LABORATORIES
Experimental and computational electrophysiology
Experimental and computational electrophysiology
Research
Team
Publications
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Research
The transmission and processing of information in the SN is carried out by electrical signals between groups of neurons along intricate circuits. Their complexity, the large volume of traffic and their extraordinary variety are necessary to codify the numerous physical variables that the SN incessantly measures. Part of this electrical activity is manifested in the recording of field potentials (LFPs), and part of these, in turn, in the surface electroencephalogram (EEG). Our group has developed a technology to separately “read” the activity of the different populations that contribute to the LFP/EEG and applies it both to the study of cognitive processes and their alterations in neuropathology (migraine, ischemia, neurodegeneration, epilepsy), with the aim of objective of detecting abnormal activity in early or asymptomatic phases.
We are a group of cerebral electrophysiology, of multidisciplinary origin and tradition (biology, physics, mathematics, computer science), with an inclination towards the biophysical mechanisms that govern the processing of neural information and its pathological alterations.
Lines of investigation
1. Transmission of normal and abnormal activity in cortico-hippocampal circuits: irregular and rhythmic basal activity in identified neuronal populations and neural pathways.
2. Cellular and subcellular bases of the EEG: contribution of the different neuronal generators (different types of neurons and their subregions) to the EEG.
3. Application to the electrophysiological study of neuropathologies and brain dysfunction (Alzheimer’s, stroke, epilepsy, migraine).
4. Computational modeling of neurons and circuits.
Tools
Electrophysiology (intracellular and high-density multi-electrode recordings), mathematical analysis (independent components), and computational modeling.
Team
Group leader:
Oscar Herreras Espinosa
Scientists:
Julia Makarova
Postdoctoral researchers:
Tania Ortuño
Nuria Benito
Predoctoral researchers:
Daniel Torres
Sara Hernández
Publications
Publications of the last years
- Tania Ortuño, Victor J. López-Madrona, Julia Makarova, Silvia Tapia-Gonzalez, Alberto Muñoz, Javier DeFelipe, and Oscar Herreras.(2019) Slow-Wave Activity in the S1HL Cortex Is Contributed by Different Layer-Specific Field Potential Sources during Development. Journal of Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1212-19.2019
- Daniel Torres, Julia Makarova, Tania Ortuño, Nuria Benito, Valeri A Makarov, Oscar Herreras.(2019) Local and Volume-Conducted Contributions to Cortical Field Potentials. Cerebral Cortex. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhz061
- Montes J, Peña JM, DeFelipe J, Herreras O, Merchán-Pérez A. (2015) The influence of synaptic size on AMPA receptor activation: A Monte Carlo model. PlosOne 10(6) e0130924.
- Martín-Vázquez G, Benito N, Makarov VA, Herreras O, Makarova J. (2015) Diversity of LFPs activated in different target regions by a common CA3 input. Cerebral Cortex doi:10.1093/cercor/bhv211
- Dreier JP, Reiffurth C, Woitzik J, Hartings JA, Drenckhahn C, Windler C, Friedman A, MacVicar B, Herreras O; COSBID study group. (2015) How spreading depolarization can be the pathophysiological correlate of both migraine aura and stroke. Acta Neurochir Suppl.120:137-40.
- Herreras O, Makarova J, Makarov VA. (2015) New uses for LFPs: pathway-specific threads obtained through spatial discrimination. Neuroscience Forefront review. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.09.054
- Makarova J, Ortuño T, Korovaichuk A, Cudeiro J, Makarov VA, Rivadulla C, Herreras O. (2014) Can pathway-specific LFPs be obtained in cytoarchitectonically complex structures? Front. Syst. Neurosci., 8:66.
- Martin MG, Ahmed T, Korovaichuk A, Venero C, Menchón SA, Salas I, Munck S, Herreras O, Balschun D, Dotti CG. (2014) Constitutive hippocampal cholesterol loss underlies poor cognition in old rodents. EMBO Mol. Med. 6(7):902-917.
- Enríquez-Barreto L, Cuesto G, Domínguez-Iturza N, Gavilán E, Ruano D, Sandi C, Fernández-Ruiz A, Martín-Vázquez G, Herreras O, Morales M. (2013) Learning improvement after PI3K activation correlates with de novo formation of functional small spines. Front. Mol. Neurosci., 6:54.
