Program Faculty and research lines

The Program’s main research lines, the researchers affiliated to it, and their individual research projects are listed below.


Line 1: Developmental Neurobiology

FRADE, Jose Maria
Regulation of the cell cycle during neurogenesis, reactivation of the cell cycle in neurons, and neuronal tetraploidy in the normal and pathological brain.

GARRIDO, Juan José
Mechanisms of axon formation, elongation and regeneration. Regulation of adapter proteins and ion channels in the initial segment, and their role in models of brain damage and disease.

LOPEZ MASCARAQUE, Laura
Tracing of the progeny of individual progenitor cells in the brain of the mouse, in order to know both their fate and their lineage.

DE CARLOS, Juan
Development of the telencephalon, taking into account the spatio-temporal origin of each population of cells that participate in the formation of nuclei and constituent structures. These studies are carried out at the anatomical, cellular and molecular level.

VICARIO, Carlos
Mechanisms of regulation of the number of stem cells and in the formation of functional neurons from said cells, in vivo and in cell culture. Mechanisms of neurodegeneration and search for new molecular targets in neurons and glial cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

CASAS TINTÓ, Sergio
Communication mechanisms between the glia and neurons, especially the signals between glioblastoma and neurons that mediate tumor progression and neurodegeneration.

DE CASTRO, Fernando
Neurogenesis and oligodendrogliogenesis during development and in the adult CNS. Pathogenic mechanisms of demyelination as potential therapeutic targets for multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases.

GASCÓN JIMÉNEZ, Sergio
Direct neuronal reprogramming applied to the study and treatment of diseases of the central nervous system.

MORALES, Aixa
Molecular control of neurogenesis.

GARCÍA MARQUÉS, Jorge
Mecanismos moleculares de diversidad neural.


Line 2: Neurobiology of sensory systems

NÚÑEZ, Angel
Somatosensory processing and cholinergic modulation.

VARELA, Isabel
Cellular and animal models of syndromic sensorineural deafness; Therapeutic targets and biomarkers of hearing loss progression. Testing of new therapies with molecules and stem cells in animal and cell models of sensorineural deafness

DE LA VILLA POLO, Pedro
Neurophysiology of the visual system, physiology of the retina, membrane ion channels and neuromuscular physiology


Line 3: Neural Circuits and Connectomics

AVENDAÑO, Carlos
Somatosensory plasticity mechanisms in the adult nervous system.

CLASCÁ, Francisco
Axonal and synaptic wiring and functional diversity of thalamic projection neurons. Development of digital tools for reconstruction, 3D registration and quantitative analysis of axons of projection neurons.

DE FELIPE, Javier
Microanatomical and neurochemical organization of the cerebral cortex, through the use of various techniques, including intracellular injections, histochemical and immunocytochemical techniques, and 3D reconstruction techniques for light and electron microscopy.

RUBIO-GARRIDO J. Pablo
Thalamocortical network analysis. Functional connectomics of the pulvinar complex of the primate thalamus.

PORRERO, César
Cellular anatomy of somatosensory neural networks.

GILABERT, Javier
Mecanismos de plasticidad cerebral relacionados con enfermedades mentales.


Line 4: Basal ganglia, thalamus and cortex

CAVADA, Carmen
Aminergic innervation of the human brain and non-human primates under normal conditions and in a macaque model of parkinsonism.

MORATALLA, Rosario
Molecular mechanisms of the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias, the two main challenges of Parkinson's disease.

PRENSA, Lucia
Functional connectomics and synaptic architecture of the basal ganglia system.

NEGREDO, Pilar
Implication of microglia in plasticity-dependent plasticity sensory experience in the adult nervous system. Sex differences in the development and chronification of craniocephalic neuropathic pain.

GARCIA CABEZAS, Miguel Angel
Cellular and neurochemical structure of the human cerebral cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, and amygdala. Vulnerability markers for Alzheimer's disease and autism in these structures.

GARCIA-AMADO, Maria
Anatomy and connections of the human, primate and rodent amygdaloid complex. Rodent thalamocortical systems.

GRANADO, Noelia
Molecular bases of the neurotoxicity of amphetamine derivatives such as MDMA or ecstasy, as well as methamphetamine, and the role of dopaminergic receptors in these processes.


Line 5: Cell signalling. Neurobiology of wakefulness and sleep

DE ANDRES, Isabel
Neural mechanisms of the states of the wake-sleep cycle.

GARZÓN, Miguel
The hypocretinergic system and its implication in narcolepsy. Ultrastructural bases of reinforcement and addiction in the mesocorticolimbic circuit.

ARÉVALO, Mº Angeles
Mechanisms of action of neuroactive steroids, in neurons and glia, focusing mainly on the effects of ovarian hormones on neuronal plasticity and neuroprotection.

CARRIÓN, Mariano
Internal functioning of proteins as possible molecular bases of neurodegeneration (nanomechanics of the proteasome and its neurotoxic substrate proteins) and of memory consolidation (role of the functional mammalian prionoid CPEB3).

FERNÁNDEZ-SEVILLA, David
Regulation of synaptic plasticity.

PEREA Gertrudis
Signaling between neurons and glia cells, in particular astrocytes, and the consequences this communication has for neuronal physiology

RAUSELL, Estrella 
Gene expression in somatosensory and motor systems in humans with neurological pathologies. Analysis of human movement and gait with artificial intelligence techniques. Intracellular transport of nanoparticles.

MARTIN MONTIEL, Eduardo 
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the changes regulated by the endocrine system in the neuronal circuits of the brain during pregnancy and lactation, and their consequences on behavior.

NAVARRETE, Marta
Papel de las células astrogliales en la regulación de la actividad y plasticidad sináptica del cerebro normal y patológica.

GRASSI, Daniela
Diferencias sexuales y efectos de las hormonas gonadales en el panorama epigenético neuronal y glial.


Line 6: Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection

CUADRADO, Antonio 
The transcription factor NRF2 in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Oxidative stress in neuronal death and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmacological regulation of autophagy.

PEREZ MARTINEZ, Mar 
Neurodegenerative diseases, especially Tau pathology at the cellular and molecular level. Tau protein propagation mechanisms in different tauopathies.

MARTÍNEZ MURILLO, Ricardo
Molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative processes in animal models of neurovascular unit involvement: focal infarction (stroke, HF), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and progression of murine glioblastoma

GARCIA ESCUDERO, Vega
Molecular mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration of the central nervous system. Generation of human models with cell reprogramming techniques. Defects of the mitophagy process and relevance of the Tau protein in Alzheimer’s pathology.