Alfonso Martin Peña

About Alfonso Martin Peña

I am a neurogeneticist interested in the synaptic mechanisms of cognition and the molecular neurobiology of sleep, with special focus on the role of the peripheral immune system and homeostatic sleep in cognitive behaviors. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, the Director of the Laboratory of Neuronal Circuits and Cognitive Behaviors, and the co-Director of the Summer Neuroscience Internship Program (SNIP) and of the Neuroscience Seminar Series in the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida (UF); I am also affiliated with the Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, the Center for Addiction Research and Education, and the Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Florida, and the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at FAU.Previously, I conducted Postdoctoral trainings at Baylor College of Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute, where I investigated the synaptic mechanisms of learning and memory at the molecular and cellular level. During my doctoral training, I studied the molecular mechanisms of synaptogenesis and the behavioral consequences of modifying the number of synaptic connections within selected neuronal networks. Currently, my research focuses on the neuronal circuits and molecular pathways that support cognitive behaviors and the pathophysiological mechanisms of neurodegenerative dementias, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson\'s Disease (PD) and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).I have reviewed grant proposals for the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Alzheimer\'s Association, the Parkinson\'s Foundation, and the Alzheimer\'s Society of the UK, and I have reviewed scientific manuscripts for numerous prestigious journals such as NPJ Parkinson\'s Disease, Cell Reports, European Journal of Neuroscience, PlosONE, Current Alzheimer Research, Disease Models and Mechanisms, and Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience among others. I am also an Associate Editor for NPJ Parkinson\'s Disease, and I used to be Associate Editor/Topic Editor for the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience and the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Guest Editor for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Chair of the workshop on ‘Neuronal Circuits and Behavior’ of the 18th “European Drosophila Neurobiology Conference, Neurofly 2020” and a Scientific Program Committee member for the 2nd Alzheimer\'s Association International Conference (AAIC) Neuroscience Next 2021.

Experience

1. Associate Editor

   Nature Portfolio

   Sep 2023 — Present

Education

• Universidad Complutense de Madrid

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Neuroscience

  2003 — 2007

• Universidad Complutense de Madrid

  Bachelor of Science (BSc), Neurobiology

  1996 — 2001

• Universidad Complutense de Madrid

  Master of Science (MSc), Neuroscience

  2001 — 2003

Skills

• Confocal Microscopy
• Molecular Cloning
• Animal Models
• Biochemistry
• Optical Imaging
• Molecular Biology
• Fluorescence Microscopy
• Memory
• In Vivo
• Immunofluorescence
• Locomotor Control
• Electron Microscopy
• Rt-Pcr
• Silver Staining
• Protein Expression
• Pcr
• Experiential Learning
• Neuroscience
• Western Blotting
• Calcium Imaging
• Cell
• Cell Culture
• Microscopy
• Stem Cells
• Cell Biology
• Immunocytochemistry
• Tissue Culture
• Neuroimaging
• Immunohistochemistry
• Qpcr
• Genetics
• Neurodegenerative Disease
• Histology
• Behavioral Science
• In Vitro