Datos de Investigación

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Browsing Datos de Investigación by Author "Alonso Fuentes, Antonia"

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    Elucidating the neuromeric organization of the Mongolian gerbil brain
    (Springer, 2025-11-04) Lucero-Arteaga, F.; Labegorra, S.; Abrego-Álvarez, A.; Heck, V.; Portu, A. I.; Boeris, M. A.; Alonso Fuentes, Antonia; Ribeiro do Couto, Bruno; García-Cabezas, M. Á.; Tseng, K. Y.; Ferrán Bertone, José Luis; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultad de Medicina
    The Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) diverged from rats/mice around 45 million years ago and developed adaptations to extreme temperatures and water scarcity. Another feature of the Mongolian Gerbils is their social monogamy similar to that of prairie voles. These observations suggest that there are potential differences in the Mongolian Gerbil brain that are distinct from that of rats and mice. The goal of the present study is to establish the extent to which the neuromeric organization of the brain is conserved in the Mongolian Gerbil and to gain insights on how evolutionary expansion and diversification of brain regions occur across species. Our data shows that the multineuromeric origin of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive processes in the Mongolian Gerbil is similar to that in mice and rats, spanning from the diencephalon, midbrain, and the rostral hindbrain. There are also observable anatomical differences. However, most of the components characteristic of these neuromeres are identifiable in the Mongolian gerbil, closely mirroring those found in mice and rats. Together, these findings suggest that the conserved neuromeric organization likely stems from a restricted genetic toolset that began in the Muridae family 45 million years ago, and that a profound reorganization of the fundamental structural plan delineating the neuromeric segmentation is not required for the emergence of diverse functionality among species of phylogenetically related families. Future studies are needed to establish how the genetic programs within each neuromeric unit are influenced by environmental factors that ultimately impact the size of the neuromeric derivatives and their functional connectivity.
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    Multi-neuromeric origin of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons within the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area
    (Frontiers Media, 2025-05-30) Ferrán Bertone, José Luis; Lucero-Arteaga, Franco; Ayad, Abdelmalik; Kutsenko Shchegolska, Yevheniy; Alonso Fuentes, Antonia; Ribeiro do Couto, Bruno; García-Cabezas, M.Á.; Tseng, Kuei Y.; Anatomía Humana y Psicobiología; Facultad de Medicina
    During early developmental stages, the brain is divided into three primary regions: the forebrain (prosencephalon), the hindbrain (rhombencephalon), and the spinal cord. These regions are further segmented into transverse units called neuromeres, each with distinct molecular identities that guide their specialization through development. Such modular organization is evolutionarily conserved and shapes the structural and functional complexity of the brain. The substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are key midbrain regions involved in reward, motivation, and motor control. They contain dopamine-producing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons, which are historically classified into three anatomical groups—A8 (retrorubral field), A9 (SN pars compacta), and A10 (VTA)—each with distinct anatomical and functional properties. Recent studies revealed further sub-regional organization along medial-lateral and anterior–posterior gradients, suggesting specialized roles tied to their developmental origins. This study uses the prosomeric framework to map the segmental distribution of TH-positive neurons within the SN and VTA across different mammalian species and developmental stages. Using a comparative analysis of rodent, non-human primate and human specimens, we were able to demonstrate that TH-positive neurons within the SN and VTA exhibit a multi-neuromeric organization, with neuronal populations distributed across the diencephalic prosomeres (dp1-dp3), the midbrain prosomeres (mp1-mp2) and the isthmic rhombomere (r0). It is therefore conceivable that such multi-neuromeric origin of TH-positive neurons within the SN and VTA likely influence the patterns of connectivity and functional specialization of the dopamine system.