Beatriz Rico (neuroscientist)

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This GABAergic synapse depiction is showing the production, release, action and degradation of GABA.

Beatriz Rico is a professor of developmental neurobiology and head of the Rico Lab at King's College London.[1] Her research studies neural circuit development.[2]

Background and education[]

Rico was born in Madrid, Spain, where she completed her public primary and secondary education.[3] She then attended Complutense University of Madrid to study biology and eventually went on to earn her PhD at the Autónoma University in Madrid under her supervisor Carmen Cavada.[3] Following her time in Spain, she completed her postdoctoral research at the University of California San Francisco with her supervisor Louis Reichardt.[4] After completing her postdoc, Rico formed her own lab focusing specifically on mammalian cortical networks and neurodevelopment disorders.[5]

Career[]

Rico started as a Principal Investigator at the Neuroscience Institute in Alicante, Spain, where she began the Rico Lab. In 2014, Rico moved her lab to King's College in London where she is a professor of developmental neurobiology and has continued her work on mechanisms of cortical circuit formation.[6][3] In recent years, her lab has spotlighted the importance of cortical GABAergic circuitry in cognitive function and their potential role in neurological pathologies, especially schizophrenia.[5][7] In 2019, the Rico Lab uncovered a developmental mechanism for specification of inhibitory connections within the brain.[8] Rico worked with Emilia Favuzzi and Ruben Deogracias to make this discovery that was published in Science magazine.[9][8]

Awards and honors[]

In 2010, Rico's work received recognition from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).[10] Additionally, she was awarded Consolidator and Advanced grants by the European Research Council for her project 'Assembly and plasticity of inhibitory cortical networks by early learning experience'.[11][12][13] This grant was awarded to Rico for research into how early sensory experiences affect efficiency of cortical networks and ultimately, behavior.[5] Rico was the recipient of the Investigator Award in Science by Wellcome,[14] and she was granted lifelong membership to EMBO's community of scientists in 2021.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Professor Beatriz Rico PhD". www.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  2. ^ "CDN - people-detail". devneuro.org. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  3. ^ a b c "Beatriz Rico". Conjugate: Illustration and Science Blog. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  4. ^ "Faculty - scienceven". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  5. ^ a b c "Research RICO LAB". devneuro.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  6. ^ "Beatriz Rico". Conjugate: Illustration and Science Blog. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  7. ^ Falkner, Susanne; Scheiffele, Peter (2019-05-03). "Architects of neuronal wiring". Science. 364 (6439): 437–438. Bibcode:2019Sci...364..437F. doi:10.1126/science.aax3221. PMC 6689267. PMID 31048478.
  8. ^ a b "How neurons sense our everyday life". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  9. ^ "Beatriz Rico on Twitter: "2.- In the cortex there are two main types of cortical neurons: principal neurons (excitatory) and #interneurons (inhibitory). The modulatory power of interneurons is greatly expanded by their ability to target different compartments of pyramidal cells. t.co/1Sjdtuzc37" / Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  10. ^ "RicoLab Bio". devneuro.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  11. ^ "Beatriz Rico at BNA2021 Festival of Neuroscience | The British Neuroscience Association". meetings.bna.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  12. ^ "CDN - people-detail". devneuro.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  13. ^ "Professor Beatriz Rico amongst the 185 scientists to win the European Research Council's Advanced Grants". www.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  14. ^ "Assembly and organisation of inhibitory networks in the cerebral cortex". Wellcome. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  15. ^ "EMBO announces 64 newly elected members – Press releases – EMBO". 8 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
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