Category Archives: Neurobiology

José Ramón Alonso

Whiskers or vibrissae are a type of mammalian hair characterized, anatomically, by their larger, thicker and stiffer morphology, large and well-innervated hair follicle and by having a definite projection in the somatosensory cortex of the brain, forming the so-called “barrels”. […]

José Ramón Alonso

Rabies is a fatal viral disease largely transmitted to humans by infected animals—predominantly from domestic dogs. The contagion is usually through the saliva from rabid animals. The disease is entirely preventable through prompt administration of post-exposure prophylaxis to bite victims […]

José Ramón Alonso

The human microbiota is the community of microorganisms that resides in our body. They are found in a number of organs and biofluids, including the skin, mammary glands, placenta, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian follicles, lung, saliva, oral mucosa, and conjunctiva, […]

José Ramón Alonso

Autism is a highly prevalent spectrum disorder of the neurodevelopment. It is characterized by impaired social interaction, alterations in verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Considering these main differences, it had been difficult to have good animal […]

Pablo Barrecheguren

It is interesting how we describe social rejections – betrayal, exclusion from a group or a break-up from a romantic relationship are good examples: “he was cruel with me and it was painful”, “I suffered a lot during the divorce”, […]

José Ramón Alonso

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. It is the most common reason for physician consultation in most developed countries and after disease/damage of the nervous system is predominantly treated with opioids. […]

Jesús Zamora Bonilla

In the first entry of this series I introduced the new research field of ‘plant neurobiology’, one of whose main sites is the Murcia University ‘Minimal Intelligence Lab’ under the direction of cognitive scientist and philosopher Paco Calvo. In […]

Rosa García-Verdugo

For a while, new evidence has been accumulating linking the gut microbiota to brain function. A new paper published recently in Cell Reports, shows that the intermediary is a type of white blood cell, evidencing as well the relationship […]

Jesús Zamora Bonilla

It is said of philosophers that they are ever less willing to recognise a mistake than the ordinary intellect… sorry, man on the street. Actually, an old joke tells about a university rector saying to other that his favourite department […]

Sergio Laínez

We perceive the world surrounding us through our senses. Thanks to them we can have a pleasant time listening to Claude Debussy or get delighted by the scent of rosemary. We blindly trust them, but are they always truthful? A […]