Ulloa-Severino Lab | Neuroscience Research

The Team

People

Our lab brings together researchers at different stages of their scientific careers, united by curiosity and a shared passion for understanding the brain.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Francesco Paolo Ulloa Severino

Tenured Researcher (Científico Titular) · Cajal Neuroscience Center (CNC-CSIC), Madrid

Department of Computational and Systems Neuroscience

Francesco is a Tenured Researcher at the Cajal Neuroscience Center (CNC) in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (ES). He joined the Cajal Institute as a Ramón y Cajal awardee in 2023. He graduated in General and Applied Biology at the University of Naples Federico II, Napoli (IT), has a Master's in Molecular Biology, and earned his Ph.D. in Neurobiology at SISSA, Trieste (IT). In 2018, he started his postdoctoral research at Duke University (NC, USA).

Email: francesco.ulloa@cajal.csic.es · Av. de Leon 1, Campus Universitario, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid

Google Scholar Institutional page ResearchGate ORCID

PhD Student

Marta González Martín

Marta earned her degree in Biology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, where she first gained laboratory experience in a research group within our center. She later completed a Master's degree in Translational Neuropsychopharmacology at Miguel Hernández University of Elche. Although she initially began her research career in other scientific fields, she soon realized that neuroscience was what truly sparked her scientific curiosity. This led her back to the Cajal Neuroscience Center, where she joined our laboratory to pursue her PhD. Alongside her enthusiasm for travel and CrossFit, Marta is passionate about uncovering how the brain works and how it shapes behavior.

Master Student · JAEintro Fellow

Daniel Atienza Ramos

Daniel holds a degree in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and is currently a student of the Master's degree in Neuroscience at the same university. A fan of reading and sports, always eager to learn new things.

Master Student

Sara Mozas Lendinez

Sara holds a degree in Biotechnology and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Neuroscience at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). Two words define her: curiosity, which shapes her perspective, and precision, which guides her approach. Both are essential in research and in photography, another one of her passions.

Master Student · JAEintro Fellow

Victor Illán Almarza

Victor holds a degree in Health Biology from the University of Alcalá. After his bachelor thesis in our laboratory, he decided to stay with us and pursue his Master's degree in Neuroscience at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He is passionate about animals and reading, and his curiosity motivates him to keep learning and exploring new ideas.

Master Student

Maika Fernandez

Maika holds a degree in Biotechnology and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Neuroscience at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). She is interested in research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the functioning of the nervous system. She considers herself persistent, proactive, and a strong team player. Outside the laboratory, she channels the same curiosity into traveling and reading.

Erasmus+ Student

Francesca Barracca

Francesca holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's in Neuroscience from the University of Naples Federico II. She joined our laboratory through an Erasmus Traineeship program, perfectly combining her love for travel and discovering new cultures with her passion for scientific exploration. She is deeply fascinated by cell culture work, finding inspiration in the microscopic world to uncover the secrets of the brain.

We Are Recruiting

Join the Lab

Motivated PhD students and postdocs are welcome to apply.

Get in touch →

What We Study

Research Interests

We combine molecular, cellular, and systems approaches to understand how astrocyte-neuron interactions shape brain circuits and control voluntary behaviors.

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Astrocyte Structural Plasticity

We investigate the mechanisms regulating adult astrocyte morphological remodeling and how changes in astrocyte structure influence synaptic function and circuit dynamics.

AstrocytesMorphologyPlasticity

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Cortico-Striatal Circuits

Using in vivo imaging and electrophysiology, we map how astrocyte-neuron interactions in the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsomedial striatum control goal-directed behaviors.

ACCStriatumIn vivo imaging

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Instrumental Learning & Behavior

We study how operant conditioning reshapes excitatory synapses onto defined cortical-striatal projection neurons, controlling effort exertion and reward-based decision-making.

Operant conditioningBehaviorSynaptogenesis

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Molecular Mechanisms

We identify novel intracellular signaling pathways controlling astrocyte structural plasticity, using molecular tools, transcriptomics, and genetic approaches in vivo.

SignalingGeneticsscRNA-seq

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Disease Models

We model how disrupted astrocyte-neuron communication leads to motor and cognitive deficits characteristic of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.

NeurodegenerationPsychiatric disordersTranslational

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Custom & Open-Source Resources and Devices

We design and share custom experimental devices and open-source tools to make neuroscience research more accessible, reproducible, and collaborative across laboratories.

Open scienceCustom hardwareOpen source

Scientific Output

Publications

* corresponding author · + co-first author

Irala D, Wang S, Sakers K, Nagendren L, Ulloa Severino FP, Sivadasan Bindu D, Eroglu C. Astrocyte-Secreted Neurocan Controls Inhibitory Synapse Formation and Function. Neuron, 2024. Online resource

Ulloa Severino FP*+, Lawal O+, Sakers K, Wang S, Kim N, Friedman A, Johnson SA, Sriworarat C, Hughes RN, Soderling S, Kim IH, Yin HH*, Eroglu C*. Training-induced circuit-specific excitatory synaptogenesis in mice is required for effort control. Nature Communications, 2023. Online resource

Fallon IP, Hughes RN, Ulloa Severino FP, Kim N, Lawry CM, Watson GDR, Roshchina M, Yin HH. The role of the parafascicular thalamic nucleus in action initiation and steering. Current Biology, 2023. Online resource

Petter AE, Fallon IP, Hughes RN, Watson GDR, Meck WH, Ulloa Severino FP, Yin HH. Elucidating a locus coeruleus-dentate gyrus dopamine pathway for operant reinforcement. eLife, 2023. Online resource

Zhang J, Hughes RN, Kim N, Fallon IP, Bakhurin K, Kim K, Ulloa Severino FP, Yin HH. A one-photon endoscope for simultaneous patterned optogenetic stimulation and calcium imaging in freely behaving mice. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2023. Online resource

Lawal O, Ulloa Severino FP*, Eroglu C*. The role of astrocyte structural plasticity in regulating neural circuit function and behavior. Glia, 2022. Online resource

Watson GDR, Hughes RN, Petter EA, Fallon IP, Kim N, Ulloa Severino FP, Yin HH. Thalamic projections to the subthalamic nucleus contribute to movement initiation and rescue of parkinsonian symptoms. Science Advances, 2021. Online resource

Li S*, Ulloa Severino FP*, Ban J, Wang L, Pinato G, Torre V, Chen Y. Improved neuron culture using scaffolds made of three-dimensional PDMS micro-lattices. Biomedical Materials, 2018. Online resource

Rauti R, Lozano N, León V, Scaini V, Musto M, Rago I, Ulloa Severino FP, Fabbro A, Casalis L, Vázquez E, Kostarelos K, Prato M, Ballerini L. Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Reshape Synaptic Function in Cultured Brain Networks. ACS Nano, 2016. Online resource

Ulloa Severino FP*, Ban J*, Song Q, Tang M, Bianconi G, Cheng G, Torre V. The role of dimensionality in neuronal network dynamics. Scientific Reports, 2016. Online resource