Luis de Lecea
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Science - Sleep Center
- Member, Bio-X
Contact Information
- Academic
Offices
Personal Information Email Tel (650) 736-9039Administrative Contact Kerry Breuer Email
Professional Snapshot
Honors and Awards
- Member. Board of Scientific Counselors, NIDA (2006-)
- Member, Faculty of 1000 (2008-)
Professional Education
| Postdoc: | The Scripps Research Institute, Molecular Neurobiology (1996) |
| Ph.D.: | University of Barcelona, Molecular Biology (1991) |
| B.Sc.: | University of Barcelona, Biology (1987) |
Postdoctoral Advisees
Patricia Bonnavion , Daniel Kroeger , Asya Rolls , Clara Tourino Raposo
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Our group initially identified the hypocretins, two hypothalamic neuropeptides that have a key role in maintaining the states of vigilance. We also discovered cortistatin, a peptide that modulates cortical excitability. My lab uses molecular, pharmacological, anatomical and behavioral methods to identify new roles for these transmitters. We are also interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which neuronal systems integrate homeostatic information and regulate complex behaviors.
Publications
- Sleep homeostasis modulates hypocretin-mediated sleep-to-wake transitions. J Neurosci. 2009; (35): 10939-49
- Phasic firing in dopaminergic neurons is sufficient for behavioral conditioning. Science. 2009; (5930): 1080-4
- The brain hypocretins and their receptors: mediators of allostatic arousal. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2009; (1): 39-45
- Neural substrates of awakening probed with optogenetic control of hypocretin neurons. Nature. 2007; (7168): 420-4
- Transgenic mice with a reduced core body temperature have an increased life span. Science. 2006; (5800): 825-8
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