Gezocht: student voor onderzoeksstage

Innovative treatment for acute brain failure
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in patients with postoperative delirium

During this internship, you will have the opportunity to gain clinical experience in a research setting while working on your own thesis focusing on EEG in patients with delirium. Delirium is a syndrome that is characterized by an acute change in attention, awareness and cognition, which is caused by a medical condition. As this internship involves contact with Dutch patients, good command of the Dutch language is required.

You will be part of the process of starting up and collecting data for the DELTES-study: an innovative new study where we investigate the use of transcranial alternating current
stimulation (tACS) in patients with delirium. The DELTES-study is a double-blind, sham- controlled multicenter trial. For this internship you will mainly perform visits at the
HagaZiekenhuis in The Hague and have the possibility to attend research meetings at the UMC Utrecht. Practical tasks include screening patients for eligibility, contact patients and family, confirm delirium diagnosis and learn to record EEG and apply tACS on patients with delirium.

For your thesis, there are multiple existing databases which include single- and multiple channel EEG data, as well as clinical and cognitive data. Various interesting research
questions can be answered in consultation with the supervisors.

Starttime
This project can start anytime preferably July/August 2024. Length of the internship will be determined in consultation with the student(s).

Student tasks
As a student, your main tasks will include attending daily meetings with geriatrics and psychiatry consultants to assess whether there are patients who may meet the inclusion
criteria. Additionally, you will be responsible for conducting EEGs, carrying out tACS sessions, and screen patients on delirium presence.

There is single and multiple channel EEG data available, as well as clinical and cognitive data.

A possible research question
Are the EEG changes observed during delirium preceding the behavioral changes measured using delirium screening tools?

Relevant skills
Clinical experience and/or experience with electroencephalography is preferred but not mandatory. Furthermore, we are searching for enthusiastic students who are proactive and dare to take initiative. As you will be working with patients and families admitted to Dutch hospitals who might not understand English, skill in the Dutch language is most suitable.

Supervisors
Dr. Thomas Ottens will be the daily supervisor, Prof Dr. Arjen Slooter will be the examiner.
Mail to: t.ottens@hagaziekenhuis.nl

Literature

• van der A J, Ottens TH, Lodema DY, de Haan W, Tendolkar I, Emmelot-Vonk MH, Schutter DJLG, van Dellen E, Slooter AJC. Eeg en innovatieve behandeling van verminderde hersenconnectiviteit bij delirium Tijdschr Psychiatr. 2023;65(10):633-636.
• Numan, T., Slooter, A. J., van der Kooi, A. W., Hoekman, A. M., Suyker, W. J., Stam, C. J., & van Dellen, E. (2017). Functional connectivity and network analysis during hypoactive delirium and recovery from anesthesia. Clinical Neurophysiology, 128(6), 914-924.