Investigating neural circuits

Electrophysiological recordings, optogonetic tools and behavior

Our laboratory investigates the neural mechanisms of learning and memory in rodents, and their relation to the sleep-wake cycle. For this, we use a repertoire of technical approaches, including behaviourals tests, electrophysiological recordings, as well as optogenetics and chemogenetics.

lab.cn.chile@gmail.com

Techniques and tools

Electrophysiology

Tetrode and silicon probe neural recordings.
Freely moving and headfixed

Optogenetics

Stimulation and inhibition of specific types of cells

Electrical Stimulation

Headfixed

Juxtacellular Recordings

Morphological and physiological characterization of single cells

Behavior

Attention and navigation, sleep dynamics

People

WhatsApp Image 2023-07-25 at 16.33.54 (1).jpeg

Principal Investigator

Pablo Fuentealba

I am a neuroscientist interested in the neural circuits underlying cognitive function, particularly learning and memory, and their relation with the sleep-wake cycle.
I studied Biology, at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (1998), after which I moved to Canada, where I got a PhD in Neuroscience studying talamocortical oscillations at Universite Laval (2004). Thereafter, I did a postdoc GABAergic circuitry in the hippocampus at the University of Oxford (2008). I started a lab in Spain (2010), but then moved back to Chile (2012), where I have been working for over 10 years now. I am based at the Laboratory of Neural Circuits at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago.

Post Doc

Nelson Espinosa

After finishing my electrical engineering degree in the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Valparaíso, Chile) I moved to the Universidad de La Coruña (Spain) to develop my PhD thesis about the cortical blockade effect on the visual response of lateral geniculate nucleus cells of the cat through transcranial magnetic stimulation. Later, I continued at the same laboratory as a postdoc using spectrophotometry to measure the nitric oxide levels on the feline brain in anesthesia and electrically stimulating the ascending reticular activating system. I finally returned to Chile as a postdoc in the Laboratorio de Circuitos Neuronales using optogenetics to study the cortical effects of basal forebrain somatostatin cells inhibition in mice. Currently (2023) I'm working in a murine model of epilepsy to record the electrical activity in freely moving mice in a probabilistic reversal learning task.

PhD Student

Mauricio Caneo

I received my undergraduate degree in Kinesiology in 2012 and a Master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2016. Because of my background I joined Andrea Calixto’s lab, where I worked for six years in neuronal regeneration using C. elegans as a model organism. During this time, I obtained a solid background on microscopy and genetics techniques. Afterward, I applied to a Neuroscience PhD program to gain the necessary knowledge to follow my personal interest in science which is neuronal circuits and their influence in animal’s behaviors. For that reason, I am currently working on Pablo Fuentealba’s lab developing a project focused on determine the role of Supramammillary nucleus and Medial Septum on theta rhythm during the sleep-wake cycle.

Post Doc

Trinidad Montero

I´m a biochemist with a PhD degree in neuroscience at P. Universidad Católica de Chile. Although I spent several years doing research in genetics and cellular biology, I have come to appreciate the complexity of the central nervous system and its study in behaving animals. I´m interested in studying neural circuits involved in reinforcement learning and decision making and the role of the sleep wake cycle in these processes.

Post Doc

Ariel Lara Vásquez

My primary research interest lies in investigating the brain mechanisms responsible for memory formation during navigation in various behavioral conditions.
Currently, my research focuses on exploring the mechanisms involved in representing and storing behavioral experiences in the retrosplenial cortex - hippocampal system. I use single-unit and local field potential recordings to study the coordinated interaction between the hippocampus and their respective output, such as the retrosplenial cortex, while animals perform the T-maze modified task. My goal is to gain insight into how the hippocampus processes information and transmits it back to the neocortex.

Project Administrator

Claudia Andrade

I am in charge of the execution of adminsitration of research projects. I manage economic reports, budgets, visits, organizing trainings, workshops and others.
I am also a manager of the activities of extension, continued formation and outreach.
Coordinator of PhD programs, Dirección de Posgrado Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

WhatsApp Image 2023-07-25 at 12.58_edited.jpg

PostDoc

Germán Fernández

I am a biologist with a Master's degree in Neuroscience and a PhD in biomedical sciences. My primary area of interest is the exploration of the relationship between behavior and neuronal activity, with a specific focus on memory and learning. To investigate these processes, I utilize a combination of electrophysiological and deep learning tools.
During my PhD thesis, I had the opportunity to investigate the impact of epigenetic tools on the progression of Huntington's disease using animal models, particularly the R6/2 model.
Currently, my research centers on the frequency-dependent interaction and plasticity between distinct brain regions, specifically during memory and navigation tasks. The objective is to discern patterns and alterations in neuronal network collaboration during these specific cognitive activities. Gaining insights into how these networks interact during such tasks could significantly advance our comprehension of brain function.
One essential aspect of my research involves exploring the potential benefits of electrical stimulation in modulating these neuronal networks. This approach could provide valuable information that may be applicable to other models, including humans. The knowledge gained from such research could pave the way for innovative strategies in neurorehabilitation, aging prevention, and cognitive improvement

PhD student

Guillermo Lazcano

I received my degree in psychology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2015. Then, in 2018, I went to Madrid to study a master's degree in neuroscience, where I worked analyzing the synaptic alterations produced by cocaine in the prefrontal cortex of rats, using electron microscopy. Back in Chile, I worked in Dr. Pablo Henny's laboratory studying the relationship between structure and function of the dopaminergic system. In 2021 I was accepted into the PhD program in neurosciences. I am currently working in the Neuronal Circuits Laboratory, studying the specific frequencies at which different brain areas synchronize during different states in an animal model, and the involvement of sleep in these processes.

PhD student

Alejandro Aguilera

During my undergrade studies I worked on Dr. Katia Gysling’s lab studying the role of the corticotrophin releasing hormone receptor 1 in the nucleus accumbens during development. There I learned how to perform behavioral tasks on animals, stereotaxic surgery procedures, and immunohistochemical and imaging techniques, but more importantly, it was a mean to develop profound amazement and intrigue on how behavior is finely tuned by the intricate neural substrate present in the brain. I got my biology degree on 2022 and then I got into the neurosciences PhD program at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where I joined the Neural Circuits Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Pablo Fuentealba. I’m currently interested in the basal forebrain role on the modulation of the circuitry involved in memory consolidation.

Publications

Purinergic receptor antagonism reduces interictal discharges and rescues cognitive function in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy

Nelson Espinosa, Soraya Martin-Suarez, Ariel Lara-Vasquez, Trinidad Montero, Teresa Muro- García, German Fernandez, Juan Manuel Encinas-Pérez, Pablo Fuentealba

Frontiers in Neuroscience 2025

Sleep-dependent decorrelation of hippocampal spatial representations

Gonzalo Valdivia, Nelson Espinosa, Ariel Lara-Vasquez, Marion Inostroza, Jan Born, Pablo Fuentealba

iScience 2024

'Dominance hierarchy regulates social behavior during spatial movement'

Ariel Lara-Vasquez, Nelson Espinosa, Cristian Morales, Constanza Moran, Pablo Billeke, Joseph Gallagher, Joshua J Strohl, Patricio T Huerta, Pablo Fuentealba

Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024

'Optogenetic Suppression of Lateral Septum Somatostatin Neurons Enhances Hippocampus Cholinergic Theta Oscillations and Local Synchrony'

Nelson Espinosa, Alejandra Alonso, Mauricio Caneo, Constanza Moran and Pablo Fuentealba
Brain Sciences 2023

'Dentate Gyrus Somatostatin Cells are Required for Contextual Discrimination During Episodic Memory Encoding'

Cristian Morales, Juan Facundo Morici, Nelson Espinosa, Agostina Sacson, Ariel Lara-Vasquez, M A García-Pérez, Pedro Bekinschtein, Noelia V Weisstaub and Pablo Fuentealba

Cerebral Cortex 2021