Dr Rosa Hoekstra

Lecturer in Psychology

Life Sciences

Profile





Dr Rosa Hoekstra joined the Open University in January 2009. Rosa studied Biomedical Science at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. After a research internship at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, she started her PhD studies in Behavioural Genetics at the VU University in Amsterdam in 2003. Her PhD project focused on the genetic and environmental influences on the development of cognition and on variation in autistic traits in late adolescence. She returned to the Autism Research Centre in 2007 to pursue her studies into autistic traits. Since taking up her lecturer’s post at the Open University, Rosa combines her research with teaching in the field of Biological Psychology.

In her research, funded by a Rubicon grant from the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research, she aims to contribute to a better understanding of the heterogeneity of the autism spectrum. One way she wishes to achieve this is by exploring the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of the autism phenotype and to examine whether there is a genetic link between intellectual abilities and autistic traits. She is also involved in a prevalence study of autism and in studies of the broader autism phenotype.

Research Interests
Publication list:

In press/2009
     Estourgie – van Burk, G.F., Bartels, M., Hoekstra, R.A., Polderman, T.J.C, Delemarre – van de Waal, H.A., Boomsma, D.I., 2009. A twin study of cognitive costs of low birth weight and catch-up growth. Journal of Pediatrics, 154, pp 29-32.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Van Leeuwen, M., Boomsma, D.I. Genetic architecture of verbal abilities in children and adolescents. Developmental Science, In press.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Wheelwright, S. Autistic traits in simplex and multiplex autism families: Focus on unaffected relatives [Letter]. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B, In press.
     Polderman, T.J.C., De Geus, E.J.C., Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Van Leeuwen, M., Verhulst, F.C., Posthuma, D., Boomsma, D.I. Attention problems, inhibitory control, and intelligence index overlapping genetic factors: A study in 9, 12 and 18-year-old twins. Neuropsychology, In press.
     Van Leeuwen, M., Van den Berg, S.M., Hoekstra, R.A., Boomsma, D.I. The genetic and environmental structure of verbal and visuospatial memory in young adults and children. Neuropsychology, In Press.

2008
     Boomsma, D.I., Van Beijsterveld, C.E.M., Beem, A.L., Hoekstra, R.A., Polderman, T.J.C., Bartels, M., 2008. Intelligence and birth order in boys and girls. Intelligence, 36, pp 539-547.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Cath, D.C., Boomsma, D.I., 2008. Factor structure, reliability and criterion validity of the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ): a study in Dutch population and patient groups. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, pp 1555-1566.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Hudziak, J.J., Van Beijsterveldt, C.E.M., Boomsma, D.I., 2008. Genetic and environmental influences on the stability of withdrawn behavior in children: A longitudinal, multi-informant twin study. Behavior Genetics, 38, pp 447-461.

2007
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Boomsma, D.I., 2007. Longitudinal genetic study of verbal and nonverbal IQ from early childhood to young adulthood. Learning and Individual Differences, 17, pp 97-114.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Hudziak, J.J., Van Beijsterveldt, C.E.M., Boomsma, D.I., 2007. Genetic and environmental covariation between autistic traits and behavioral problems. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10, pp 853-860.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Verweij, C.J.H., Boomsma, D.I., 2007. Heritability of autistic traits in the general population. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 161, pp 372-377.
     Van Leeuwen, M., Van den Berg, S.M., Hoekstra, R.A., Boomsma, D.I., 2007. Endophenotypes for intelligence in children and adolescents. Intelligence, 35, pp 369-380.

2006
     Baron-Cohen, S., Hoekstra, R.A., Knickmeyer, R., Wheelwright, S., 2006. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) - Adolescent version. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, pp 343-350.
     Hoekstra, R.A., Bartels, M., Boomsma, D.I., 2006. Heritability of testosterone levels in 12-year-old twins and its relation to pubertal development. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, pp 558-565.
     Knickmeyer, R., Wheelwright, S., Hoekstra, R.A., Baron-Cohen, S., 2006. Age of menarche in females with Autism Spectrum Conditions [Letter]. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 48, pp 1007-1008.

2005
     Ligthart, L., Bartels, M., Hoekstra, R.A., Hudziak, J.J., Boomsma, D.I., 2005. Genetic contributions to subtypes of aggression. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 8, pp 483-491.