Brain Development and Evolution laboratory Laboratorio de Desarrollo y Evolución cerebral

The Brain Development and Evolution Laboratory (BDE-lab), led by Fernando García-Moreno at the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, investigates how vertebrate brains evolve and develop. Our aim is to understand the evolutionary principles that have generated the diversity of brain architectures, with particular attention to the regionalisation and expansion of the pallium, the structure that gives rise to the cerebral cortex in mammals.

To this end, we combine approaches from developmental biology, comparative neuroanatomy and functional genomics within an explicitly evolutionary framework. We use key species across the vertebrate tree —especially reptiles, birds and mammals— to reconstruct the cellular and molecular programmes that generate different types of brains.

Our work seeks to identify the conserved mechanisms underlying the basic plan of the vertebrate brain, as well as the innovations that have given rise to new structures and circuits. By integrating development, evolution and biological diversity, the group aims to provide a mechanistic view of how new brain organisations emerge throughout evolution.

The research of the IIBB/CSIC Neurobiology group is aimed at identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in order to find therapeutic tools.

The PhyloBrain group aims to understand the mechanisms governing the conservation and diversification of the vertebrate brain. We investigate the conservation of the early, or phylotypic, brain, seeking the fundamental principles shared by all vertebrates. We analyse thalamic diversification in amniotes, identifying how developmental variations contribute to functional specialisation. We also study the conservation of optic tectum circuits, assessing their role in sensory integration and the evolution of visual networks.

Another central focus is the influence of cell-cycle modification on the evolution of brain morphology, as well as the dynamics of temporal gene expression during amniote brain development, which regulates the differentiation of regions and cell types. Together, these objectives seek to link molecular and cellular changes with the evolution of brain architecture and its functions.

1. Conservation of the early, phylotypic brain
   We study the fundamental principles of brain development shared by all vertebrates, identifying structures, cell types and gene expression networks that have been maintained throughout evolution.
2. Thalamic diversification in amniotes
   We analyse how the thalamus specialises across different amniote lineages, connecting developmental changes with functional and anatomical variations.
3. Optic tectum circuits
   This line investigates the conservation and organisation of visual circuits in the optic tectum, their role in sensory integration and their evolution in vertebrates.
4. Cell cycle and brain evolution
   This line explores how modifications in the cell cycle affect the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors, contributing to the evolution of brain morphology.
5. Temporal gene expression in amniote development
   This line studies the dynamics of gene expression during brain development in amniotes to understand the temporal regulation of regions and cell types.