معرفی
Marc Molendijk is an Associate Professor at the Clinical Psychology department, Leiden University within the Social and Behavioural Sciences faculty. His research focuses on the neurobiology of depression, neuroplasticity, and intersections with diet, sexology, stress response, and chronic illness. He coordinates courses in Clinical Psychology, Sexology, and Pre-University College programs.
- Education: BSc (2006), MSc in Clinical Psychology (2008), PhD (2014, cum laude) at Leiden University.
- Research Themes: BDNF dynamics in depression, antidepressant pharmacology, stress-mental health links, and machine learning applications in alcohol use disorder prediction.
Recent Work: His 2011 Molecular Psychiatry study (co-authored) systematically analyzed serum BDNF levels across 2,044 participants, revealing BDNF as a state marker for depression normalized during remission and specifically elevated by SSRIs/St. John's wort. This work challenges aspects of the neurotrophin hypothesis by dissociating BDNF levels from clinical depression severity.
Methodological Expertise: Utilized the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) cohort, including multivariable regression and cross-sectional ANOVA designs, with rigorous controls for covariates like BMI and medication adherence.
