Antonio Rodriguez-Moreno

Universidad Pablo de Olavide | UPO · Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Cell Biology

The entorhinal cortex (EC) connects to the hippocampus sending different information from cortical areas that is first processed at the dentate gyrus (DG) including spatial, limbic, and sensory and information. Excitatory afferents from lateral (LPP) and medial (MPP) perforant pathways of the EC connecting to granule cells of the DG play a role in...

The entorhinal cortex (EC) connects to the hippocampus sending different information from cortical areas that is first processed at the dentate gyrus (DG) including spatial, limbic, and sensory and information. Excitatory afferents from lateral (LPP) and medial (MPP) perforant pathways of the EC connecting to granule cells of the DG play a role in...

The entorhinal cortex (EC) connects to the hippocampus sending different information from cortical areas that is first processed at the dentate gyrus (DG) including spatial, limbic, and sensory and information. Excitatory afferents from lateral (LPP) and medial (MPP) perforant pathways of the EC connecting to granule cells of the DG play a role in...

Brain plasticity is the ability of the nervous system to change its structure and functioning in response to experiences. These changes occur mainly at synaptic connections, and this plasticity is named synaptic plasticity. During postnatal development, environmental influences trigger changes in synaptic plasticity that will play a crucial role in...

This paper reviews the importance of Cajal's neuronal theory (the Neuron Doctrine) and the origin and importance of the idea of brain plasticity that emerges from this theory. We first comment on the main Cajal's discoveries that gave rise and confirmed his Neuron Doctrine: the improvement of staining techniques, his approach to morphological laws,...

Background and Purpose The peripheral contribution to brain function and cognitive performance is far from understood. Cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1R) is classically pictured in the central nervous system to have such a role. We previously demonstrated a novel mechanism where the acute peripheral CB1R inhibition in mice prolongs memory persisten...

The endocannabinoid system is an essential intercellular signaling mechanism with a decisive role in many physiological functions of the brain. Endocannabinoids (eCBs), directly acting on presynaptic neuronal CB1 receptors (CB1Rs), can inhibit neurotransmitter release. In addition, they can potentiate adjacent synapses, inducing lateral regulation...

Windows of plasticity allow environmental experiences to produce intense activity-dependent changes during postnatal development. The reordering and refinement of neural connections occurs during these periods, significantly influencing the formation of brain circuits and physiological processes in adults. Recent advances have shed light on factors...

Molecular diversity of microglia, the resident immune cells in the CNS, is reported. Whether microglial subsets characterized by the expression of specific proteins constitute subtypes with distinct functions has not been fully elucidated. Here we describe a microglial subtype expressing the enzyme arginase-1 (ARG1; that is, ARG1⁺ microglia) that i...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by memory impairments and age-dependent synapse loss. Experimental and clinical studies have shown decreased expression of the glutamatergic protein Neuroligin-1 (Nlgn1) in AD. However, the consequences of a sustained reduction of Nlgn1 are unknown. Here, we generated a knockin mouse that reproduces the NLG...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progresses with memory loss and neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with cell specific vulnerability in memory- and emotion-related neural circuits. Neuropathological and synaptic changes are key factors influencing the clinical progression to dementia, but how they cooperate to cause memory and emotional disturbances is l...

In the mammalian brain information processing and storage rely on the complex coding and decoding events performed by neuronal networks. These actions are based on the computational ability of neurons and their functional engagement in neuronal assemblies where precise timing of action potential firing is crucial. Neuronal circuits manage a myriad...

Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive multifaceted neurodegenerative disorder for which no disease-modifying treatment exists. Neuroinflammation is central to the pathology progression, with evidence suggesting that microglia-released galectin-3 (gal3) plays a pivotal role by amplifying neuroinflammation in AD. However, the possible...

Windows of plasticity are fundamental for the correct formation of definitive brain circuits; these periods drive sensory and motor learning during development and ultimately learning and memory in adults. However, establishing windows of plasticity also imposes limitations on the central nervous system in terms of its capacity to recover from inju...

