice and public engagement—extending my work into museum exhibitions and interactive media.
As Theme Leader for Mental Health within the HELIUS study (www.helius.nl), I collaborate with international experts to investigate health disparities in a multi-ethnic urban population, advancing translational psychiatry with a strong focus on social and biological determinants of mental health.
Clinically, as a medical specialist in affective disorders in youth, I received an innovation grant from Amsterdam UMC to establish the Transition Center for Affective Disorders (TAS). Given that nearly 75% of adult psychiatric disorders emerge during adolescence, TAS serves as a platform for early detection, personalized interventions, and innovative treatment strategies. We focus on improving diagnostics, optimizing therapies, and exploring neurostimulation techniques, while actively investigating anhedonia and interventions (such as butyrate-based and arts-based learning) with strong patient involvement.
Beyond all, I am captivated by real-time creative processes, especially in art and music. I integrate arts-based learning into my research and clinical practice to enhance affective and cognitive flexibility, supporting patients in reconnecting with experiences of pleasure and creativity. My neuroscience-informed studies on jazz improvisation (in collaboration with Musicology UvA) examine spontaneous creativity under time constraints, offering a unique lens on dynamic brain functioning. I received an ABC grant to collaborate with Polymorf, an interdisciplinary experience-design collective, on -INSIDE OUT—a multisensory XR dining experience that redefines human agency, autonomy, and our biological interconnectedness. Through Art in Health Science@amsterdamumc (AHSA), which I co-founded, I translate scientific knowledge into art to foster engagement and impact.
More information about Anja’s research can be found on the website of the reserach group MoodLabMeets: Home | Moodlabmeets