Research
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Brain function results from a timely regulated sequence of developmental milestones. The timeline of these developmental milestones constitutes a developmental trajectory, directed by the interaction between genetic mechanisms and electrical activity. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum and schizophrenia syndrome emerge from an alteration in the developmental trajectories leading to brain dysfunction. We evaluate how genetic predisposition to neurodevelopmental disorders influence the organization and timeline of developmental milestones of the brain. Our objective is to provide with knowledge for the rational design of new therapeutic strategies that reorient the immature brain into a normal developmental trajectory.
Memory formation
Memory formation relies on neural plasticity at many different levels: structural, synaptic and intrinsic.
The main objective of our lab is to dissect neural plasticity mechanisms involved in memory formation.
Neurodegeneration
We probe whether neural plasticity mechanisms involved in memory formation are altered in animal models of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer´s disease. Our research approach will strongly contribute to dissect the neurobiological substrates underlying cognitive health with the ultimate goal to improve cognitive dysfunction during pathological aging.