Guillermina López Bendito
Principal Investigator
Developmental Neurobiology
The Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante
Spain
Biography
Degree: Biology studies, Universidad de Alicante, Spain. June 1997. Ph.D program: Doctorate in Neuroscience at the Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain, December 2000. Posdoctoral Positions: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Human Anatomy & Genetics, Oxford (United Kingdom) from 2001-2004 Previous positions: PhD student at the Department of Histology, Institute of Neuroscience, CSIC-Universidad Miguel Hernández in Alicante (Spain) from 1997-1999. PhD student at the Developmental Neurobiology Unit, Institute of Neurosciences, CSIC Universidad Miguel Hernández in Alicante (Spain) from 1999-2000. “Ramón y Cajal” Research Scientist from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas since 1st of April 2004 - August 2007. Current Position: CSIC Group Leader
Research Interest
Our research focuses to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the guidance of the main axonal tracts of the CNS in mammals. In particular, we are interested in elucidating how one of the most complex axon guidance systems in the mammalian forebrain, the thalamocortical projection, develops. Thalamocortical axons translate sensory information to the cerebral cortex in a topographical manner. Furthermore, recent studies have suggested that an abnormal development of this projection might be involved in some neurological diseases such as autism or epilepsy.
Publications
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Lopez-Bendito G. , Flames N.,Ma L.,Fouquet C.,Di Meglio T.,Chedotal A., Tessier-Lavigne M.,Marin O. " Robo1 and Robo2 cooperate to control the guidance of major axonal tracts in the mammalian forebrain. " J Neurosci. . 27 , 3395 - 3407 ( 2007 ) Lopez-Bendito G.* , Cautinat A*, Sánchez JA, Bielle F, Flames N, Garratt AN, Talmage DA, Role L, Charnay P, MarÃn O, Garel S. " Tangential neuronal migration controls axon guidance: a role for Neuregulin-1 on thalamocortical axon navigation. " Cell . 125 , 127 - 142 ( 2006 ) * Co-author López-Bendito, G. , Molnar, Z. " Thalamocortical development: How we are going to get there? " Nat Rev Neurosci . 4 , 276 - 289 ( 2003 ) Molnár, Z*. , López-Bendito, G*. Small, J. Partridge, L.D. Blakemore, C. Wilson, M.C. " Normal development of embryonic thalamocortical connectivity in the absence of evoked synaptic activity. " J Neurosci . 22(23) , 10313 - 10323 ( 2002 ) * Co-author Jones, L* , López-Bendito, G*, Grüss, P. Stroykova, A., Molnár, Z. " Pax6 is required for the normal development of the forebrain axonal connections. " Development . 129(21) , 5041 - 5052 ( 2002 ) * Co-author
