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Our lab studies how hormones and metabolism shape the brain as we age, and why these changes can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. A large part of this work is about making sense of complex biological data.
That is where you come in.
We are looking to host a student through Erasmus programme with an interest or some experience in big data and machine learning, who would like to apply these skills to a real biological question. You would help us explore the metabolic and neuroendocrine changes that happen with ageing and disease, working with rich datasets that span from molecules to human data.
You do not need to have done all of this before. What matters most is curiosity, a willingness to learn, and an interest in using data to understand the brain.
You would join a friendly and international team, working at the meeting point of biology, data science and brain health, on questions that really matter for people's lives.
🧠If this sounds like you, or someone you know, we would be glad to hear from you. Please email George.Barreto@ul.ie.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is often discussed through its classical hallmarks: amyloid-β and tau. Yet long before extensive neurodegeneration, the brain already shows profound changes in how it uses and manages energy.
Brain hypometabolism is one of the earliest functional alterations observed in AD, with reduced glucose utilisation detectable during prodromal stages. Alongside this, mitochondrial dysfunction, altered bioenergetics and increased oxidative stress suggest that the problem extends beyond glucose availability alone.
The emerging picture is therefore more complex than simply a brain that is “running out of energy.”
Increasing evidence points towards metabolic inflexibility: a reduced ability of brain cells to adapt energy production and substrate utilisation to changing demands and cellular stress.
And this is why studying metabolism in AD matters.
If metabolic dysfunction emerges before substantial pathology, it could provide a window into the early biology of disease, helping us understand when metabolic adaptation becomes failure, why some cells become vulnerable, and whether this process can still be modified.
🔬 The challenge now is to understand whether metabolic dysfunction is a driver, a consequence, or part of a dynamic feedback loop in AD progression.
#AlzheimersDisease #Neuroscience #BrainMetabolism #Mitochondria #Neurodegeneration #MetabolicHealth #BarretoLab
We're delighted to celebrate Ella's successful completion of her Science and Engineering Summer Bursary at the University of Limerick, where she spent the summer as part of the Barreto Lab.
Over the past two months, Ella explored astrocyte responses to amyloid-β in an in vitro model of Alzheimer's disease while gaining hands-on experience in cell culture, qPCR, and Seahorse metabolic analysis. More importantly, she embraced the curiosity, resilience, and critical thinking that are at the heart of scientific research.
In Ella's own words:
"My time in Barreto Lab over the summer has given me the opportunity to immerse myself in a working research laboratory, gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the truly fascinating field of neuroscience... I leave here with a newfound respect for the world of research, which I would love to remain a part of in my future career."
A huge congratulations to Ella on all she has accomplished, and thank you for your hard work and positive energy throughout the summer. We also thank the Science and Engineering Summer Bursary programme at the University of Limerick for supporting undergraduate research opportunities.
We wish Ella every success in her future studies and look forward to seeing where her scientific journey takes her!
#UniversityOfLimerick #SummerBursary #UndergraduateResearch #Neuroscience #AlzheimersResearch
Say the word testosterone, and most people picture muscle mass or libido. But this hormone also plays a quiet, essential role inside the brain.
In the brain, it binds to androgen receptors in regions involved in memory, emotion, and decision-making, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. There, it supports neuronal survival, helps regulate neuroinflammation, and contributes to cognitive function and emotional well-being.
Its story doesn't end there.
Within the brain, the enzyme aromatase can convert testosterone into estradiol, allowing testosterone to exert some of its effects through estrogen signaling. Rather than acting as separate systems, these hormones are part of an interconnected network that helps maintain brain health.
In the Barreto Lab, we often explore how declining estradiol contributes to brain ageing and neurodegeneration. But understanding the ageing brain requires looking beyond a single hormone. Testosterone, and its interactions with estradiol, also shapes how the brain ages, helping explain why women and men can follow different trajectories of cognitive ageing and disease vulnerability.
#Neuroscience #BrainResearch #Testosterone
When we think about menopause, we usually think about hot flushes or hormonal changes.
But one of the biggest changes happens somewhere we can't see: the brain's energy supply.
The brain consumes around 20% of the body's energy, and that energy depends on mitochondria. Research now suggests this system is closely regulated by ovarian hormones.
Experimental studies show that estrogen and progesterone help maintain mitochondrial respiration, support electron transport chain activity, and reduce oxidative stress. When these hormones decline, brain mitochondria become less efficient at producing energy.
Human brain imaging tells a similar story.
During the menopausal transition, women show reduced glucose metabolism in brain regions that are particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, these metabolic changes are linked more closely to reproductive stage than to chronological age alone. Some studies have even detected these energetic shifts alongside early amyloid-β deposition and structural brain changes before clinical symptoms appear.
This doesn't mean menopause causes Alzheimer's disease.
It does suggest that the menopausal transition represents a period of altered brain bioenergetics one: that may increase vulnerability in some women and deserves much greater attention.
Understanding how hormones shape mitochondrial function could help explain why Alzheimer's disease affects women differently, and why the biology of aging cannot be understood by studying one sex alone.
#Neuroscience #Mitochondria #Menopause #AlzheimersDisease #BrainHealth #WomenHealth #Neurobiology
When people hear estradiol, they usually think of reproduction. But one of its most remarkable roles is in the brain.
Far from being "just a sex hormone," estradiol helps neurons communicate, strengthens synaptic connections that underlie learning and memory, supports mitochondrial energy production, promotes neuronal survival, and contributes to mood regulation. In other words, it helps the brain stay adaptable, resilient, and energetically efficient.
One of the most striking aspects of brain ageing is that estradiol is also one of the first major neuroprotective signals to decline. During menopause, this hormonal shift coincides with changes in brain metabolism, cognition, and inflammatory responses, and is thought to contribute to the increased risk of Alzheimer's disease observed in women.
While estradiol is not the sole driver of these processes, understanding how this single molecule influences so many aspects of brain function is helping researchers uncover new mechanisms of healthy ageing and identify potential therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
💡 Sometimes, one molecule can influence an entire network.
#OneMoleculeOneMinute #Estradiol #Neuroscience #BrainHealth #Neurobiology #Mitochondria #SynapticPlasticity #Menopause #AlzheimersDisease #HealthyAgeing
