Since June 2024, I am an Assistant Professor at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., United States. Between 2017 and 2021, I was a Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg, Germany. My long-term approach to brain research has been holistic, integrating multiple disciplines and techniques. My education spans neurobiology, neurochemistry, and neuroscience. My technical expertise includes in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology (MEAs, patch clamp, and high-density probes); viral design and application for in vitro and in vivo experimentation (knockdown and/or overexpression of proteins, as well as calcium and kinase sensors); various microscopy techniques (STED super-resolution, FRET, FLIM, metabolic imaging, confocal, etc.); virus design and injection; protein biochemistry (Western blot, immunoprecipitation, co-IP, purification, subcellular fractionation, etc.); and cell cultures (neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and multiple cell lines), among others. I have received honors and awards from institutions in Chile, Germany, England, and Canada, and I have delivered +20 invited talks, presented +30 posters, and taught 5 courses across 15 countries. I have mentored 2 postdoctoral fellows, 5 Ph.D., 5 Master, and 10 undergraduate students. I have received financial support from VAA-UCH, CONICYT, and ANID (Chile); DFG, DAAD, and CBBS (Germany); JCS (England); the European Investment Fund; and the International Society for Neurochemistry. Under my mentorship, students have recived grants from the CSC Scholarship (China), the International Society for Neurochemistry, DAAD and CBBS, and others.
Research
As an independent researcher, I collaborate with nanoengineers and multidisciplinary colleagues to design, develop, and implement ultra-thin milled tetrodes for long-term deep brain recordings¹. This novel technology is patented (EP4257045, 2024). My main passion is to study the role of the cell recognition molecule Neuroplastin (Np) in synapse formation and function during neuronal development and in neural circuits involved in behavior. In particular, my work has shown that Np contains a specific intracellular module that triggers a TRAF6-dependent synaptogenic signal in young neurons. I have also shown that Np interacts with, and is essential for, the expression and proper localization of α2-containing GABAA receptors and Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPases (PMCA). Notably, inducible elimination of Np expression in trained adult mutant mice leads to a unique phenotype of retrograde amnesia. Recently, using optogenetics, chemogenetics, and high-density probes, I have found that Np expression in the corticothalamic visual circuit appears to be critical for the generation and/or amplification of spindle-burst oscillations in the visual cortex of mouse pups. The continuation of these studies in pups, and those investigating the circuit mechanisms related to retrograde amnesia in adult mice, is currently supported by ongoing projects.
Awards and Honors
- 2024 - present. Member. Lifetime full membership. International Society for Neurochemistry
- 2023 - present. Member. Society for Neuroscience.
- 2017 - present. Reviewer for +10 peer review Journals (JBC, JNeurochem, Translational Medice, Frontiers, and more).
- 2015 - 2019. Member of the International Society for Neurochemistry.
- 2014 - 2019. Member of the German Society for Neuroscience.
- Junkers Prize "Most innovative approaches in basic research". 3er place for "Die Magdeburger Elektroden zur Aufzeichnung von Hirnaktivitäten und zur Behandlung von Hirnerkrankungen" (The Magdeburger electrode for recording brain activity and treating brain diseases), Germany.
- Young Investigator Colloquia Award for “Neuroplastin in synapse formation and memory“. International Society for Neurochemistry, ISN-ASN 2019 Meeting, Montreal, Canada.
- Junkers Prize "Most innovative approaches in basic research". 2nd place for "Tiermodell Neuroplastinmutante zur Gedächtnisforschung" (Animal model neuroplastin mutant for memory research), Germany.
- Medal of Honour University of Chile for excellence in Ph.D. work.
- 2001 - 2002. President of the Student‘s Union of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Universidad de Chile.
Grants
2024 - 2026. Neuroplastin gene inactivation reveals GABAergic neurons as decisive for the recall of remote associative memories: Assessing mechanisms underlying selective retrograde amnesia. Role: Director (with Prof. Dr. Dirk Montag). Agency: DFG: German Research Foundation. Project N°: 526008379.
2020-2021. Complementary study to link glycolipids and trasmembrane proteins to cation homeostasis. Role: Director. Agency: DAAD: German Academic Exchange Service. Project N°: 57061596.
2019-2021. Development of neuroplastin-derived TRAF6-binding peptides with a wide-range of properties against inflammation. Role: Director. Agency: CBBS center for behavioral brain science & LSA European Union Investment Fund.
