Alberto E. Pereda

Alberto E. Pereda is a Professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His research focuses on synaptic transmission dynamics, particularly the plasticity and functional roles of electrical synapses mediated by gap junctions in vertebrate neural circuits. He investigates both chemical-electrical synapse interactions and the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic strength modulation in teleost fish (goldfish/zebrafish) and mammals.

Research Interests:

• Activity-dependent modulation of electrical synapses
• Gap junction protein trafficking and regulation
• Endocannabinoid and dopaminergic system interactions with electrical transmission
• Molecular composition of auditory synapses in teleosts
• Neuronal synchronization mechanisms via electrical coupling

Key Contributions:

• Identified scaffolding proteins critical for electrical synapse function
• Characterized opioid-mediated potentiation of electrical synapses
• Discovered asymmetry in vertebrate electrical synapses
• Elucidated roles of cyfip2 in sensorimotor circuits

This work bridges molecular neurobiology with circuit-level neural dynamics across model organisms.

Laboratory: The Pereda Lab uses multi-disciplinary approaches including electrophysiology, molecular biology, and genetic models in zebrafish and mammals to study synaptic communication mechanisms.