The hippocampus is involved in important brain functions such as learning and memory, spatial navigation, fear processing, and social behavior (Dudek et al, 2016). The most prominent areas of the hippocampus are typically denoted as the dentate gyrus and the three areas of the cornu ammonis (CA1, CA2, and CA3). Discovered by Lorente de Nó (1934), t...

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are G-protein-coupled receptors that exhibit enormous diversity in their expression patterns, sequence homology, pharmacology, biophysical properties and signaling pathways in the brain. In general, mGluRs modulate different traits of neuronal physiology, including excitability and plasticity processes. Par...

During development, critical periods of synaptic plasticity facilitate the reordering and refinement of neural connections, allowing the definitive synaptic circuits responsible for correct adult physiology to be established. The L4-L2/3 synapses in the somatosensory cortex (S1) exhibit a presynaptic form of spike timing-dependent long-term depress...

During development, critical periods of synaptic plasticity facilitate the reordering and refinement of neural connections, allowing the definitive synaptic circuits responsible for correct adult physiology to be established. The L4-L2/3 synapses in the somatosensory cortex (S1) exhibit a presynaptic form of spike timing-dependent long-term depress...

Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of rare genetic disorders caused by mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). These diseases are frequently multisystemic, although mainly affect tissues that require large amounts of energy such as the brain. Mutations in mitochondrial transfer RNA (mt-tRNA) lead to defects in protein trans...

Background: PLA2G6-Associated Neurodegeneration (PLAN) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, which belongs to the NBIA (Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation) group. Although the pathogenesis of the disease remains largely unclear, lipid peroxidation seems to play a central role in the pathogenesis. Curr...

Background PLA2G6-Associated Neurodegeneration (PLAN) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, which belongs to the NBIA (Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation) group. Although the pathogenesis of the disease remains largely unclear, lipid peroxidation seems to play a central role in the pathogenesis. Curre...

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive multifaceted neurodegenerative disorder for which no disease-modifying treatment exists. Neuroinflammation is central to the pathology progression, with evidence suggesting that microglia-released galectin 3 (gal3) plays a pivotal role by amplifying neuroinflammation in AD. However, possible inv...

Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the hippocampus where mediates its actions by activating glutamate receptors. The activation of these receptors is essential for the maintenance and dynamics of dendritic spines and plasticity that correlate with learning and memory processes during neurodevelopment and adulthood. We stu...

It is known that continuous abuse of amphetamine (AMPH) results in alterations in neuronal structure and cognitive behaviors related to the reward system. However, the impact of AMPH abuse on the hippocampus remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the damage caused by AMPH in the hippocampus in an addiction model. We reproduced the...

Diversity within microglia, the resident brain immune cells, is reported. Whether microglial subsets constitute different subtypes with intrinsic properties and unique functions has not been fully elucidated. Here, we describe a microglial subtype characterized by the expression of the enzyme Arginase-1, i.e. Arg1 + microglia, which is found predom...

Kainate (KA) receptors (KARs) are important modulators of synaptic transmission. We studied here the role of KARs on glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the CA2 region of the hippocampus where the actions of these receptors are unknown. We observed that KA depresses glutamatergic synaptic transmission at Schaffer collateral‐CA2 synapses; an effe...

In 1981 Jeff Watkins and Dick Evans wrote what was to become a seminal review on excitatory amino acids (EAAs) and their receptors (Watkins and Evans, 1981). Bringing together various lines of evidence dating back over several decades on: the distribution in the nervous system of putative amino acid neurotransmitters; enzymes involved in their prod...

Kainate receptors (KARs) are glutamate receptors that participate in the postsynaptic transmission of information and in the control of neuronal excitability, as well as presynaptically modulating the release of the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate. These modulatory effects, general follow a biphasic pattern, with low KA concentrations provokin...

