Research
In my project Decoding Time in the Brain: Striatal Subpopulations Dynamics in Perceptual and Motor Timing (DECOTIMED1D2), I study how the brain keeps track of time and uses this information to guide movement. Unlike our senses, we do not have a specific organ for perceiving time; instead, timing emerges from the coordinated activity of several brain regions that help us plan, act, and adapt.
A central part of this system is the striatum, a deep brain structure that lays a key role in both timing and movement. Recent findings show that, in addition to the two well‑known neuronal types traditionally described in this region, the striatum also contains a third population with distinct properties. These three groups of neurons may contribute in different ways to how we perceive time and control our actions. In DECOTIMED1D2, I investigate how these neuronal populations work together to support both the experience of time and the execution of actions that depend on precise timing.
Many neurological and psychiatric conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, schizophrenia, and certain forms of ataxia, disrupt the brain’s ability to time actions and control movement. By clarifying how these processes work in the healthy brain, DECOTIMED1D2 seeks to contribute to future strategies for improving diagnosis, rehabilitation, and treatment in disorders where timing and motor control are affected.
Biography
I am a medical doctor and neuroscientist from Zacatecas, Mexico, fascinated by how the brain keeps track of time and transforms it into coordinated movement. This fascination has taken me from clinical practice to research labs in Mexico, Canada, and now Belgium. I hope that advancing our understanding of these neural processes will ultimately help improve the lives of people living with neurological or psychiatric conditions that affect timing and motor control.
Publications
- Preconfigured cortico-thalamic neural dynamics constrain movement-associated thalamic activity. González-Pereyra P, Sanchez-Lobato O, Martínez-Montalvo MG, Ortega-Romero DI, Pérez-Díaz CI, Merchant H, Tellez LA, Rueda-Orozco PE. Nature Communications. 2024; 15(1):10185. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54742-9.
- The interactions of temporal and sensory representations in the basal ganglia. Rueda-Orozco PE, Hidalgo-Balbuena AE, González-Pereyra P, Martínez-Montalvo MG, Báez-Cordero AS. Neurobiology of Interval Timing
- Amyloid‑β and phosphorylated‑tau accumulation in retrosplenial cortex of young Alzheimer’s disease model: Impact on network activity.García‑Carlos CA, Salas‑Gallardo A, González‑Pereyra P, Basurto‑Islas G, et al. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2026; 110(2):576–587. doi:10.3233/JAD-240123.
- The central medial thalamic nucleus facilitates bilateral movement execution in rats Luma AY, Perez CI, Pimentel-Farfan AK, Báez-Cordero AS, González-Pereyra P, Pimentel-Farfán AK, Báez-Cordero AS, Rueda-Orozco PE. Neuroscience. 2022; 499:118–129. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.024.
- Phosphorylation of tau protein correlates with early changes in hippocampal theta oscillations and reduces hippocampal excitability. Mondragón‑Rodríguez S, Salas‑Gallardo A, González‑Pereyra P, García‑Sierra F, Mena‑Muñoz J, Florán‑Garduño E, Luna‑Muñoz J.
- Characterizing the hippocampal theta’s response to carbachol using a complete septohippocampal preparation. García‑Méndez KM, Macías M, González‑Pereyra P, Salas‑Gallardo A, Mondragón‑Rodríguez S. Mexican Journal of Biomedical Engineering. 2016.
- Early postnatal thalamic circuit dysfunction drives tactile hyposensitivity in Shank3b mutant mice. Mejía‑Ortiz R, Martínez‑Montalvo M, González‑Pereyra P, Palomero‑Rivero M, Ramírez‑Jarquin U, Rueda‑Orozco PE, López‑Huerta VG Under revision.
Outreach activities
• Invited public talks on neuroscience, movement and cannabinoids effects on movement.
– Cannabis and Movement (Women in STEAM, 2021)
– Parkinson: A History in Movement (Science Tuesdays, UAZ, 2020)
– The Cannabis Effect (UAT, 2020)
– The GPS of Our Brain (Brain Awareness Week, 2017)
– How to Build a Brain? (EXPOCYTEQ/CONACYT, 2016)
• Science communication work
– Science Communicator, Grupo Quark, Science Museum UAZ (2009–2016)
• Science popularization workshops
– INGENIALIDADES Program, UASLP (Instructor, 2013)
– Written Science Communication Workshop, UAZ (2010)
Popular Science Books (co‑author)
• Para jugar con la ciencia y la tecnología
English title: Playing with Science and Technology García Guerrero M, Sandoval BM, Ramos Rambaud EA, Servín González LS, González Pereyra P, Esparza Manrique V. (2014). TEXERE Editorial. ISBN‑13: 978‑6078028405.
• Para jugar a ser científicos
English title: Playing at Being Scientists Silveria Segui F, Rodríguez Pinedo A de las M, Sandoval BM, Bernal Miranda D, Raudales Hernández D, Ramos Rambaud EA, Garcia Guerrero M, González Pereyra P, Esparza Manrique V. (2015). Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay, Espacio Ciencia. ISBN impreso: 978‑9974‑8500‑9‑5; ISBN digital: 978‑9974‑8530‑0‑3.