- Martín-Vázquez G, Makarova J, Makarov VA, and Herreras O (2013) Determining the true polarity and amplitude of synaptic currents underlying gamma oscillations of local field potentials. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75499.
- Fernández-Ruiz A, Muñoz S, Sancho M, Makarova J, Makarov VA, and Herreras O. (2013) Cytoarchitectonic and dynamic origins of giant positive LFPs in the Dentate Gyrus. Journal of Neuroscience 33:15518-32.
- Fernández-Ruiz A and Herreras O (2013) Identifying the synaptic origin of ongoing neuronal oscillations through spatial discrimination of electric fields. Front. Comput. Neurosci. 7:5. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2013.00005
- Benito N, Fernández-Ruiz A, Makarov VA, Makarova J, Korovaichuk A, and Herreras O. (2013) Spatial modules of coherent activity in pathway-specific LFPs in the hippocampus reflect topology and different modes of presynaptic synchronization. Cerebral Cortex, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht022.
- Dreier JP, Isele T, Reiffurth C, Offenhauser N, Kirov SA, Dahlem MA, and Herreras O. (2013) Is Spreading Depolarization Characterized by an Abrupt, Massive Release of Gibbs Free Energy from the Human Brain Cortex? Neuroscientist. Feb; 19(1):25-42. doi: 10.1177/1073858412453340.
- Fernández-Ruiz A, Makarov VA, and Herreras O. (2012) Sustained increase of spontaneous input and spike transfer in the CA3-CA1 pathway following long term potentiation in vivo. Front. Neural Circuits, 6:71.
- Fernández-Ruiz A, Makarov VA, Benito N, and Herreras O. (2012) Schaffer-specific local field potentials reflect discrete excitatory events at gamma-frequency that may fire postsynaptic hippocampal CA1 units. Journal of Neuroscience. 32:5165-5176
- Gómez-Galán M, Makarova J, Llorente-Folch I, Saheki T, Pardo B, Satrústegui J, and Herreras O. (2012) Altered postnatal development of cortico-hipocampal neuronal electric activity in mice deficient for the mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate transporter. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab 32, 306–317
- Makarova J, Ibarz JM, Makarov VA, Benito N, and Herreras O. (2011). Parallel Readout of Pathway-Specific Inputs to Laminated Brain Structures. Front. Syst. Neurosci. 5:77.
- Herreras O. (2011) The Whole and The Parts, Development and Aging, Life and Death. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab., 31:994-995.
- Korovaichuk A, Makarova J, Makarov VA, Benito N, and Herreras O. (2010). Minor contribution of principal excitatory pathways to hippocampal LFPs in the anesthetized rat: a combined independent component and current source density study. Journal of Neurophysiology 104:484-497.
- Makarova J, Makarov VA, and Herreras O. (2010) Generation of sustained field potentials by gradients of polarization within single neurons: a macroscopic model of spreading depression Journal of Neurophysiology, 103:2446-2457.
- Makarov VA, Makarova J, and Herreras O. (2010). Disentanglement of local field potential sources by independent component analysis. J. Computational Neuroscience, 29:445-457.
- Canals S, Larrosa B, Pintor J, Mena MA, and Herreras O. (2008) Metabolic challenge to glia activates an adenosine-mediated safety mechanism that promotes neuronal survival by delaying the onset of spreading depression waves. J. Cereb. Blood Flow and Metab. 28 1835-1844.
- Makarova J, Gómez-Galán M, and Herreras, O. (2008) Variations in tissue resistivity and in the extension of activated neuron domains shape the voltage signal during spreading depression in the CA1 in vivo. Eur. J. Neurosci. 27:444-456.
- Makarova J, Ibarz JM, Canals S, and Herreras O. (2007) A steady-state model of spreading depression predicts the importance of an unknown conductance in specific dendritic domains. Biophys. J., 92: 4216-4232.
- Larrosa B, Pastor J, López-Aguado L, and Herreras O. (2006) A role for glutamate and glia in the fast network oscillations preceding spreading depression. Neuroscience 141:1057-1068.
- Ibarz JM, Makarova J, and Herreras O. (2006) Relation of apical dendritic spikes to output decision in CA1 pyramidal cells during synchronous activation: a computational study. Eur. J. Neurosci. 23: 1219-1233.
- Herreras O. (2005) Electrical prodromals of spreading depression void Grafstein’s potassium hypothesis. Journal of Neurophysiology 94:656-657.
