José R. Alonso has a PhD in Neurobiology and is professor of Cell Biology at the University of Salamanca. He has been researcher and visiting professor at the University of Frankfurt/Main and the University of Kiel, in Germany, and the University of California, Davis and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in the United States. He has authored more than 145 articles in peer-reviewed journals and written 20 books including university textbooks and popular science for both adults and children.
The list of things in which humans are unique is fascinating: art, shyness, spirituality, passion for technology, accumulation of objects. There are other activities that we share with other species, but in which we excel because of our ability, complexity and speed: communication and sociability are two good examples. Humans have the most sophisticated language […]
The evolution of the human being has a complex form in which some branches bifurcate and form two different species and some different branches come together again and form individuals with a certain degree of hybridization. The only hominin remaining today is Homo sapiens and the last to disappear was Homo neanderthalensis. Neanderthals, our closest […]
The perception of food occurs when food enters the oral cavity and depends on the action of three complementary sensory systems: somesthesia (a group that includes mechanoreception, thermal sensation and nociception), retronasal olfaction and taste. Taste is one of the five classical senses, along with smell, touch, hearing and sight. One of the most common […]
The human oral microbiota is highly diverse and has a complex ecology, including numerous species and strains of bacteria, microeukaryotes, archaea and viruses. This oral microbiome interfaces with the immune system of the human host and has an important role in not only the health of the oral cavity, but in the health of the […]
One of the intriguing and central mysteries in contemporary neuroscience revolves around the intricate relationship between the brain and the mind. While our understanding of neurons, neurotransmitters, and neuronal receptors has advanced significantly, the elusive question remains: How do these complex chemical and electrical processes translate into thoughts, emotions, and behaviors? Gaining insight into these […]
Lipids represent one of the fundamental molecular components within the realm of biological organisms, alongside proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. The concept of the “lipidome” pertains to the entirety of lipids found within a cell or a collection of cells. This terminology emerged within the context of modern biological sciences, often referred to as “omic […]
Health • Medicine • Physiology • Psychology
gender gap Sleep experts recommend that adults sleep 7-9 h per night (7-8 h for older adults). However, about 30-35% of adults sleep less than 7 h and prevalence rates of short or insufficient sleep are increasing. Insufficient sleep is not in itself a diagnosable disorder; however, its high prevalence highlights a key target for […]
Our body is at the core of our sense of self and our personal identity. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the conscious experience of our own body remain poorly understood. Partial or total anesthesia of the body does not lead to the disappearance of the bodily experience, but to a continued experience of the body’s […]
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter involved in various cognitive and affective functions. Drugs targeting serotonin transmission, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are the first-line pharmacological treatments for many neuropsychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. These antidepressants increase the concentration in the synaptic space of this neurotransmitter […]
In 1868, the famous, powerful and short French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, known as “the Napoleon of the Salpêtrière hospital”, described a new disease. He called it “sclerose en plaque” in reference to the numerous scars or sclerosis seen in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. We now call it multiple sclerosis. Multiple […]