22/07/2026 - General information
Dr Arnau Busquets, coordinator of the Cellular Mechanisms in Physiological and Pathological Behaviour Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB), has been elected to the Executive Committee of the European Brain and Behaviour Society (EBBS), the governing body of one of Europe's leading scientific societies dedicated to research on animal models and behaviour. The election took place on 21 May.
15/07/2026 - General information
Dr Sara Mederos and Dr Manuel Valero, coordinators of the Neural Computation Laboratory at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB), have been appointed as members of the first cohort of Young Ambassadors of the Spanish Society for Neuroscience (SENC). This distinction recognises outstanding early-career researchers in the field of neuroscience who have already demonstrated remarkable international achievements, scientific independence, and a strong commitment to strengthening the Spanish neuroscience community.
14/07/2026 - Press release
People who experienced traumatic events during childhood are 1.5 times more likely to develop physical illnesses than the general population. The association is strongest in cases of bullying, physical or sexual abuse, and parental loss or abandonment, according to a study led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute that analyzed data from 250 published studies on the subject up to April 2025. The findings may help draw attention to the possible causes of a wide range of physical diseases and reinforce efforts to prevent childhood trauma
Més informació "Childhood Trauma Linked to Higher Risk of Developing Physical Disease"
07/07/2026 - General information
He is one of the fifteen researchers selected to take part in this initiative. Over the next two years, he will collaborate in a network focused on advancing neuroscience through scientific exchange, awareness-raising and outreach. Dr Manuel Valero, coordinator of the Neural Computation Laboratory at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, is one of the fifteen young neuroscientists selected to join the FENS-Kavli Scholars network, an initiative integrated into the Kavli Network of Excellence of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS). From twelve European countries, they join the researchers selected in 2023 to promote neuroscience research through a range of actions.
29/06/2026 - General information
An international consortium led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB) and Hospital del Mar, within the International Stroke Genetics Consortium, has identified two genetic variants that may be responsible for one of the most serious complications following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH), a type of stroke associated with poor outcomes that predominantly affects young women. The study, published in Brain, shows that the COL6A6 and PIK3R4 genes may be linked to an increased risk of delayed cerebral ischaemia, a complication that affects approximately one in four patients diagnosed with this condition.
Més informació "Genetics behind one of the main complications following subarachnoid haemorrhage"
22/06/2026 - General information
Ayahuasca is a powerful Amazonian brew known to induce profound effects, including the so-called ego dissolution-a temporary alteration in the usual sense of self or personal identity. But how does it produce these effects? An international study led by the Applied Metabolomics Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB) has shown that the experience arises through a complex coordination between the body, the brain, and consciousness itself. The findings have been published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. Researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany also participated in the study.
10/06/2026 - Press release
CONNECTA Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering first-in-class neuroplasticity modulators to address unmet medical needs in central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced the initiation of its Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating its lead first-in-class program, CTH120, in adult males with fragile X syndrome (FXS). CTH120 is a novel small molecule targeting the tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), a key regulator of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form and adapt neural connections. Impaired neuroplasticity is a core pathophysiological feature in neurodevelopmental disorders and contributes to the clinical manifestations observed in conditions such as FXS. FXS is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 3 per 10,000 individuals.
08/06/2026 - Press release
A study led by the Institut de Neurociències of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona suggests that assessing the relationship between two hormones present in both men and women, estradiol and progesterone, could help better understand how memory works. Assessing the relationship between a person's progesterone and estradiol levels at a given moment could help determine when they are in a biologically optimal state for learning and memory. This is the conclusion of a study led by ICREA researcher Raül Andero at the Institut de Neurociències of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB), which found that the ratio between these two sex hormones measured in saliva can predict participants' performance in a learning and memory task.
Més informació "Can memory be predicted with a saliva test?"
04/06/2026 - General information
At the first edition of the 'Rising Talent for a World without Alzheimer's' event, held at La Pedrera-Casa Milà on 21 May. The first edition of the 'Rising Talent for a World without Alzheimer's' meeting awarded prizes to two researchers linked to the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB). The event brought together more than 160 researchers from the seven institutions that make up the HUB Alzheimer Barcelona, in an initiative designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange and the creation of new synergies.
12/05/2026 - Press release
In an article published in the journal Neuron, Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga proposes that the way we organize our memories constitutes the mechanism that gives rise to human intelligence. The human brain generates memories from the representation of the stimuli it receives, endowing them with meaning. This is a mechanism of abstraction that does not merely store information. Published scientific evidence indicates that this mechanism is not found in other animal species, suggesting that it is a key element in the construction of our intelligence.
Més informació "The way we remember is the basis of human intelligence"
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