dr. YPY (Yannick) Vermeiren

Yannick Vermeiren currently works as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Nutrition, Brain and Cognitive aging at WUR within the division of Human Nutrition and Health. He was trained as a biomedical scientist with a specialization in neurosciences at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). He obtained his PhD in 2015 on the neurochemistry of behavioral disturbances in dementia, for which he received the Santkin prize for Alzheimer research by the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine (2016). At the University of Antwerp, Yannick holds a guest professorship and is still involved in several dementia biomarker studies (Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Translational Neurosciences). Since 2020, he has a keen interest into the study of nutritional neurochemistry across the microbiota-gut-brain axis, diet, and lifestyle as preventative means against dementia onset. His main research focus is on the MIND diet, and how this dietary pattern, in combination with lifestyle changes, may prevent cognitive decline in older adults at risk of Alzheimer’s (MOCIA project; FINGER-NL study (2021-2027)). Next, he and his fellow researchers are currently investigating the relationship between neurotransmitter content and neuro-inflammatory processes across the microbiota-gut-brain axis in aged individuals, linking overall cognitive (dys)functioning and prebiotic supplementation to gut and brain health (SmartAge project; NU-AGE study; PRECODE study (TKI project; 2023-2026)). Finally, he is co-lead in a recently acquired NWO-KIC project entitled ‘Nano-Chemical Biomarkers of Molecular Mechanisms and Nutritional Factors in Cognitive Ageing and Neurodegeneration’ (NanoNU-Marker), in which nano-imaging methods will be applied to investigate the structure-function relationship of biofluid amyloid proteins with nutrition across the Alzheimer’s continuum, bridging chemical, analytical and nutritional neurosciences to identify biomarker fingerprints of cognitive decline. In his teaching, Yannick coordinates a MSc course encompassing every aspect of Nutrition and the Brain, next to teaching and tutoring group work related to cognitive ageing in courses such as Nutrition and the Ageing Body. Currently, he also serves as an Associate Editor with the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience (specialty section Neurodegeneration) and the Nutrition Journal.

Yannick’s overarching research theme is Nutrition and Cognitive Ageing, with three central research lines, being:

1) Nutritional interventions on cognitive functioning with ageing;

2) Gut-brain axis research in cognitive ageing;

3) Identification of nutritional biomarkers for cognitive decline.