Alberto Fernández-Teruel- Neuroscience
The Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed upon Alberto Fernández-Teruel by the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona recognizes his unparalleled contributions to the field of neuroscience and psychiatry. Dr. Fernández-Teruel's groundbreaking research in neurobiology, neurogenetics, and mental health disorders has left an indelible mark on the scientific community.
professional profile:
Early Academic Pursuits:
Alberto Fernández-Teruel's academic journey began at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he earned both his Psychology degree in 1985 and his PhD in Psychology in 1989. During his academic pursuits, he engaged in significant international experiences, including research fellowships and visiting positions at esteemed institutions such as the University of Cagliari in Italy, Georgetown University in the USA, and the ETH Zürich in Switzerland.
Professional Endeavors:
Since 1998, Dr. Fernández-Teruel has held the position of Associate Professor in the field of Psychiatry at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he is deeply involved in the Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine. He leads the Animal Research Laboratory and coordinates the "Animal and human models of mental disorders" research group.
Contributions and Research Focus:
Over the past 35 years, his research has been dedicated to exploring the neurobiology and neurogenetics of anxiety, stress, depression, addiction, impulsivity, schizophrenia, and brain aging. He has made substantial contributions to the development of genetic tools for mapping complex traits in genetically diverse rodents. Additionally, he has been instrumental in creating transgenic/knockout models of psychiatric and neurological conditions, including a unique genetic rat model displaying schizophrenia-relevant features.
Accolades and Recognition:
Dr. Fernández-Teruel's contributions have been widely recognized, earning him various awards such as the "Martí i Julià" award for research in Psychology and Psychiatry, the "1992 Ciutat de Barcelona Science Award," the "SCRITC" awards for scientific articles and monographs, and the prestigious "ICREA-Academia 2013" award from ICREA.
Impact and Influence
His impact extends through over 200 scientific articles published in reputable international journals, with a significant number in top-ranking publications like Nature Genetics, PNAS, and Biological Psychiatry. He has supervised numerous doctoral and master's dissertations, contributing extensively to the advancement of neuroscience and psychiatry research.
Legacy and Future Contributions
Dr. Fernández-Teruel's legacy lies in pioneering genetic tools, developing models for mental disorders, and fostering international collaborations that have enriched the field of neuroscience. His ongoing work promises continued advancements in understanding and addressing complex mental health conditions.
His dedication to research, academic leadership, and collaborative efforts serve as an inspiration for future generations of neuroscientists and psychologists, fostering a legacy of innovation and progress in the field.
Publications
Natalia Peralta-Vallejo, Pau Güell-Falgueras, Toni Cañete, Daniel Sampedro-Viana, Cristóbal Río-Álamos, Ignasi
Oliveras, Adolf Tobeña, Alberto Fernández-Teruel (2023) Schizophrenia-relevant social, attentional and cognitive traits in
female RHA vs. RLA rats: effects of neonatal handling. Behav. Brain Res. Nov 15:114762. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114762.
Sampedro-Viana, D., Cañete, T., Sanna, F., Oliveras, I., Castillo-Ruiz, MDM., Corda, MG., Giorgi, O., Tobeña, A.,
Fernández-Teruel, A (2023) c-Fos expression after neonatal handling in social brain regions: distinctive profile of RHA-rat
schizophrenia model on a social preference test. Behav. Brain Res. 453:114625. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114625
Leilei Cui, Bin Yang, Shijun Xiao, Jun Gao, Amelie Baud, Delyth Graham, Martin McBride, Anna Dominiczak, Sebastain
Schafer, Regina Lopez Aumatell, Carme Mont, Albert Fernandez Teruel, Norbert Hübner, Jonathan Flint, Richard Mott and
Lusheng Huang (2023) Dominance genetic effects are common and are associated with trans-acting and splicing-specific
dominance gene expression effects in pigs, rats and mice. Genome Biology Sep 29; 24(1):215. doi: 10.1186/s13059-
023-03060-2.
Sampedro-Viana D., Cañete T., Mourelo L., Oliveras I., Peralta N., Tobeña A., Fernández-Teruel A. (2023)
Low prepulse inhibition predicts lower social interaction, impaired spatial working memory, reference memory and cognitive
flexibility in genetically heterogeneous rats. Physiology & Behavior 19:114355. doi:
10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114355.
