At Leiden University, the Netherlands, Antoinette van Laarhoven, PhD investigates the role of psychophysical and psychoneurophysiological processes in itch and pain, for instance due to inflammatory (e.g., atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis) and non-inflammatory (e.g., post-burn itch, fibromyalgia) conditions. Her research line is aimed at elucidating symptom perception, with a particular focus on how attention and expectancy play a role in aggravating and reducing itch and pain.
She applies various measures within her experimental research, including itch and pain inductions by quantitative sensory testing (QST), electroencephalography (EEG), behavioral tasks (e.g., the dot-probe task, Flanker task), and eye tracking. Recently, she implemented the use of virtual reality in her research.
The knowledge obtained may contribute to prevention, early diagnosis of patients at risk to develop chronic itch or pain (e.g., based on biomarkers), and more effective treatment of chronic diseases. Her overall target is to improve patients' wellbeing.
Attentional processing of itch:
A psychophysical approach
Expect to avoid: The role of expectancy and avoidance in the chronification of somatic symptoms
Biopsychosocial factors in chronic skin conditions
Generalization of placebo and nocebo effects on somatosensory sensations (finished 2024)
Current Assistants
Former Assistants
Jeltje Broekhof
Linda Schur
Shir van den Ende
Sophia Bremo
Isabella Saccardi
Michiel van den Nouwenland
Anne Nijboer
Samantha Millard
Sarah Vreijling
Gudrun Eisele
Mathilde Pronk
Rik Schalbroeck
Charlotte Piechaczek
2024- present
Associate professor at Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
2014 – 2024
Assistant professor at Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Oct - Dec 2016: Stay at the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Aalborg University, Denmark for research on sensitization processes, including conducting an experimental study on conditioned itch and pain modulation and writing a meta-analysis. Hosted by Prof. L. Arendt-Nielsen and Dr. H.H. Andersen.
- Nov 2014: Short stay at the Centre for pain research, University of Bath, UK on the role of attention in itch and pain. Hosted by Prof. C. Eccleston, Prof. E. Keogh, and Dr. N. Attridge.
2011 – 2013
Post-doctoral researcher at Department of Medical Psychology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
2006 - 2011
PhD candidate. PhD degree in Medical Science obtained 30 March ‘12 for the PhD thesis entitled Itch and pain: Common and distinct psycho-physiological factors. Department of Medical Psychology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
2004 – 2006
Bachelor and Master Biomedical Sciences (MSc), Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Research internships: Department of Dermatology (9 months) and Department of Medical Psychology (6 months), Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Biochemistry (5 months), Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Bachelor
https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/111056/health-and-medical-psychology
https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/111463/bachelor-project-psychology
Master
https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/114628/psychological-assessment-and-interventions-in-chronic-disease
https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/114585/research-topics-in-health-promotion
https://studiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/courses/114610/master-thesis-in-msc-psychology
2023
New Science of Mental Disorders (NSMD) Young Talent Grant for the project "Is somatosensory differentiation altered in patients with chronic itch and pain: a pilot study?" (€10,000)
2019
Netherlands Organization for Scientifc Research (NWO) Gravitation Grant for the project: “New Science of Mental Disorders”. Consortium led by Prof. A. Jansen. (€19.700.000)
Role: Young Talent (described as having the potential to become an international leader in the field). Antoinette van Laarhoven is part of the Mind-Body Interface team within this project.
2018
Research project grant from Leiden University Profile area Brain function and dysfunction over the lifespan: “Full body mimicry using virtual reality” (€ 60.900).
Role: Project leader and Co-PI.
2017
Research project grant from the Leiden University Fund - Den Dulk-Moermans Fund for scientific research in the field of health in a broad sense “Unconscious attentional processing of itch: towards an innovative training” (€ 24.968).
Role: PI
2015
NWO Talent Programme: personal Veni grant for the project: “Itch even harder to ignore than pain? A psychophysiological approach to attentional processing of somatosensory sensations.” (€250.000).
Role: PI
2014
Research project grant from the Dutch Burns Foundation for the project: “Psychoneurobiology of itch symptoms in patients following burn injuries.” (€40.000).
Role: Project leader and Co-PI.
Conference and symposium organization
2021 NVPD (Dutch Society for Psychodermatology) symposium about psycho-dermato-oncology: Skin cancer, why me? Amsterdam, the Netherlands (online due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
2020 Member of local arrangements committee (LAC) of the IASP 2020 World Congress on Pain. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the conference had eventually to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019 NVPD symposium: Itch! What to do now? Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2018 NVPD symposium: Stress under the skin. Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2017 Chair of symposium: Psychological factors influencing pain perception: an experimental approach at Sixth conference of the Association for Researchers in Psychology and Health (ARPH), Leiden, the Netherlands.
2016 NVPD/AMC symposium: Psychodermatology: state of the art and future directions. Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2015 NVPD symposium: Psychodermatology: focus on the child. Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Committee and board tasks
Local
2014 - present
Lab coordinator beta labs Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology unit, Leiden University, Leiden.
2019- 2024
Freezer coordinator of Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
2015 – 2020
Initiator and coordinator of OLI (research lunch intervision) Research Discussion Meetings within the Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology unit, Leiden University, Leiden.
2008 – 2010
Board member PhD Council Nijmegen Centre for Evidence Based Practice (NCEBP), secretary 2009-2010, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
National / Binational (the Netherlands & Belgium)
2024-present
Vice-chair of the Dutch Society for Psychodermatology (NVPD).
2019-2024
Secretary of the Dutch Society for Psychodermatology (NVPD).
2014 – 2019
Board member of the Dutch Society for Psychodermatology (NVPD).
2014/2015/2019
Committee member of the Poster award at the annual ARPH Conferences.
2018
Committee member of Best PhD thesis award of the Association for Researchers in Psychology and Health (ARPH).
2015
Committee member of Annual Article Contest 2015 of the binational Postgraduate School Experimental Psychopathology (EPP).
International
2020 – present
Committee member of International Forum for the Study of Itch (IFSI) Special Interest Group (SIG) on Psychological factors and itch.
2015 – present
Committee member of IFSI SIG on Itch Questionnaires.
Membership of national and international committees and institutes
A full list of publications can be found here
Publications on attention in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Publications on expectancy in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Publications on stress and emotions in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Publications on psychophysics in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Miscellaneous publications in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Publications on (psycho)neurophysiology in chronological order
* joint first authorship
Publications in national journals
Book Chapters