Pint of Science Alicante: Wonderful Mind, 14 May

29 de March de 2024

The bars are filled with science once again this year to celebrate the Pint Of Science Festival. Alicante will be one of the 67 Spanish cities that, from May 13 to 15, will celebrate this event with science in a pleasant and relaxed format. On May 14, at 7 p.m., the Paröle pub in San Vicente del Raspeig will host the 'Wonderful Mind' session, whose poster is made up of researchers from the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche.

Why is the brain white?

Alerie Guzmán de la Fuente, Miguel Servet researcher at the Institute for Health and Biomedical Research of Alicante (ISABIAL), and the Molecular Control of Axonal Myelination group at the IN, will offer a talk about myelin, a protective layer present in the nervous system that surrounds nerve fibers, allowing quick and appropriate communication between neurons.

Myelin is produced by glial cells: “They are the forgotten heroines of the nervous system but, despite being as abundant as neurons and having a crucial function in enhancing learning, memory and motor functions, glial cells are almost unknown”, says the researcher. Throughout his speech, Guzmán de la Fuente will elucidate the process of myelin formation, its functions, and the consequences of its absence in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or multiple sclerosis.

Psychedelic Neuroscience: Hallucinations

Vicente Miralles Liborio, a predoctoral researcher from the IN Ocular Neurobiology group, will offer a talk in which he will explore the neurobiology of hallucinations, highlighting the influence of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine: “We will apply this knowledge when talking about hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA”, highlights the researcher.

Throughout his intervention, Miralles Liborio will address a practical example of the alteration of endogenous mechanisms, and treatment options, such as antipsychotic drugs, to understand how this chemical balance modulates perception. With this practical approach, the researcher will explain how the brain organizes and communicates to perform a plethora of functions.

The Pint Of Science festival is an international event that invites the most cutting-edge researchers to share their knowledge in a relaxed and relaxed atmosphere. It is celebrated every May in bars around the world. In Spain, the initiative is organized by the Scientific Dissemination Association 'Pint of Science Spain'. The organization of the Alicante edition has had the collaboration of IN researchers Francisco Javier Rodríguez Baena and José María Buil Gómez.

Its launch has been possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Labbox company, CESIF, the TRBL Intellectual Property patent office, the Vadillo Asesores Group, the Jóvenes Nucleares commission, and the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH and the collaboration of the Dissemination Association Cientifica of Alicante (ADC), the Strike Comedy Club, the Paröle pub, the Sala Euterpe, the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche and the University of Alicante (UA).

Get your free ticket at the following link: https://www.fourvenues.com/es/adc-alicante/events/pint-os-science--parole-club-14-05-2024-QR1G  

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