A. Fernández-Teruel*, A. Cañete, D. Sampedro-Viana, I. Oliveras, R. Torrubia, A. Tobeña. (2023) Contribution of the
Roman rat lines/strains to personality neuroscience: neurobehavioral modeling of internalizing/externalizing psychopathologies.
Personality Neuroscience 6: e8, 1–9. doi: 10.1017/pen.2023.7
Daniel Sampedro-Viana, Toni Cañete, Francesco Sanna, Ignasi Oliveras, Valeria Lavín, Pilar Torrecilla, Cristóbal RíoÁlamos, Carles Tapias-Espinosa, Ana Sánchez-González, Adolf Tobeña, Alberto Fernández-Teruel. (2023) Atypicalantipsychotics attenuate mk801-induced social withdrawal and hyperlocomotion in the RHA rat model of schizophreniarelevant features. Psychopharmacology 240, 1931-1945. doi: 10.1007/s00213-023-06411
Maria Pina Serra , Francesco Sanna, Marianna Boi, Marcello Trucas, Alberto Fernández-Teruel,
Maria Giuseppa Corda, Osvaldo Giorgi, and Marina Quartu. (2023) Effects of Tail Pinch on BDNF and trkB Expression in the
Hippocampus of Roman Low- (RLA) and High-Avoidance (RHA) Rats. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 24, 9498.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119498.
Fernández-Teruel A, McNaughton N. (2023) Post-encounter freezing during approach-avoidance conflict: the role of
the hippocampus. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 24(7), 451-452. doi: 10.1038/s41583-023-00703
Sønderstrup M, Batiuk MY, Mantas P, Tapias-Espinosa C, Oliveras I, Cañete T, Sampedro-Viana D, Brudek T, Rydbirk
R, Khodosevich K, Fernandez-Teruel A, Elfving B, Aznar S. (2023) A maturational shift in the frontal cortex synaptic
transcriptional landscape underlies schizophrenia-relevant behavioural traits: A congenital rat model.
Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 74:32-46. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.05.001.
Rio-Alamos C, Montefusco-Siegmund R, Cañete T, Sotomayor J, Fernandez-Teruel A. (2023) Acute Relaxation
Response Induced by Tibetan Singing Bowl Sounds: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ.
13(2):317-330. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe13020024.
Fernández-Teruel A. (2023). From phenomes to genes: phenotype-based strategies in rodents for research on the
neurobiological and genetic bases of psychiatric-relevant traits. CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY 21(9): 1836 –
1839. doi: 10.2174/1570159X21666230616103143
Tapias-Espinosa C, Sánchez-González A, Cañete T, Sampedro-Viana D, Castillo-Ruiz MDM, Oliveras I, Tobeña A,
Aznar S, Fernández-Teruel A. (2023) Decreased activation of parvalbumin interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex in
intact inbred Roman rats with schizophrenia-like reduced sensorimotor gating. Behav Brain Res. 437:114113. doi:
10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114113.
Ignasi Oliveras, Toni Cañete, Daniel Sampedro-Viana, Cristóbal Río-Álamos, Adolf Tobeña, Maria G. Corda, Osvaldo
Giorgi, Alberto Fernández-Teruel (2023). Neurobehavioral profiles of six genetically-based rat models of schizophreniarelated features: from behavior to circuit and molecular levels, and back. CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY 21(9):
1934-1952 doi: 10.2174/1570159X21666230221093644
Serra MP, Sanna F, Boi M, Poddighe L, Secci L, Trucas M, Fernández-Teruel A, Corda MG, Giorgi O, Quartu M.
(2022) Acute Stress Induces Different Changes on the Expression of BDNF and trkB in the Mesocorticolimbic System of Two
Lines of Rats Differing in Their Response to Stressors. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Nov 30;23(23):14995. doi:
10.3390/ijms232314995.
Oliveras I, Soria-Ruiz OJ, Sampedro-Viana D, Cañete T, Río-Álamos C, Tobeña A, Fernández-Teruel A.4
Different maturation patterns for sensorimotor gating and startle habituation deficits in male and female RHA vs RLA rats.
Behav Brain Res. 2022 Sep 26;434:114021. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114021
Oliveras I, Tapias-Espinosa C, Río-Álamos C, Sampedro-Viana D, Cañete T, Sánchez-González A, Tobeña A,
Fernández-Teruel A (2022) Prepulse inhibition deficits in inbred and outbred rats and between-strain differences in startle
habituation do not depend on startle reactivity levels. Behav Processes. 2022 Apr;197:104618. doi:
10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104618