2019-2020. Network for accelerating research in synaptic impairment of neurodegenerative diseases. Role: International Collaborator. Agency: CONICYT, Chile. Project N°: REDES 190187.
Intellectual Property
Herrera-Molina R, Takagaki K, Ecke M, Wilke M, Weber A, Zifeng X (2024) Basically wire-shaped electrode for transmittance of ellectrophysiological neurosignals and method of manufacture thereof. Granted papent by 11.12.2024. EP4257045.
Herrera-Molina R, Takagaki K, Ecke M, Wilke M, Weber A, Zifeng X (2023) Functionalized imaging plate for non-invasive, combinatorial, and/or simultaneous electrical and optic stimulation and measurement. PCT Patent filed by 05 April 2023 in the EU Patent Office n° EP22166953.4
Herrera-Molina R, Takagaki K, Ecke M, Wilke M, Weber A, Zifeng X (2023) Processes for the design, microfabrication, and use of individualized brain electrodes. PCT Patent filed by 05 April 2023 in the EU Patent Office n°EP22166952.6
Takagaki K, Lippert M, Zifeng X, Herrera-Molina R (2021) Electrode device, electrophysiological recording system and computer program. Patent published in the USA n° US2021369168A1
Takagaki K, Lippert M, Zifeng X, Herrera-Molina R (2020) Electrode device, electrophysiological recording system and computer program. Patent filed in the EU Patent Office n° 20177113.6-1115
Liang Y, Ormazabal-Toledo R, Yao S, Shi YS, Herrera-Molina R, Montag D, Lin X (2024) Deafness-causing neuroplastin missense variants fail to promote plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase levels and Ca2+ transient regulation in brain neurons. J Biol Chem. 300(7):107474. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107474
Adasme T, Hidalgo C, Herrera-Molina R (2023) Editorial: Emerging Views and Players in Neuronal Calcium Signaling: Synaptic Plasticity, Learning/Memory, Ageing and Neuroinflammation. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1197417
Malci A, Lin X, Shi YS, Herrera-Molina R (2023) Neuroplastin in Ca2+ signal regulation of plasticity in glutamatergic synapses. Neural Regeneration Research 18(8):1705-1706
Malci A, Lin X, Sandoval R, Gundelfinger ED, Naumann M, Seidenbecher CI, Herrera-Molina R (2022) Ca2+ signalling in postsynaptic neurons: neuroplastin-65 regulates the interplay between plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases and ionotropic glutamate receptors. Cell Calcium.106:102623. doi: 10.1016/j.ceca.2022.102623
Guzmán Salas S, Weber A, Malci A, Lin X, Herrera-Molina R, Cerpa W, Dorador C, Signorelli J, Zamorano P (2022) The metabolite p-cresol impairs dendritic development, synaptogenesis and synapse function in hippocampal neurons: Implications to autism spectrum disorder. J Neurochem. 161(4):335-349. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15604
Lin X, Brunk MGK, Yuanxiang P, Curran AW, Stöber F, Goldschmidt J, Gundelfinger ED, Vollmer M, Happel MFK, Herrera-Molina R, Montag D (2021) Neuroplastin expression is essential for hearing and hair cell PMCA expression. Brain Structure and Function. doi: 10.1007/s00429-021-02269-w
Lin X, Liang Y, Herrera-Molina R, Montag D (2021) Neuroplastin in Neuropsychiatric Diseases. Genes 12(10):1507. doi: 10.3390/genes12101507
Ilic K, Lin X, Malci A, Stojanović M, Puljko B, Rožma M, Vukelić Z, Heffer M, Montag D, Schnaar RL, Kalanj-Bognar S, Herrera-Molina R, Mlinac-Jerkovic K (2021) Plasma membrane calcium ATPase-Neuroplastin complexes are selectively stabilized in GM1-containing lipid rafts. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22(24):13590. doi: 10.3390/ijms222413590
