Our Reseach Team on the ADHD Women Project
Prof. Dr. J.J. Sandra Kooij is a Professor of Adult ADHD at Amsterdam University Medical Centre/VUMc, and has been involved in ADHD research for more than 25 years. Her main research interests are ADHD, sleep and health, and the relationship between ADHD and hormonal changes in women.She is also a member of ADHD Europe’s Professional Advisory Board
Dr. Dora Wynchank is a psychiatrist working in adult ADHD at PsyQ, editor of the DIVA Foundation, and active contributor to the European Adult ADHD Network. Her expertise ranges from general mental health to sleep disorders in adult – and adolescent ADHD. She lectures widely in an attempt to de-stigmatise mental conditions. Dora is a professional member of ADHD Europe.
Bethan Burnside has been volunteering for ADHD, ASC & LD Belgium and assisting the PsyQ Expertise Center Adult ADHD, in collaboration with ADHD Europe who have developed an international survey on the experiences and health of women with AD(H)D.
Bethan recently started her PhD in Biomedical Sciences with Professor Frank Kooy in the Cognitive Genetics Lab at the UAntwerp Center of Medical Genetics. She aims to explore the epigenetics of #ADHD in adult women.
Until recently, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was thought of as a neurodevelopmental condition that occurs in young boys. In fact, even Bethan believed this to be the case – until she was diagnosed with ADHD herself at the age of 25! Unfortunately, due to these misconceptions, ADHD in girls and women is often diagnosed too late or misdiagnosed as something else. As a result, women with ADHD are often unable to access the help that they need.
Given the little existing research on this topic, more studies are needed to understand the experiences and underlying neurobiology of ADHD in this demographic. Bethan’s project will investigate the epigenetics of ADHD.
Epigenetics refers to chemical reactions that affect gene activity and expression (i.e. turning genes “on” or “off”). A person’s environment and behaviours – such as diet, exercise, and smoking – can affect these epigenetic changes. Coming from a background in Psychology, Bethan thinks of epigenetics as the bridge between nature (our genetic code) and nurture (environmental factors).
Interested in the genetics of neurodevelopment?
Visit the Cognitive Genetics webpage:
