The Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH holds the 19th edition of its ‘IN Progress Report’ Workshop

15 de June de 2026

The Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), hosted the 19th edition of its ‘IN Progress Report’ Workshop on Friday, 12 June. This annual event brings together the Institute’s research community and provides an opportunity for one-third of its group leaders to present the work carried out in their laboratories over recent years, as well as the main research directions that will shape their scientific activity in the future.

The presentations provided an overview of the research currently being carried out at the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH, covering topics ranging from the development and function of neural circuits to the mechanisms underlying pain, ageing and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the development of new diagnostic tools.

Researchers from the Scientific Programmes Building & Adapting Circuits into Functional Networks and Synaptic Modulation of Neural Circuits and Behavior presented studies aimed at understanding how brain circuits are organised, developed and regulated. Isabel del Pino, head of the Developmental and Cognitive Disorders Laboratory, introduced a new perspective on disorders associated with the NALCN gene, proposing that they should be understood as interneuron-driven circuitopathies. Sandra Jurado, who leads the Synaptic Neuromodulation Laboratory, discussed the dynamics and function of oxytocin release in neuronal dendrites. Ramón Reig, head of the Sensory-motor Processing by Subcortical Areas Laboratory, presented findings showing how dopamine synchronises multisensory responses in the dorsomedial striatum. Andreas Kardamakis, who leads the Neural Circuits in Vision for Action Laboratory, shared new insights into the neural circuits and computational mechanisms underlying visual attention and distraction.

The session also featured Isabel Pérez Otaño, head of the Plasticity and Remodeling of Neural Circuits Laboratory, who presented findings on non-conventional NMDA receptor signalling in oligodendrocytes and neurons. Juan Antonio Moreno Bravo, who leads the Development, Wiring and Function of Cerebellar Circuits Laboratory, discussed the processes that guide cerebellar development, from the assembly of local circuits to their integration into the neocortex.

Speakers and organizer of the IN Progress Report 2026 meeting, held at the Institute of Neuroscience on 12 June. Source: IN CSIC-UMH.

Research focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease was represented by José P. López-Atalaya, head of the Cellular Plasticity and Neuropathology Laboratory and member of the Cell Plasticity in Brain Disease and Repair Scientific Programme, who presented advances in the understanding of the neuroimmune mechanisms involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Along similar lines, Javier Sáez Valero, who leads the Altered Molecular Mechanisms in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Laboratory and is affiliated with the Translational Research of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Scientific Programme, presented new approaches for the study of biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting the importance of examining features that extend beyond their expression levels.

The session also included contributions from other IN CSIC-UMH scientific programs. Félix Viana, head of the Sensory Transduction and Nociception Laboratory and member of the Neurobiology of Pain & Inflammation Programme, presented research on the role of ion channels in pain transmission pathways. For his part, José Carlos Pastor Pareja, whose laboratory on Cell-to-tissue Architecture in the Nervous System is part of the programs Neural Stem Cell Regulation and Differentiation and Genetic & Epigenetic Bases of Individuality & Aging, presented new imaging strategies to better understand how the cellular and tissue architecture of biological systems is organized.

Finally, Silvia De Santis, head of the Translational Imaging Biomarkers Laboratory and affiliated with both the Human Cognition & Behaviour and the Translational Research of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders Scientific Programmes, presented advances in the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers capable of tracking neuronal and glial changes associated with aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Como en ediciones anteriores, las jornadas incluyeron un espacio dedicado al personal investigador predoctoral. Los estudiantes de segundo año del programa de doctorado del Instituto realizaron presentaciones breves de un minuto para introducir sus trabajos de investigación, que posteriormente expusieron durante una sesión de pósteres abierta a toda la comunidad científica del centro.

The event was organized by researcher Javier Morante, who served as Chair of the meeting together with researcher Juan Antonio Sánchez Alcañiz. The IN Progress Report meeting is one of the Institute for Neuroscience’s main internal forums for scientific exchange, helping to strengthen collaboration between laboratories, foster new synergies, and showcase the research being carried out at the IN CSIC-UMH.

Source: Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH (in.comunicacion@umh.es)