Welcome to Emilio Martínez Márquez - New Postdoc in Müllner Group
Please join us in welcoming Emilio Martínez Márquez, our new Postdoc in the Müllner Group. Emilio joins DANDRITE from the Seville Institute of Biomedicine (IBiS), bringing expertise in neural circuits, cholinergic neuromodulation, electrophysiology, and in vivo two-photon imaging. At DANDRITE, he will investigate how cholinergic modulation shapes visual system circuits and dLGN interneuron function
What research were you involved in immediately prior to joining DANDRITE, and at which institution?
“I am a biochemist by training, specialising in neuroscience. I took my first steps in science at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, where I studied the influence of neuroimmune processes on the progression of Parkinson’s disease, with a particular focus on the relationship between chronic intestinal inflammation and the development of alpha-synuclein pathology. I subsequently completed my PhD in the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology of the Synapse, at the Seville Institute of Biomedicine (IBiS), where I focused my work on the functional study of chandelier cells (inhibitory interneurons) in the secondary motor cortex, with a particular focus on the modulation of both these cells and, consequently, the cortical circuit to which they belong via the cholinergic projections of the basal forebrain, using a combination of electrophysiology and in vivo two-photon recordings.”
What made you decide to join DANDRITE and move to Aarhus, Denmark?
“From my previous work, I found I was deeply interested in two topics: Connectivity between brain areas, and neuromodulation, especially cholinergic neuromodulation. To truly understand how different areas of the brain work, we must understand where they connect, where they receive connections from, and how are they modulated by the main neuromodulatory pathways of the brain.
I must admit I found both DANDRITE and Fiona Müllner’s group by serendipity, but I soon realized that her experimental focus would give me the opportunity to expand my experimental knowledge both into neural connectivity and neuromodulation, jumping from my earlier limited focus on the prefrontal cortex to a wider, broader picture, at the visual system. The possible learning and collaboration opportunities granted by an interdisciplinary research environment such as DANDRITE were, as one may say, the icing on the cake.”
What will you be working on, and is there anything in particular that you are especially looking forward to in your new position?
“I will focus my work on both functional studies of the dLGN interneurons and in vivo studies of dLGN neuronal circuits, with a particular focus on the cholinergic modulation of the visual system. I am particularly looking forward to both learn new ways to perform 2-photon in vivo studies in particular behavioural tasks, and the data analysis procedures to extract data from those raw recordings.
Many people claim that the postdoc must either broaden your knowledge in experimental techniques or in fields of interest. I may know the techniques, but there is still much to know about how to employ them in different contexts to broaden my research horizons and be able to face the specific challenges each particular brain structure may bring.”
Is there a fun fact about yourself that you would be happy to share? (Hobby, exciting holiday, anything nice extra)
“Outside of the lab, I am a passionate reader, with a particular interest in science-fiction and fantasy. I am also deeply interested in history (in another life, perhaps I would have been a historian), so the chance to discover a new country, with a past so different from my own, is something I simply cannot pass up.”