Neurobiology and neuropharmacology

Research groups

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Solsona, Carles >
Blasi Cabús, Juan >

SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION

Llobet, Artur >

Meuropharmacology and Pain

Molecular And Cellular Neurobiotechnology

del Río Fernández, José Antonio >

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY IN AGING AND NEURODEGENERATION

Neuroinflammation Group

Molecular Mechanisms of Memory

Developmental Neurobiology and Regeneration

Neuro-Celltec-Ub

Representative of the research area

Dr. Marta Pascual Sánchez

Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology

marpascual (at) ub.edu

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Which new therapies are effective in treating nervous system diseases like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or Parkinson’s disease?

 

Research groups in this area focus their studies on cells and neural circuits of the nervous system in normal and pathologic situations. On the basis of these studies, we aim to identify new therapeutic targets for neurological disorders.

 

Some lines of this research area analyse the synaptic transmission, its role in brain plasticity and memory, and the molecular mechanisms which underlie the configuration of neuronal circuits. Other researchers are interested in nervous system development, aiming to understand the mechanisms and the molecular pathways which are involved in this process, to find new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases or brain injuries.

 

Ageing and several age-related neurodegenerative disorders are linked to progressive neuronal death. Researchers in this area analyse some factors involved in the balance between neuron survival and death, for instance the mitochondrial dynamics, the synaptic activity and several signalling pathways. We also study the role of glial cells and neuroinflamation.

 

The main goal of most of our research is the identification of new drugs to treat neurological diseases. In this sense, we are also interested in studying the transport of compounds across the blood-brain barrier.

Highlighted publications

 

· López-Murcia FJ, Terni B, Llobet A (2015) SPARC triggers a cell-autonomous program of synapse elimination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 112:13366-71.

 

· Ros O, Cotrufo T and Soriano E. (2015) Patterned dynamics of local exocytosis in growth cones: regulation by Netrin1and dependence on the Erk1/2 and SFK pathways. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(13): 5156-70.

 

· Bribian A, Nocentini S, Llorens F, Gil V, Mire E, Reginensi D, Yoshida Y, Mann F, Del Rio JA (2014) Sema3E/PlexinD1 regulates the migration of hem-derived Cajal-Retzius cells in developing cerebral cortex. Nature communications 5:4265.

 

· Pérez-Brangulí F, Mishra HK, Prots I, Havlicek S, Kohl Z, Saul D, Rummel C, Dorca-Arevalo J, Regensburger M, Graef D, Sock E, Blasi J, Groemer TW, Schlötzer-Schrehardt U, Winkler J, Winner B. (2014) Dysfunction of spatacsin leads to axonal pathology in SPG11-linked hereditary spastic paraplegia. Human Molecular Genetics, Sep 15;23(18):4859-74.

 

· Pedraza N, Ortiz R, Cornadó A, Llobet A, Aldea M, Gallego C (2014) KIS, a Kinase Associated with Microtubule Regulators, Enhances Translation of AMPA Receptors and Stimulates Dendritic Spine Remodeling. Journal of Neuroscience 34:13988-13997.

 

· Pittolo S, Gómez-Santacana X, Eckelt K, Rovira X, Dalton J, Goudet C, Pin JP, Llobet A, Giraldo J, Llebaria A, Gorostiza P (2014) An allosteric modulator to control endogenous G protein-coupled receptors with light. Nature Chemical Biology, 10:813-815.

 

· Pujadas L, Rossi D., Andres M., Teixeira CM, Serra-Vidal M, Maldonado R, Giralt E, Carulla N and Soriano E. (2014) Reelin interacts with Aβ42, delays amyloid plaque formation and rescues cognitive deficits in Alzheimer Disease. Nature Communications, 6;5:3443.

 

· Gil V, Del Rio JA (2012) Analysis of axonal growth and cell migration in 3D hydrogel cultures of embryonic mouse CNS tissue. Nature protocols, 7 (2):268-280.

 

· Sindreu C, Palmiter RD, Storm DR (2011) Zinc transporter ZnT-3 regulates presynaptic Erkl/2 signaling and hippocampus-dependent memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 108 (8): 3366-70.

 

· Papadia S, Soriano FX*, Léveillé F, Martel MA, Dakin KA, Hansen HH, Kaindl A, Sifringer M, Fowler J, Stefovska V, McKenzie G, Craigon M, Corriveau R, Ghazal P, Horsburgh K, Yankner BA, Wyllie DJ, Ikonomidou C, Hardingham GE. (2008). Synaptic NMDA receptor activity boosts intrinsic antioxidant defences. Nature Neuroscience, 11(4):476-87 * Joint first author.

Highlighted projects

Nuevas aproximaciones a la patogénesis de la enfermedad de Alzheimer

Reference: SAF2013-42445-R
Agency: MINECO
Duration: 2014 – 2016
Amount: 496.100 €
Principal Investigator: Eduardo Soriano García

Enfermedades neurodegenerativas

Reference: CB06/05/0098
Agency: Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo
Duration: 2012 – 2016
Amount: 206.302 €
Principal Investigator: Eduardo Soriano García

Señalización mitocondrial retrograda dependiente de Mfn2 en neurodegeneración

Reference: SAF2014-59872-P
Agency: MINECO
Duration: 2015 – 2017
Amount: 133.100 €
Principal Investigator: Francesc Xavier Soriano Zaragoza

Caracterización de un neo-epítopo cerebral relacionado con el envejecimiento y estudio de la presencia de anticuerpos naturales anti-neoepítopo

Reference: BFU2013-47382-P
Agency: MINECO
Duration: 2014 – 2016
Amount: 96.800 €
Principal Investigator: Carme Pelegrí Gabaldà

Disección genética de circuitos mnemónicos: el caso de la vía quinasa Erk1/2

Reference: SAF2015-69767-P
Agency: MINECO
Duration: 2016 – 2018
Amount: 150.040 €
Principal Investigator: Carlos Sindreu Balet