Vemula SK, Malci A, Junge L, Lehmann AC, Rama R, Hradsky J, Matute RA, Weber A, Naumann M, Kreutz MR, Seidenbecher CI, Gundelfinger ED, Herrera-Molina R (2020) The interaction of TRAF6 with neuroplastin promotes spinogenesis during early neuronal development. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. doi: 10.3389/fcell. 2020.57951
García F, Lobos P, Ponce A, Cataldo K, Meza D, Farías P, Estay C, Oyarzun-Ampuero F, Herrera-Molina R, Paula-Lima A, Ardiles ÁO, Hidalgo C, Adasme T, Muñoz P (2020) Astaxanthin Counteracts Excitotoxicity and Reduces the Ensuing Increases in Calcium Levels and Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Generation. Mar Drugs 18(6):335
Luarte A, Henzi R, Fernández A, Gaete D, Cisternas P, Pizarro M, Batiz LF, Villalobos I, Masalleras M, Vergara R, Varas-Godoy M, Abarzua-Catalan L, Herrera-Molina R, Lafourcade C, Wyneken U (2020) Astrocyte-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Regulate Dendritic Complexity through miR-26a-5p Activity. Cells 10;9(4):930
Ilic K, Auer B, Mlinac-Jerkovic K, Herrera-Molina R (2019) Neuronal signalling by Thy-1 in nanodomains with specific ganglioside composition: Shall we open the door to a new complexity?. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00027
Bruna B, Lobos P, Herrera-Molina R, Hidalgo C, Paula-Lima A, Adasme T (2018) The Signaling Pathways Underlying BDNF-Induced Nrf2 Hippocampal Nuclear Translocation Involve ROS, RyR-Mediated Ca2+ Signals, ERK and PI3K. BBRC 20;505(1):201-207
Lang D, Schott BH, van Ham M, Morton L, Parlog A, Kulikovskaja L, Herrera-Molina R, Pielot R, Montag D, Jaensch L, Gundelfinger ED, Smalla KH, Dunay IR (2018) Chronic Toxoplasma-induced neuroinflammation is associated with distinct changes in the synaptic protein composition. J Neuroinflammation 15(1):216. doi: 10.1186/s12974-018-1242-1
Lagos-Cabré R, Brenet M, Díaz J , Pérez RD, Pérey LA, Herrera-Molina R, Quest AFG, Leyton L (2018) Intracellular Ca2+ increases and Connexin 43 hemichannel opening are necessary but not sufficient for Thy-1-induced astrocyte migration. Int J Mol Sci 19(8) doi: 10.3390/ijms19082179
Herrera-Molina R, Mlinac-Jerkovic K, Ilic K, Stöber F, Kumar Vemula S, Sandoval M, Jovanov Milosevic N, Simic G, Smalla KH, Goldschmidt J, Kalanj Bognar S, Montag D (2017) Neuroplastin deletion in glutamatergic neurons impairs selective brain functions and calcium regulation: implication for cognitive deterioration. Scientific Report 4;7(1):7273
Bhattacharya S*, Herrera-Molina R*, Sabanov V, Ahmed T, Iscru E, Stöber F, Richter K, Fischer KD, Angenstein F, Goldschmidt J, Beesley PW, Balschun D, Smalla KH, Gundelfinger ED, Montag D (2017) Genetically-induced retrograde amnesia of associative memories after neuroplastin ablation. Biological Psychiatry 81:124-135 (*co-first authorship)
Lagos-Cabré R, Alvarez A, Kong M, Burgos-Bravo F, Cárdenas A, Rojas-Mancilla E, Pérez-Nuñez R, Herrera-Molina R, Rojas F, Schneider P, Herrera-Marschitz M, Quest AFG, van Zundert B, Leyton L (2017) αVβ3 Integrin regulates astrocyte reactivity. J Neuroinflammation 29;14(1):194
Korthals M, Langnaese K, Smalla KH, Kähne T, Herrera-Molina R, Handschuh J, Lehmann AC, Herbert I, Mamula D, Naumann M, Seidenbecher CI, Tedford K,. Gundelfinger ED, Montag D, Fischer KD, Thomas U (2017) A complex of Neuroplastin and Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPase controls T cell activation. Scientific Report 21;7(1):8358
Maldonado H, Calderon C, Kobler O, Zuschratter W, Ramirez O, Härtel S, Schneider P, Quest AFG, Herrera-Molina R*, Leyton L* (2016) Integrin-induced changes in the Thy-1/CBP/Csk complex regulate the Src/RhoA/ROCK axis to alter the neuronal cytoskeleton. BBA-Mol Cell Research 1864(2):243-254 (*co-corresponding authorship)
