Alvaro Díaz is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the University of Cantabria (UC) and a research member of Prof. Pazos group at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC) and at the CIBERSAM (Centro de Investigación en Red en Salud Mental- Collaborative Research Network in Mental Health) https://www.cibersam.es/grupos/grupo-de-investigacion?id=14245. He obtained a MD degree in June 1986 (UC) and carried out his predoctoral training in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, studying the interaction between neuronal calcium channels and opioid receptors in pain signalling and processing, applying behavioural, neurochemical and molecular techniques and obtaining his PhD degree in 1994. To continue his research career in neuropharmacology, he was awarded a postdoctoral position (Welcome Trust, UK; January 1995 to June 1997) in Professor Dickenson´s lab (University College London), where he carried out "in vivo" electrophysiological techniques to study the role of spinal voltage-sensitive calcium channels, imidazoline I2 sites and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in acute and persistent nociception. Back to Spain, he worked as a Research Associate (Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UC 1997/2001) in research contracts with FAES FARMA S.A in studies directed to the "Valuation of active molecules on serotonergic and dopaminergic systems" using radiometric and "in vivo" electrophysiological techniques. In 2002, he obtained a "Ramón y Cajal" research position (Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, UC) to carry out a project dealing with the study of the modifications in serotonergic, noradrenergic and opioid neurotransmission systems in the animal models of depression in neuropathic pain. From 2006 to 2009, he was Associate Professor of Pharmacology in the University of Cantabria (Profesor Contratado Doctor) and in 2009 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Profesor Titular). From then until now, he has being involved in projects aimed to study the neurobiology of depression and to evaluate the behavioural, neurochemical and molecular actions of classic and potential antidepressants, using animal models of depression, and different techniques to assess the expression/functionality of receptors, and biomarkers of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity (orcid code: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8783-4555). He has also carried out contract research projects with the pharmaceutical company Servier S.L. to evaluate the potential antidepressant effects of AMPA modulators. Regarding the academic activity, he is teaching Pharmacology in the Degree of Medicine and the Degree of Nursery, and he belongs to the lecturer's staff of the "Master's Degree in Initiation in Research in Mental Health" (CIBERSAM) and "Master's Degree in Molecular Biology and Medicine" (UC/UPV).
Neurobiological Basis of the Mechanism of Action of Drugs acting at the Central Nervous System
Research lines
The main research line of the group deals with the neurochemical and neuroplastic signals involved in the pathogeny of neuropsychiatric diseases (major depression, schizophrenia) and, associated to that, in the mechanism of action of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs. The goals of our neuropharmacological research include the study of:
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Modulation of neuroproliferation and neuroplasticity pathways as a mechanism of action of antidepressants.
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Involvement of the aminergic and cannabinoid systems in depression.
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Preclinical evaluation of potential antidepressants in animal models.
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Involvement of neuroinflammation in depression and antidepressant actions.
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Mechanism of action of molecules with rapid antidepressant effect.
For this purpose, studies in laboratory animals, models of depression and psychosis, and in blood and postmortem samples from depressed and schizophrenic patients are carried out. Behavioural, pharmacological (in vivo assays, receptor labeling), cell biology (immunocytochemistry, neurogenesis), biochemical (second messengers, G proteins), electrophysiological (in vivo and slice recordings) and molecular approaches (gen silencing, transfected receptors) are used.
Other sublines of research of the group include:
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The neurobiological basis of the analgesic responses induced by antidepressants
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The identification of the intracellular signaling mechanisms associated to 5-HT receptor subtypes
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The analysis of polymorphisms for proteins of relevance for the etiopathogeny of depressive disorders
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The characterization of animal models of psychiatric disorders
Funding
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CICYT, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Cannabidiol como acelerador de la respuesta farmacológica antidepresiva: una vía hacia la identificación de los mecanismos celulares implicados en la depresión (SAF2015-67457-R). Enero 2016-Diciembre 2018.
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CICYT, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Fármacos antidepresivos y dianas de señalización intracelular: implicación de mecanismos de proliferación (SAF07-61862). Octubre 2007-Septiembre 2012
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Neuroplasticity mechanisms involved in the fast antidepressant response of 5-HT4 receptor agonists: role of the Wnt-b-catenin and mTOR pathways (SAF2011-25020 ). Enero 2012-Diciembre 2014.
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Instituto de Salud Carlos III. CIBER de Salud Mental, 2009-
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Programa ZENIT, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (con BrainCo y FaesFarma SA).Nuevas aproximaciones en el tratamiento de las enfermedades del sistema nervioso. Enero 2010-Diciembre 2012