- Canals S, Makarova J, López-Aguado L, Largo C, Ibarz JM, Herreras O. (2005) Longitudinal depolarization gradients along the somatodendritic axis of CA1 pyramidal cells: a novel feature of spreading depression. Journal of Neurophysiology 94:943-951.
- Canals S, López-Aguado L, and Herreras O. (2005) Synaptically-recruited apical currents are required to initiate axonal and apical spikes in hippocampal pyramidal cells: modulation by inhibition. Journal of Neurophysiology.93:909-918.
- López-Aguado L, Ibarz JM, Varona P, and Herreras O. (2002) Structural inhomogeneities differentially modulate action currents and population spikes initiated in the axon or dendrites. Journal of Neurophysiology, 88:2809-2820.
- López-Aguado L, Ibarz JM, and Herreras O. (2001) Activity-dependent changes of tissue resistivity in the CA1 region in vivo are layer-specific: modulation of evoked potentials. Neuroscience, 108:249-262.
- Varona P, Ibarz JM, López-Aguado L, and Herreras O. Macroscopic and subcellular factors shaping CA1
- López-Aguado L, Ibarz JM, and Herreras O. (2000) Modulation of dendritic action currents decreases the reliability of population spikes Journal of Neurophysiology, 83:1108-1114.
- Rodríguez-Moreno A, Herreras O, and Lerma J. (1997) Kainate receptors presynaptically downregulate GABAergic inhibition in the rat hippocampus. Neuron, 19:893-901.
- Largo C, Ibarz JM, and Herreras O. (1997) Effects of the gliotoxin fluorocitrate on spreading depression and glial membrane potential in rat brain in situ. Journal of Neurophysiology 78:295-307.
- Largo C, Tombaugh G, Aitken PG, Herreras O, and Somjen GG. (1997) Heptanol but not fluoroacetate prevents the propagation of spreading depression in rat hippocampal slices. Journal of Neurophysiology 77:9-16.
- Lerma J, Morales M, Vicente MA, and Herreras O. (1997) Glutamate receptors of the kainate type and synaptic transmission. Trends in Neurosciences, 20:9-12.
- Largo C, Cuevas P, Herreras O. (1996) Is glia disfunction the initial cause of neuronal death in ischemic penumbra? Neurol. Res, 18:445-448.
- Largo C, Cuevas P, Somjen GG, Martín del Río R, and Herreras O. (1996) The effect of depressing glial function on rat brain in situ on ion homeostasis, synaptic transmission and neuronal survival. Journal of Neuroscience, 16:1219-1229.
- Herreras O, Largo C, Ibarz JM, Somjen GG, and Martín del Río R. (1994) Role of neuronal synchronizing mechanisms in the propagation of spreading depression in the in vivo hippocampus. Journal of Neuroscience 14:7087-7098.
Contact
Where to find us
Experimental and Computational Electrophysiology Laboratory
Instituto Cajal CSIC. Avda. Doctor Arce, 37. 28002. Madrid
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Doctoral Thesis
- Carlota Largo Aramburu: “Study of early manifestations in neurodegenerative processes of the hypoxia-ischemia type.” Complutense University of Madrid, 1997. Qualification: Apto cum Laude.
- Laura López Aguado: “Modulation of somatodendritic intra and extracellular currents in hippocampal pyramidal neurons by macroscopic and subcellular factors”. Complutense University of Madrid, 2004. Qualification: Apto cum Laude.
- Julia Makarova: “Experimental study and biophysical model of the Leão Depression phenomenon in the CA1 region of the hippocampus”. Complutense University of Madrid, 2007. Qualification: Apto cum Laude.
- Alejandra Korovaichuk: “Decomposition of local field potentials in their presynaptic sources and their application to the study of the dynamics of neural networks in the hippocampus”. UCM, November 16, 2012. Qualification: Apto cum Laude.
- Nuria Benito: “Study of the functional circuits of the hippocampus by means of multicellular generators of the extracellular potential”. UAM., September 2013. Qualification: Outstanding (unanimous) cum Laude.
Patents and licenses
Software. “Software for extraction of neural activity sources (generators) from multiple intracerebral records” Authors: Oscar Herreras and Valeriy Makarov. Register CSIC, 4/25/2013, Protocol No. 545/2013.
Neuroscience Research Center dependent on the CSIC. Founded in 1920 and initially directed by Santiago Ramón y Cajal. World reference in the study of the brain. Custodian of the Cajal Legacy.
Activities