The CANDY Project
In Europe, 10-15% of children and adults or 50 to 75 million individuals are affected by neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability (ID), motor problems and language disorders. It is not hard to imagine that one of these conditions alone can have a serious impact on a person’s life. What makes the situation even worse is the fact that several of these conditions often co-exist and, on top of that, go along with somatic illnesses, such as epilepsy. This significantly affects both life expectancy and quality of life and there are no effective treatments to date.
In the CANDY project, we investigate the biological links between these neurodevelopmental conditions and co-existing somatic illnesses and how treatment and monitoring of affected patients can be improved.
%
of the EU population are affected by Neurodevelopmental Conditions such as autism, ADHD or ID
Autism
People on the autism spectrum experience persistent difficulties with social interaction and communication, display restricted and repetitive behaviour and/or have special circumscribed interests and activities. They often also experience sensory difficulties, such as increased or reduced sensitivity to light, sound, colour, smell, taste or touch.
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ADHD
ADHD belongs also to the group of neurodevelopmental conditions with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence. It manifests itself by problems with attention span and self-regulation and/or by impulsivity and high physical restlessness (hyperactivity). A clinical diagnosis is made when persistent symptoms are associated with impairments of functioning at home, school, workplace or during leasure time. However, symptoms alone are not sufficient for a diagnosis.
ID
Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18.
Partners
European countries
Project duration (months)
Our Research
Read more about the “problem” and the opportunity in CANDY, and more detailed information about biomarkers, the microbiome, neuroinflammation and critical periods.
FAQs »
Facts & Figures »
The Team »
CANDY PIP Study
In CANDY we are collaborating with the AIMS-2-TRIALS project and their study “Pre-School Brain Imaging and Behaviour Project (PIP)”. PIP is the first study to track how pre-school children with and without autism develop over time and across Europe.
Multiplex Study
This is the first study to track the heritability of rare genetic risk variants for several neurodevelopmental conditions. Neurodevelopmental conditions likely result from a combination of both rare genetic variants and many common low-risk variants.
News & Events
“Autism and ADHD: Two Sides of the Same Coin?” – Science Café Nijmegen
The Science Café Nijmegen is a Café where scientists and the general public come together to discuss current scientific topics and discoveries in an comfortable and informal setting. It aims to make science more accessible and exciting to everyone, supporting a...
CANDY 5th General Assembly Meeting
Last week, the 5th CANDY General Assembly took place in the beautiful Dutch city of Nijmegen. Since the beginning of the project, we have been planning to meet in the hometown of our coordinator, and finally could met there in person. On Monday, 15 January 2024, more...
Eva Loth gave her inauguration lecture and became Professor at KCL
Eva Loth becomes professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at King's Colleage London. On 16th June 2023, Eva Loth, gave her inaugural lecture as professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's Colleage London...
Happy #FollowFriday! Shoutout to our collaboration project @PRIME_H2020
Tune into @BFranke_lab's latest @ecnptweets podcast episode, where she delves into ongoing efforts to modernise the concept of #ADHD. 🎧✨
Perfect #WKNDrecommendation to listen! 🙌 #Neuroscience
🚨new publication
T. Böckers @uni_ulm et al. explore synaptic function in SHANK-associated conditions #ASC
They investigated structural changes in synaptic proteins in brain tissue🧠showing the spatial & molecular organization of subsynaptic domains
👉https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02559-9
🧠 New Publication 🧠 #WKNDreading
By analyzing neuroimaging data from ~3,500 mice, @grandjeanlab & colleagues found an anterior-posterior volume asymmetry in mouse brains.
Check out the full study🔍
👀
#research #brainresearch #Collaboration
Left-Right Brain-Wide Asymmetry of Neuroanatomy in the Mouse Brain
Left-right asymmetry of the human brain is widespread through its anatomy and function. However, limited microscopic u...
www.biorxiv.org
Always a great source to learn something new💡
Check out the latest @ecnptweets podcasts featuring 🔸CANDY partner @LeboyerMarion from @Inserm
🔸CANDY collaboration project @PRIME_H2020's Coordinator @BFranke_lab from @Radboud_Uni
Listen in and enjoy the #WKND 🌟
As part of the “Horizon 2020” programme, the European Commission is funding the five-year CANDY research project with a total of six million Euro under grant agreement No. 847818.