dr. Anne Marije Kaag

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Clinical Neuropsychology

Assistant Professor, IBBA

Personal information

I have always been fascinated by the mechanisms that underlie the development and treatment of addiction and related psychiatric disorders. During my PhD research, I became increasingly aware of the “male” bias in addiction research, focusing almost exclusively on men while women compromise approximately 30% of all patients. Over time I became increasingly passionate about identifying sex and gender differences in the neuropathology and treatment of addiction, and other psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD. In my research, I use various methods including neuroimaging (e.g., structural and functional MRI) physiological assessment (e.g., skin conductance and heart-rate variability) as well as neuropsychological assessment.

Research

Currently, I have four major research areas. The first is to identify sex and gender differences related to drinking in both at-risk drinkers as well as individuals in treatment for an alcohol use disorder. These studies combine ecological momentary assessment with lab-based subjective and physiological (heart rate variability, cortisol, alpha-amylase) stress- and alcohol cue-reactivity. The second research area is to investigate sex and gender differences in barriers to treatment seeking, in which we are specifically interested in discrepancies between cisgender men, cisgender women and transgender individuals. My third line of research is a collaboration with the Memo-lab (Amsterdam UMC), in which we investigate novel interventions for smoking cessation, including the use of 3MDR and deep TMS. My fourth line of research focusses on behavioural addictions, including problematic internet use, online gaming and online gambling. As a researcher, I am part of the "Gender research network” of the VU.

Teaching

Within the Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology I am involved in several courses including "Research Tool kit (P_BRTKEPI), Neuropsychiatry (P_MNPSTRY), Klinische lessen (P_BKLINLES) and psychopathology and prevention (P_BPSPAPR). If you are interested in substance use disorders, sex- or gender differences within mental health and/or neural (neuroimaging data) or physiological (skin conductance, HRV) biomarkers of substance use disorders, I have various possibilities to write your bachelor or master thesis.

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