Andres E. Chavez Navarrete

Andres E. Chavez Navarrete is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Universidad de Valparaiso. His research focuses on neuromodulation of synaptic transmission in physiological and pathological contexts, particularly in retinal and neuropsychiatric disorders. He holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D., though specific institutional details are not provided in the text.

Research Interests: Dr. Chavez Navarrete investigates how endogenous neuromodulators (e.g., endocannabinoids, serotonin, dopamine) regulate excitatory and inhibitory synapses in retinal, hippocampal, and prefrontal cortex circuits. His lab combines electrophysiology, optogenetics, and in vivo techniques to study mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and dysfunction in disorders like retinal degeneration and OCD. Key areas include cannabinoid signaling in retinal vision processing, serotonin modulation of cognitive processes, and TRPV1 channel roles in synaptic dysfunction.

Publications Highlight: Recent work explores non-canonical CB1 receptor roles in night vision (2024), adenosine/A2A signaling in hippocampal LTP (2024), and EAAT3’s role in OCD-related behaviors (2019). These studies underscore his focus on linking cellular mechanisms to systemic neurological and psychiatric outcomes.

Labs/Teams: His lab at Universidad de Valparaiso integrates interdisciplinary approaches to unravel how neuromodulators shape synaptic communication, aiming to bridge basic mechanisms with translational insights into disease pathophysiology.