Position Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Mayra Torres is a dedicated postdoctoral research fellow working in the Gray Lab, where she explores the synaptic plasticity changes induced by psychedelics and their potential therapeutic applications in neuropsychiatric disorders. She holds a B.S. in psychology, an M.S. in neuropharmacology and experimental therapeutics, and a Ph.D. in biomedical science from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. In her current research, Dr. Torres is working to understand the synaptic, cellular, and circuit effects of psychedelics on the claustrum, an enigmatic brain region associated with consciousness. Previously, she studied the chronic effects of inhalant abuse, a common problem among low-income populations in Mexico, on synaptic transmission in the prefrontal cortex. In addition, she has studied the synaptic and behavioral changes associated with the prefrontal-hippocampus circuit in animal models for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Torres is passionate about teaching and science communication.
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional - M.Sc. in Neuropharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2016)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Institute of Neurobiology - Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (2023)
- PAPIIT (Research and Technological Innovation Support Program) UNAM Project Award – 2022
- CONACYT (National Science and Technology Council) graduate fellowship (PhD) – 2018-2022
- CONACYT (National Science and Technology Council) graduate fellowship (MSc) – 2014-2016
- Basic and applied psychological and pharmacological research
- Neuropsychopharmacology
- Neuronal electrophysiology
- Behavioral analysis
- Torres-Flores M, Peña-Ortega F (2022). Amyloid beta alters prefrontal-dependent functions along with its excitability and synaptic plasticity in male rats. Neuroscience, 498: 260-279. (doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.006)
- Méndez-Salcido FA, Torres-Flores M, Ordaz B, and Peña-Ortega F (2022). Abnormal innate and learned behavior induced by neuron-microglia miscommunication is related to CA3 reconfiguration. Glia, 70(9): 1630-1651. (doi.org/10.1002/glia.24185)
- Cruz SL, Torres-Flores M, Galván EJ (2019). Repeated toluene exposure alters the synaptic transmission of layer 5 medial prefrontal cortex. Neurotoxicol Teratol, 73: 9-14. (doi.org/10.1016/j.ntt.2019.02.002)