Raul Andero obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Extraordinary Doctoral Prize) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in 2010 studying behavioural animal models of stress and memory. Then he started as Postdoctoral Fellow and later promoted to Research Associate at the laboratory of Dr Ressler - Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Emory University, USA -. Professor Andero joined McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School as Faculty - Instructor in Psychiatry - in 2015. He combined studies with psychiatric patients and animal models of fear memory. He established his laboratory in 2016 at the UAB-Institute of Neuroscience as Ramón y Cajal Fellow. Since 2021 as ICREA Research Professor he continues the work of his laboratory aiming to translate behavioural and molecular basic findings into the clinic.
Research interests
Professor Andero's group is focused on behavioural and neural mechanisms of stress and memory in the brain. Specifically, the laboratory studies how stress changes molecular processes underlying fear memories in the brain of both animal models and humans. Additionally, they aim to further understand sex differences in these fear memory circuits which will help to find more effective treatments for patients suffering anxiety and fear-based disorders such as Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder or specific phobias.
Selected publications
- Velasco ER, Florido A, Perez-Caballero L, Marin I & Andero R 2023, 'The Impacts of Sex Differences and Sex Hormones on Fear Extinction',
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, 64, 105-132. Springer, Cham.
Selected research activities
Professor Andero has been awarded as Principal Investigator (PI) the Europa Excelencia grant (MICINN) for his groundbreaking research on The Tac2 Pathway in Memory Formation. Additionally, he plays a pivotal role as an Investigator in the newly established Spanish Network of Stress Research, supported by Redes de Investigación (MICINN). Furthermore, in 2023 he was granted the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions Award as PI by the European Commission. Under his leadership, alongside Dr. Florido as beneficiary, this project will start in 2024.