Dr. Alexei Verkhratsky stands as a preeminent scholar whose groundbreaking work has reshaped our understanding of neuroglial function in the central nervous system. He currently serves as an Ikerbasque Research Professor and Adjunct Scientific Director at the Achucarro Basque Centre for Neuroscience in Bilbao, a position he has held since 2012 following his appointment to the Basque Research Council. His distinguished academic career includes previous roles as an Honorary Visitor Professor at Kyushu University in Japan from 2011 to 2017, alongside prestigious appointments as Distinguished Professor at Jinan University and Honorary Professor at China Medical University of Shenyang. Holding both PhD and D.Sc. credentials, Dr. Verkhratsky has established himself as a leading authority in cellular neurophysiology with international recognition.
Dr. Verkhratsky pioneered the emerging field of neurogliopathology, characterizing astroglial asthenia and paralysis as key pathogenetic mechanisms in age-dependent neurodegenerative diseases. His seminal discoveries have fundamentally transformed neuroscience by establishing the critical role of neuroglia in brain function, challenging the long-held neuron-centric paradigm. He conducted the first comprehensive analysis of astrocytic structure and function in the aging brain, revealing regional differences in astroglial morphology that range from cytoskeleton hypertrophy to atrophy. His research demonstrated that large astrocyte populations negative to classical GFAP markers but positive for glutamine synthetase or S100B protein do not exhibit hypertrophic changes in aged brains, proving that brain senescence is not associated with widespread astrogliosis. Through a series of highly influential conceptual papers, he has delineated the fundamental principles of glial physiology and pathophysiology, providing the theoretical framework that has guided the rapid expansion of this crucial neuroscience subfield.
As Editor-in-Chief of Cell Calcium and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Cell Death & Disease, Dr. Verkhratsky significantly shapes scholarly discourse in cellular neuroscience while serving on multiple editorial boards including Pflugers Archiv and Acta Physiologica. His leadership extends to prestigious academic institutions where he serves as Vice-President of Academia Europaea, member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and member of Spain's Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia among other distinguished academies. He has authored foundational textbooks on neuroglial physiology and pathophysiology published in 2007 and 2013, which remain the only comprehensive didactic resources on this subject. Dr. Verkhratsky continues to advance our understanding of neuroglia in health and disease, with his visionary work increasingly informing therapeutic approaches to neurodegenerative conditions and establishing new paradigms in neuroscience research.
