Development of the cerebral cortex in health and disease
Oscar Marín
Director, Professor of Neuroscience
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Overview
One of the major goals of neuroscience is to understand how brain function emerges through the assembly of specific neuronal circuits. In our laboratory, we aim to understand the logic begind the assembly of neural circuits in the cerebral cortex, the region of the brain that is responsible for cognition and complex behaviours.
The cerebal cortex consist of two main classes of neurons, excitatory pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons. The balance between excitation and inhibition is crucial for cortical function, and so multiple mechanisms are in place that mantains this dynamic equilibrium. In some circumstances, the balance between excitation and inhibition in the cortex is disrupted, causing neurological and psychiatric disorders. For example, severe alterations of the excitatory-inhibitory balance cause epilepsy, and more subtle perturbations may cause autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia.
Our laboratory investigates the normal and pathological development of cortical circuits using the mouse as an animal models. We are taking a multidisciplinary approach that combines mouse genetics, cutting-edge imaging techniques, and cellular, molecular and electrophysiological methodologies, both in vitro and in vivo. Our research is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council.
Selected publications
Marín O, Müller U (2014)
Lineage origins of GABAergic versus glutamatergic neurons in the neocortex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 26: 132-41
Del Pino I, Marín O (2014)
Sculpting circuits: CRH interneurons modulate neuronal integration. Dev Cell 30: 639-40
Holgado BL, Martínez-Muñoz L, Sánchez-Alcañiz JA, Lucas P, Pérez-García V, Pérez G, Rodríguez-Frade JM, Nieto M, Marín O, Carrasco YR, Carrera AC, Alvarez-Dolado M, Mellado M (2013)
CXCL12-mediated murine neural progenitor cell movement requires PI3K? activation. Mol Neurobiol 48: 217-31
Marín O (2013)
Human cortical interneurons take their time. Cell Stem Cell 12: 497-9
Marín O (2013)
Cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling the migration of neocortical interneurons. Eur J Neurosci 38: 2019-29
DeFelipe J, López-Cruz PL, Benavides-Piccione R, Bielza C, Larrañaga P, Anderson S, Burkhalter A, Cauli B, Fairén A, Feldmeyer D, Fishell G, Fitzpatrick D, Freund TF, González-Burgos G, Hestrin S, Hill S, Hof PR, Huang J, Jones EG, Kawaguchi Y, Kisvárday Z, Kubota Y, Lewis DA, Marín O, Markram H, McBain CJ, Meyer HS, Monyer H, Nelson SB, Rockland K, Rossier J, Rubenstein JL, Rudy B, Scanziani M, Shepherd GM, Sherwood CC, Staiger JF, Tamás G, Thomson A, Wang Y, Yuste R, Ascoli GA (2013)
New insights into the classification and nomenclature of cortical GABAergic interneurons. Nat Rev Neurosci 14: 202-16
Marín O, Rico B (2013)
A new beginning for a broken mind: balancing neuregulin 1 reverses synaptic dysfunction. Neuron 78: 577-9
Yang S, Edman LC, Sánchez-Alcañiz JA, Fritz N, Bonilla S, Hecht J, Uhlén P, Pleasure SJ, Villaescusa JC, Marín O, Arenas E (2013)
Cxcl12/Cxcr4 signaling controls the migration and process orientation of A9-A10 dopaminergic neurons. Development 140: 4554-64
Bartolini G, Ciceri G, Marín O (2013)
Integration of GABAergic interneurons into cortical cell assemblies: lessons from embryos and adults. Neuron 79: 849-64
Marín O (2012)
Interneuron dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. Nat Rev Neurosci 13: 107-20
Marín O (2012)
Brain development: The neuron family tree remodelled. Nature 490: 185-6
Borrell V, Cárdenas A, Ciceri G, Galcerán J, Flames N, Pla R, Nóbrega-Pereira S, García-Frigola C, Peregrín S, Zhao Z, Ma L, Tessier-Lavigne M, Marín O (2012)
Slit/Robo signaling modulates the proliferation of central nervous system progenitors. Neuron 76: 338-52
Marín O, Gleeson JG (2011)
Function follows form: understanding brain function from a genetic perspective. Curr Opin Genet Dev 21: 237-9
Rico B, Marín O (2011)
Neuregulin signaling, cortical circuitry development and schizophrenia. Curr Opin Genet Dev 21: 262-70