Presynaptic kainate (KA) receptors (KARs) modulate GABA and glutamate release in the central nervous system of mammals. While some of the actions of KARs are ionotropic, metabotropic actions for these receptors have also been seen to modulate both GABA and glutamate release. In general, presynaptic KARs modulate glutamate release through their meta...

Brain plasticity is widely accepted as the core neurophysiological basis of memory and is generally defined by activity-dependent changes in synaptic efficacy, such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). By using diverse induction protocols like high-frequency stimulation (HFS) or spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP), s...

El consumo reiterado y prolongado de anfetaminas reduce el número de neuronas y la comunicación sináptica en el hipocampo. Ello afecta a la capacidad de memoria y aprendizaje, según se ha visto en ratones

Mutations in the human HERC1 E3 ubiquitin ligase protein develop intellectual disability. The tambaleante (tbl) mouse carries a HERC1 mutation characterized by cerebellar ataxia due of adult cerebellar Purkinje cells death by extensive autophagy. Our previous studies demonstrated that both the neuromuscular junction and the peripheral nerve myelin...

Presynaptic spike timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses is evident until the 3rd postnatal week in mice, disappearing during the 4th week. At more mature stages, we found that the protocol that induced t-LTD induced t-LTP. We characterized this form of t-LTP and the mechanisms involved in its induction, as we...

Neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-derived neurons) offer novel opportunities for the development of preclinical models of human neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Recent advances in the past few years have increased substantially the potential of these techniques and have uncovered new challenges that the field is fac...

Mitochondrial diseases are considered rare genetic disorders characterized by defects in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). They can be provoked by mutations in nuclear DNA (nDNA) or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). MERRF (Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged-Red Fibers) syndrome is one of the most frequent mitochondrial diseases, principally caused by the m....

Patients diagnosed with chromosome microdeletions or duplications, known as copy number variants (CNVs), present a unique opportunity to investigate the relationship between patient genotype and cell phenotype. CNVs have high genetic penetrance and give a good correlation between gene locus and patient clinical phenotype. This is especially effecti...

Synaptic plasticity is a fundamental property of neurons referring to the activity-dependent changes in the strength and efficacy of synaptic transmission at preexisting synapses. Such changes can last from milliseconds to hours, days, or even longer and are involved in learning and memory as well as in development and response of the brain to inju...

Glutamate receptors of the kainate type (kainate receptors, KARs) are mediators of ionotropic postsynaptic synaptic transmission, as well as presynaptic modulators of neurotransmitter release where they show both ionotropic and metabotropic actions regulating both glutamate and GABA release. The mechanisms underlying these modulatory roles are unde...

Kainate (KA) receptors (KAR) have important modulatory roles of synaptic transmission. In the cerebellum, the action mechanisms of KAR-mediated glutamatergic depression are unknown. We studied these mechanisms by recording evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) from cerebellar slices using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp t...

Critical periods of synaptic plasticity facilitate the reordering and refining of neural connections during development, allowing the definitive synaptic circuits responsible for correct adult physiology to be established. Presynaptic spike timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) exists in the hippocampus, which depends on the activation of N...

Intellectual disability is the most limiting hallmark of Down syndrome, for which there is no gold-standard clinical treatment yet. The endocannabinoid system is a widespread neuromodulatory system involved in multiple functions including learning and memory processes. Alterations of this system contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurologica...

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are involved in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in different brain regions, and they modulate glutamate release at different presynaptic sites. Here, we studied whether non-postsynaptic NMDARs, putatively presynaptic (preNMDARs), are tonically active at hippocampal CA3–CA1 synapses, and if they modulate glutama...

Little has been investigated about the effects of stress on synaptic communication at pre‐pubertal age, a stage considered as juvenile. This period of development is related to socialization through play. Our group has studied the changes of neuronal morphology in limbic structures caused by stress at prenatal and at early postnatal ages (before we...

Apomorphine is a non-specific dopamine receptor agonist that has been used in the treatment of some diseases and mental disorders. Its use has particularly well documented in Parkinson's disease (PD). The dopaminergic agonists like apomorphine are related to oxidative processes that could induce cell damage and the functional impairment of some str...

