Neurobiology of stress

Study of the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate neuroplasticity in response to stress, with an emphasis on the involvement of neuroimmune mechanisms, inflammatory processes, and alterations in oxidative and nitrosative balance. We investigate how these mechanisms contribute to changes in neural plasticity and to the physiological and behavioral responses to stress.

Neuropharmacology

Study of the mechanisms through which various psychotropic agents, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, modulate neuroplasticity and neuroimmune processes in animal models of psychiatric disorders and aging. Substances with neuroplastic and antioxidant properties are also evaluated as potential modulators of these mechanisms. In addition, alterations in neuroplasticity and neuroimmune responses associated with chronic exposure to substances of abuse, including ethanol, opioids, and stimulants, are investigated.

Integrative and translational neuroscience

Integrative study of neuroplasticity and its regulation by neuroimmune mechanisms, considering the interaction between the central nervous system and other systems, including the gastrointestinal system (gut-brain axis) and the peripheral immune system. These mechanisms are investigated in conditions associated with psychiatric disorders and aging. The translational approach incorporates the study of neuroplasticity and neuroimmune mechanisms in human postmortem brain tissue, with the aim of linking findings from experimental models to alterations observed in humans.