DIGITAL ARCHIPELAGO

‘Prenatal stress affects phenotype development of neuronal mitochondria’

Biomedicine and Health

Investigación Biomédica

2008

Synaptic plasticity plays a crucial role in the regulation of brain and other functions. Prenatal stress exerts a long-lasting impact on the development and adult functioning of the central nervous system by altering synaptic plasticity.

DIRECTOR

Luis Miguel García Segura

RESEARCH TEAM

HORVATH, Tamas.

COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS

Instituto Cajal, CSIC

DESCRIPTION

Recent discoveries in the laboratory of FBBVA Biomedicine Chairholder Dr. Horvath have unveiled the critical importance of neuronal mitochondrial mechanisms in the regulation of synaptic plasticity. Specifically, mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) has been identified as a key molecule to enable synaptic plasticity occurring in response to sexual and metabolic hormones in various brain regions.

The overall goal of the project underway in the Instituto Caja (Spanish Council for Scientific Research, CSIC) is to uncover the contributions of various hormones to prenatal stress-induced alterations in brain functions. Dr. Horvath will contribute to this goal by introducing the “mitochondrial” perspective and by aiding in the establishment of a bioenergetics approach.