The main research interests of the lab include the anatomy of ventral circuits of the basal ganglia in normal function, and also in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Ongoing research specifically examines, on the one hand, the cellular substrate of the interaction between the ventral pallidum and the pedunculopontine nucleus at the ultrastructural level, as well as the collateralization patterns of the pallidotegmental projection in the rat. This projection is part of the cortico-striato-pallido-pontine circuits, which seem to be altered in some neuropathologies such as Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease, or neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. In addition, we are also investigating the anatomical and neurochemical characterization of the normal human ventral striatum and substantia nigra. Our methods include tracer injections, extracellular recording, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent techniques and electron microscopy processing.