Herrera-Molina R, Sarto-Jackson I, Montenegro-Venegas C, Heine M, Smalla KH, Seidenbecher CI, Beesley PW, Gundelfinger ED, Montag D (2014) Structure of excitatory synapses and GABAA receptor localization at inhibitory synapses are regulated by neuroplastin-65. J Biol Chem 289:8973-88
Beesley PW, Herrera-Molina R, Smalla KH, Seidenbecher CI (2014) The neuroplastin adhesion molecules: key regulators of neuronal plasticity and synaptic function. J Neurochem 131(3):268-83
Herrera-Molina R, Valdivia A, Kong M, Alvarez A, Cárdenas A, Quest AF, Leyton L (2013) Thy-1-interacting molecules and cellular signaling in cis and trans. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol 305:163-216
Kong M, Muñoz N, Valdivia A, Alvarez A, Herrera-Molina R, Cárdenas A, Schneider P, Burridge K, Quest AF, Leyton L (2013) Thy-1-mediated cell-cell contact induces astrocyte migration through the engagement of αVβ3 integrin and syndecan-4. BBA-Mol Cell Research 1833:1409-20
Sandoval M, Luarte A, Herrera-Molina R, Varas-Godoy M, Santibánez M, Rubio FJ, Smit AB, Gundelfinger ED, Li KW, Smalla KH, Wyneken U (2013) The glycolytic enzyme aldolase C is up-regulated in rat forebrain microsomes and in the cerebrospinal fluid after repetitive fluoxetine treatment. Brain Res 1520:1-14
Sarto-Jackson I, Milenkovic I, Smalla KH, Gundelfinger ED, Kaehne T, Herrera-Molina R, Thomas S, Kiebler MA, Sieghart W (2012) The cell adhesion molecule neuroplastin-65 is a novel interaction partner of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors. J Biol Chem 287:14201-14
Herrera-Molina R, Frischknecht R, Maldonado H, Seidenbecher CI, Gundelfinger ED, Hetz C, Aylwin Mde L, Schneider P, Quest AF, Leyton L (2012) Astrocytic αVβ3 integrin inhibits neurite outgrowth and promotes retraction of neuronal processes by clustering Thy-1. PLoS One 7(3):e34295.doi:10.1371/ journal.pone. 0034295
Herrera-Molina R, Flores B, Orellana JA, von Bernhardi R (2012) Modulation of interferon-γ-induced glial activation by transforming growth factor β1: a role for STAT1 and MAPK pathways. J Neurochem 123:113-23
Henríquez M, Herrera-Molina R, Valdivia A, Alvarez A, Kong M, Muñoz N, Eisner V, Jaimovich E, Schneider P, Quest AF, Leyton L (2011) ATP release due to Thy-1-integrin binding induces P2X7-mediated calcium entry required for focal adhesion formation. J Cell Sci 124:1581-8
Avalos AM, Valdivia AD, Muñoz N, Herrera-Molina R, Tapia JC, Lavandero S, Chiong M, Burridge K, Schneider P, Quest AF, Leyton L (2009) Neuronal Thy-1 induces astrocyte adhesion by engaging syndecan-4 in a cooperative interaction with alphavbeta3 integrin that activates PKCalpha and RhoA. J Cell Sci 122:3462-71
Uribe-San Martín R*, Herrera-Molina R*, Olavarría L, Ramírez G, von Bernhardi R (2008) Reduction of beta-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity on hippocampal cell cultures by moderate acidosis is mediated by transforming growth factor beta. Neuroscience 158(4):1338-47 (*co-first authorship)
Hermosilla T, Muñoz D, Herrera-Molina R, Valdivia A, Muñoz N, Nham SU, Schneider P, Burridge K, Quest AF, Leyton L (2008) Direct Thy-1/alphaVbeta3 integrin interaction mediates neuron to astrocyte communication. BBA-Mol Cell Research 1783:1111-20
Saud K*, Herrera-Molina R*, Von Bernhardi R (2005) Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines regulate the ERK pathway: implication of the timing for the activation of microglial cells. Neurotoxicity Research 8:277-87 (*co-first authorship)
Herrera-Molina R, von Bernhardi R (2005) Transforming growth factor-beta 1 produced by hippocampal cells modulates microglial reactivity in culture. Neurobiol Dis 19:229-36