Apomorphine is a dopamine receptor agonist that activates D1–D5 dopamine receptors and that is used to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the effect of apomorphine on non-motor activity has been poorly studied, and likewise, the effects of dopaminergic activation in brain areas that do not fulfill motor functions are unclear. The aim of this...

In the classical view, postsynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs) trigger Hebbian plasticity via Ca2+ influx. However, unconventional presynaptic NMDARs (preNMDARs) which regulate both long-term and short-term plasticity at several synapse types have also been found. A lack of sufficiently specific experimental manipulations and a poor understanding of h...

In the classical view, postsynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs) trigger Hebbian plasticity via Ca2+influx. However, unconventional presynaptic NMDARs (preNMDARs) which regulate both long-term and short-term plasticity at several synapse types have also been found. A lack of sufficiently specific experimental manipulations and a poor understanding of ho...

Kainate (KA) is a potent neurotoxin that has been widely used experimentally to induce acute brain seizures and, after repetitive treatments, as a chronic model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), with similar features to those observed in human patients with TLE. However, whether KA activates KA receptors (KARs) as an agonist to mediate the induction...

We elucidated the mechanisms underlying the kainate receptor (KAR)-mediated facilitatory modulation of synaptic transmission in the cerebellum. In cerebellar slices, KA (3 μM) increased the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) at synapses between axon terminals of parallel fibers (PF) and Purkinje neurons. KA-mediated facil...

A metabotropic modus operandi for kainate receptors (KARs) was first discovered in 1998 modulating GABA release. These receptors have been also found to modulate glutamate release at different synapses in several brain regions. Mechanistically, a general biphasic mechanism for modulating glutamate release by presynaptic KARs with metabotropic actio...

Tambaleante (tbl/tbl) is a mutant mouse that carries a spontaneous Gly483Glu substitution in the HERC1 (HECT domain and RCC1 domain) E3 ubiquitin ligase protein (HERC1). The tbl/tbl mutant suffers an ataxic syndrome given the almost complete loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells during adult life. More recent analyses have identified alterations at neu...

Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) and Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934) were two contemporary scientists who not only had a great impact on Russian and Spanish science but also on the international stage. Both shared several common features in their life and work, yet they followed fundamentally different paths during their training as scientists. While Pav...

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) y Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) fueron dos científicos contemporáneos que no solo tuvieron un gran impacto en la ciencia rusa y española sino también en el escenario internacional. Ambos compartieron varias características comunes en su vida y trabajo, sin embargo, siguieron caminos fundamentalmente diferentes durante s...

Amphetamines (AMPH) are psychostimulants widely used for therapy as well as for recreational purposes. Previous results of our group showed that AMPH exposure in pregnant rats induces physiological and behavioral changes in the offspring at prepubertal and postpubertal ages. In addition, several reports have shown that AMPH are capable of modifying...

The Monosomy 1p36 deletion syndrome is part of the group of diseases known as Rare Diseases. The objective of the present work is to review the characteristics of Monosomy 1p36 deletion syndrome. The monosomy 1p36 deletion syndrome phenotype includes: dysmorphic craniofacial features; large anterior fontanelle, unibrow, deep-set eyes, epicanthus, w...

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a Hebbian learning rule important for synaptic refinement during development and for learning and memory in the adult. Given the importance of the hippocampus in memory, surprisingly little is known about the mechanisms and functions of hippocampal STDP. In the present work, we investigated the requiremen...

Resveratrol may induce its neuroprotective effects by reducing oxidative damage and chronic inflammation apart from improving vascular function and activating longevity genes, it also has the ability to promote the activity of neurotrophic factors. Morphological changes in dendrites of the pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippoc...

We studied conditional self-discrimination (CSD) in rats and compared the neuronal cytoarchitecture of untrained animals and rats that were trained in self-discrimination. For this purpose, we used 30 ten-week-old male rats were randomized into three groups: one control group and two conditioning groups: a comparison group (associative learning) an...

