Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Psychiatrist and psychologist with an interdisciplinary expertise in the fields of mental health, biological psychiatry, and psychonomics. She is fascinated by changes in mental health over time, especially the course of mood.
With a focus on adolescence, as it is arguabely one of the most challenging and dynamic periods of development. The malleablity of the (nervous) system at adolescence can be harnessed and may provide a critical window of opportunity to safely mitigate f.e. depression. This goal ask for a complexity approach, in which multiple factors at distinct levels interact and psychobiological systems are a potential end-point to target. Lok's dual training and expertise in psychiatry and psychonomics allows her to approach this topic in a genuinely interdisciplinairy manner, whereby methods and concepts of both fields are integrated.
Her work has expanded to include the microbiome as a source of novel approach to the analysis and modification of mental health. The microbiome is operating at the nexus of the exposome and psychobiological functioning. The latter program of research involves discovery, mechanistic and intervention studies of microbiology in mental health in collaboration with the faculty of Science, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam. Strives to translate this knowledge to the public by diverse media content and participates in a museum exhibition (Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden).
Lok's clinical work in psychiatry focusses on affective disorders in youth, which was granted by the board of the Amsterdam University Medical Center to set up a Transition center for Affective Disorders (www.tas.nl). Adolescence is a critical time for mental well-being, as alsmost 75% of adult mental disorders have origins during youth. Globally depression is the number 1 cause of illness and disability in this age group (WHO). This center attempt to serve as a springboard for accelerated action on adolescent health and to intervene on time.
Since 2016 Lok is appointed as executive board member and theme leader Mental Health of the HEalthy Life In an Urban Setting (HELIUS)-study (www.heliusstudy.nl) for which she collaborates with different (inter)national research groups of diverse disciplines in translational psychiatry. The HELIUS Study is designed as a prospective cohort study, including six ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The general objective is to study the causes of the unequal burden of diseases across these ethnic groups. Lok is, together with a team, working f.e. on machine learning models to predict who develop stress-related disorders over time and who are not in this multi-ethnic population in an urban context.
Parallel and complementary to her mentioned work, Anja Lok is fascinated by creative processes that occur in real-time where idea generation and evaluation may occur in rapid succesion or simultaneously. One model behavior that is topic of interest and using neuroscience methods is musical improvisation within the style of jazz. Offering a complexity model to study spontaneous creativity under considerable temporal constraints.
specialisation
Mental Health. Biological psychiatry. Psychonomics. Mood disorders. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Suicidality. Gut-Brain-Axis. Neuromodulation. Youth and affective disorders.
#Personalised / precision medicine. #Complexity approach. #Art and improvisation approach.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO), Amsterdam UMC
Award Date: 18 Apr 2019
External positions
Associate PI, UvA, The Centre for Urban Mental Health, UvA, Amsterdam
1 Apr 2020 → …
Keywords
- QR180 Immunology
- Microbiome
- R Medicine (General)
- Psychiatry
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Posttraumatic stress disorder and the microbiome
Lok, A., Zantvoord, J., Hemmings, S. M. J., Korosi, A. & Berendse, R.
1/11/2023 → …
Project: Research
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File
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Understanding and targeting microbial patterns among adolescents with depression: using a complex systems approach in an urban environment
Lok, A., Brul, S., Korosi, A. & Bockting, C.
21/03/2022 → …
Project: Research
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Ethnicity and COVID-19: epidemiology and control measures
Lok, A., Stronks, K., Prins, M., Agyemang, C., van den Born, B. H., Moll van Charante, E. & Zwinderman, K.
1/07/2020 → …
Project: Research
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Autonomic nervous system function before and after trauma-focused psychotherapy in youth with (partial) posttraumatic stress disorder
Zantvoord, J. B., Ensink, J. B. M., op den Kelder, R., Diehle, J., Lok, A. & Lindauer, R. J. L., 1 Apr 2024, In: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 162, 106945.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Internet-based behavioural activation therapy versus online psychoeducation for self-reported suicidal ideation in individuals with depression in Indonesia: a secondary analysis of an RCT
Heuschen, C. B. B. C. M., Bolhuis, K., Zantvoord, J. B., Arjadi, R., Denys, D. A. J. P., Nauta, M. H., Lok, A. & Bockting, C. L., 20 Feb 2024, In: BMJ Mental Health. 27, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Are neuromodulation interventions associated with changes in the gut microbiota? A systematic review: A systematic review
Korenblik, V., Brouwer, M. E., Korosi, A., Denys, D., Bockting, C. L. H., Brul, S. & Lok, A., 1 Feb 2023, In: Neuropharmacology. 223, 12 p., 109318.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access5 Citations (Scopus) -
Depression, cardiometabolic disease, and their co-occurrence after childhood maltreatment: an individual participant data meta-analysis including over 200,000 participants
on behalf of the EarlyCause consortium, 1 Dec 2023, In: BMC medicine. 21, 1, 93.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access5 Citations (Scopus) -
Differential impact of preventive cognitive therapy while tapering antidepressants versus maintenance antidepressant treatment on affect fluctuations and individual affect networks and impact on relapse: a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial
van der Wal, J. M., van Borkulo, C. D., Haslbeck, J. M. B., Slofstra, C., Klein, N. S., Blanken, T. F., Deserno, M. K., Lok, A., Nauta, M. H. & Bockting, C. L., Dec 2023, In: EClinicalMedicine. 66, 102329.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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First recipient of the European Certificate Psychotraumatology
Lok, Anja (Recipient), 4 Jan 2009
Prize: Other distinction
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De Nederlandstalige Vereniging voor Psychotrauma (NtVP) (External organisation)
Anja Lok (Member)
2 Jan 2024 → 29 Feb 2024Activity: Membership › Membership of committee › Academic
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APH - Mental Health (Organisational unit)
Anja Lok (Member)
1 Nov 2022 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of committee › Academic
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Teaching at Amsterdam University College: Microbial patterns and Depression
Anja Lok (Other)
7 Nov 2022 → …Activity: Other › Educational contribution › Educational
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Federatie Medisch Specialisten (External organisation)
Anja Lok (Member)
1 Jan 2022 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of committee › Academic
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Vice-voorzitter kennisagenda Psychiatrie, NVvP (External organisation)
Anja Lok (Member)
1 Jan 2018 → 1 Jan 2020Activity: Membership › Membership of committee › Academic
Press/Media
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Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden. Tentoonstelling 2023-2024: Onvoorstelbaar
18/04/2023
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Het Parool: Groot Amsterdams onderzoek: etnische achtergrond speelt rol bij depressies, diabetes, hartkwalen
7/03/2023
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Janus: Het gedeprimeerde brein weer in balans brengen
1/03/2023
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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Trouw: Bacteriën in de darmen beïnvloeden depressie, blijkt na dertig jaar onderzoek
10/12/2022
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media
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NRC: Depressie deels veroorzaakt door darmen, vermoeden wetenschappers
7/12/2022
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Press / Media