Andrés Ozaita graduated in Biology at the University of the Basque Country (1992). He obtained his PhD degree in Biology (1996) at the University of the Balearic Islands in the field of Neuropharmacology. He did his postdoctoral training at the New York University School of Medicine (1997-2003) focused on the study of the molecular correlates of neuronal and cardiac excitability. In 2003, he obtained a Ramón y Cajal research fellow appointment in the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at University Pompeu Fabra. In 2008 he joined the faculty of this department where he is Professor of Pharmacology (2020). He received an American Heart Association postdoctoral award (2001), a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (2004). He obtained the Dr. Antoni Esteve Foundation award in Pharmacology research (2011 and 2015) and the Ramon Trias Fargas award (2017) by the Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down.

Research interests

We study cognitive function from its molecular underpins to the functional level in healthy and dysfunctional states. We mainly use preclinical mouse models of drug exposure and models of genetic neurodevelopmental disorders to investigate the mechanisms involved in cognitive deficits and their potential modulation/therapy. We revealed the participation of an important neuromodulatory system, the endocannabinoid system, in the control of neuronal plasticity and proper cognitive responses. We characterized aberrant alterations in neuronal plasticity and brain dysfunction produced by cannabis derivatives that impact directly on the endocannabinoid system. We also found alterations of the endocannabinoid system in models of genetic neurodevelopmental disorders that display intellectual disability, such as fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome or Williams Beuren syndrome. We are developing approaches to improve cognition in these disarranged states.

Keywords

intellectual disability, animal models, neuropharmacology, neural plasticity