The research group of Psychobiology was created in 1995 by Dr Amadeo Puerto and Dr Filomena Molina. Over the years, many researchers have been part of it. Although most of its members belong to the Department of Psychobiology, researchers coming from other disciplines such as Health Sciences and Biological Sciences have joined us. This group is focused on the study of the biological bases of the behaviour, and particularly on the neurobiological and neurochemical mechanisms involved in the brain rewarding system, the feeding behaviour and the hydromineral regulation; however, some other lines related to brain circuits involved in taste aversion learning have also been developed and extended to neuropsychology and psychoendocrinology (the role of oxytocin in regulatory processes and the involvement of gonadal hormones in neurocognition). Although much of our research is carried out on experimental animals, the ultimate goal is to understand the normal and psychopathological human behaviour.
The general objectives of this Research Group include:
1. Understanding the functioning of the nervous system at the molecular, biochemical, physiological and/or behavioural level.
2. Achieving excellence in research.
3. Guiding the training of new researchers.
4. Interacting with other research groups with similar goals.
5. Promoting both basic and translational research.