Tel. +34 913 94 38 94
Tel. +34 913 94 38 91
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UCM
Pl. de Ramón y Cajal, s/n, 28040 Madrid
The Neurotransmission and Neuromodulation Group is a basic research group composed of professors from the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of UCM, as well as predoctoral and postdoctoral researchers. One of the main focuses of their research is to understand the involvement of purinergic signaling in the development of the nervous system and in maintaining its functions. Using different experimental approaches, they have confirmed that nucleotide receptors, acting in coordination with other components of the purinergic system, participate in the process of neuronal differentiation and in the formation of new neurons in adults. The receptors present in neurons and glial cells are also involved in maintaining neuronal function by regulating the expression of pro-survival genes in situations of neuronal damage. Recent research has helped clarify the dual role of the P2X7 receptor in the nervous system. The levels of expression and stimulation of this receptor are crucial for inducing processes as diverse as proliferation or cell death. The function of this receptor is altered in murine models of Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Recent studies suggest it could be a potential biomarker. Other research aims to analyze the involvement of the purinergic system and other neurotransmitter systems in neuropathic pain.
Another primary focus of the group is the study of basic mechanisms of excitability, synaptic transmission, plasticity, and the molecular mechanisms involved in their regulation, with special attention to metabotropic glutamate receptors. Using various experimental approaches, it has been shown that different synaptic alterations are the cause of numerous pathologies, one of which is Fragile X syndrome, the second most common cause of intellectual disability in humans, caused by the absence of the FMR protein. In a Fragile X animal model, a loss of plasticity mechanisms in different types of synapses has been evidenced, and the molecular alterations, as well as possible biomarkers, are being analyzed. On the other hand, the imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory transmission is the cause of epilepsy, and understanding the regulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission is essential to finding effective treatments. Other research is directed towards studying mechanisms of neuronal death and neuroprotection in models of neurovascular disease (cerebral ischemia) and neurodegenerative diseases.