Group information

The Neurotransmission and Neuromodulation in the CNS group is a basic research group of the UCM, made up of professors from the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy and professors from the Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine, as well as several pre- or post-doctoral researchers.

The general objective is the study of basic mechanisms of excitability, neurotransmission and neuromodulation, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in synaptic maturation, using different cellular (primary cultures of cerebellar granular neurons, cortical neurons) and animal models. Different experimental approaches (electrophysiological, biochemical, molecular biology and imaging techniques) are used, which are possible thanks to the multidisciplinary training of the members of the group, as well as to different national and international collaborations.

Different synaptic alterations are the cause of numerous pathologies, one of which, Fragile X syndrome, is the second most frequent cause of mental retardation in humans, and is produced by the absence of the FMR protein. In the brain, this protein is expressed exclusively in differentiated neurons, it is detected in synapses and, although its function is not yet known exactly, it is important in synaptic development and in the control of synaptic function, with a high degree of immaturity being observed when this protein is not expressed. We therefore consider it interesting to transfer the knowledge acquired over the years on the mechanisms controlling synaptic function to the study of this pathology.