Prof. Dr. Monique Breteler
Director
Population Health Sciences
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Venusberg-Campus 1
53175 Bonn, Germany
Venusberg-Campus 1
53175 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 228 43302 929
Email: monique.breteler(at)dzne.de
Research Focus
We perform quantitative empirical research with the aim of helping the development of prevention strategies for neurodegenerative and other age-related diseases, most notably dementia.
We focus on the identification of causes and causal disease mechanisms that can be targeted to prevent or delay onset of clinical disease (etiologic research). Furthermore, we aim to identify biomarkers and develop methods to assess disease risk (risk prediction and risk stratification).
Most age-related diseases occur as the cumulative resultant of varying combinations of protective, restorative, and detrimental factors. The determinants of resilience thereby remain largely unknown. Alongside studying pathophysiology, we aim to better comprehend normal (brain) physiology and physiologic variation, and how this changes over the life course.
To understand what determines people’s health one has to study people. Most of our research is being performed in the context of the Rhineland Study, a prospective cohort study that we designed and initiated to address our key research objectives.
Our epidemiologic approach is highly interdisciplinary, and methodologically and technologically advanced. On the data acquisition side we emphasize deep phenotyping and incorporate novel technologies and insights from basic research early on in our studies. On the data analytical side we collaborate with computational data scientists to develop and use innovative methods on our high-dimensional and multimodal data.
We focus on the identification of causes and causal disease mechanisms that can be targeted to prevent or delay onset of clinical disease (etiologic research). Furthermore, we aim to identify biomarkers and develop methods to assess disease risk (risk prediction and risk stratification).
Most age-related diseases occur as the cumulative resultant of varying combinations of protective, restorative, and detrimental factors. The determinants of resilience thereby remain largely unknown. Alongside studying pathophysiology, we aim to better comprehend normal (brain) physiology and physiologic variation, and how this changes over the life course.
To understand what determines people’s health one has to study people. Most of our research is being performed in the context of the Rhineland Study, a prospective cohort study that we designed and initiated to address our key research objectives.
Our epidemiologic approach is highly interdisciplinary, and methodologically and technologically advanced. On the data acquisition side we emphasize deep phenotyping and incorporate novel technologies and insights from basic research early on in our studies. On the data analytical side we collaborate with computational data scientists to develop and use innovative methods on our high-dimensional and multimodal data.