Few authors have compared the life and work of Cajal and Pavlov and they refer normally to their coincidence at the XIV Medicine International Congress of Madrid in 1903. To describe the theoretical models of both authors and to explain the possible complementarities between the works of Cajal and Pavlov. We describe the principal bases of the 'neu...

Apoptosis is characterized by degradation of cell components but plasma membrane remains intact. Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane that maintains plasma membrane integrity. Apoptotic cells are also characterized by high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that...

Santiago Ramón y Cajal was not only a great scientist but he was also a dedicated teacher who managed to create his own School in Spain. Cajal was active at the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, a period in which Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, another great contemporary scientist, also established a strong School in Russia. While these tw...

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian Central Nervous System (CNS). It is involved in normal synaptic transmission and in processes of Long Term Potentiation and Depression, considered the underlying mechanisms of learning, memory and other plasticity forms. Physiological actions of glutamate are mediated by glutamate...

Kainate type glutamate receptors (KAR) participate in conventional neurnal transmission postsynaptically, presynaptically the activation of KARs modulates glutamate and GABA release in a biphasic fashion. While micromolar concentrations of kainate (KA) depress glutamate release, at low nanomolar concentrations kainate receptor (KAR) activation depr...

Kainate type glutamate receptors (KAR) participate in conventional neuronal transmission postsynaptically, presynaptically the activation of KARs modulates glutamate and GABA release in a biphasic fashion. While micromolar concentrations of kainate (KA) depress glutamate release, at low nanomolar concentrations kainate receptor (KAR) activation dep...

Introduction: The goal of this work was to determine the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) dependence of spike timing dependent plasticity in the hippocampus. Methods: We performed experiments in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices prepared from P12-P18 mice using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. To induce t- LTP, a pre-post pairing...

Introduction: Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is an attractive candidate to mediate the synaptic changes that support circuit plasticity in sensory cortices during development. The goal of this work was to determine the cellular mechanism that underlies spike timing-dependent depression (t-LTD), at horizontal L2/3-L2/3 synapses. Methods: W...

Apoptosis is characterized by degradation of cell components but plasma membrane remains intact. Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane that maintains plasma membrane integrity. Apoptotic cells are also characterized by high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that...

Several studies in rodents have suggested the inactivation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) as an alternative strategy to Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment. The STN is part of the basal ganglia and plays an important role in the motor function; however, recent data suggest that this structure has a critical role in the cognitive function of the li...

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is an attractive candidate to mediate the synaptic changes that support circuit plasticity in sensory cortices during development. STDP is prevalent at excitatory synapses, but it is not known whether the underlying mechanisms are universal, or whether distinct mechanisms underpin STDP at different synapses....

Abstract Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is an attractive candidate to mediate the synaptic changes that support circuit plasticity in sensory cortices during development. STDP is prevalent at excitatory synapses, but it is not known whether the underlying mechanisms are universal, or whether distinct mechanisms underpin STDP at different...

Ionotropic glutamate receptors of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)- and AMPA-type, as well as metabotropic glutamate receptors have been extensively invoked in plasticity. Until relatively recently, however, kainate-type receptors (KARs) had been the most elusive to study because of the lack of appropriate pharmacological tools to specifically addre...

In this study, we investigated the effect of neonatal olfactory bulbectomy (nOBX) on behavioral paradigms related to olfaction such as exploratory behavior, locomotor activity in a novel environment and social interaction. We also studied the effect of nOBX on the activity of the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors during dev...

We have investigated the mechanisms underlying the facilitatory modulation mediated by kainate receptor ( KAR ) activation in the cortex, using isolated nerve terminals (synaptosomes) and slice preparations. In cortical nerve terminals, kainate (KA, 100 μM) produced an increase in 4‐aminopyridine (4‐AP)‐evoked glutamate release. In thalamocortical...