Prof. Dr. José Berciano | Neuroscience | Best Researcher Award
Honorary Emeritus Professor, University of Cantabria, Spain
Prof. Dr. José Berciano is a distinguished neurologist and researcher at the University of Cantabria, Spain, with a career spanning over four decades in clinical neurology, research and teaching. He obtained his Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Zaragoza (1962–1968) and completed his postgraduate training in Neurology at Clínica Puerta de Hierro, Madrid (1969–1973), under the mentorship of Dr. Alberto Gimeno Álava. He earned his doctoral degree in 1978 from the University of the Basque Country with a thesis on “New Contributions to the Clinical and Pathological Understanding of Olivo-Ponto-Cerebellar Atrophy,” which introduced a classification system distinguishing hereditary and sporadic forms. Prof. Dr. José Berciano’s professional experience includes serving as Head of the Neurology Department at Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (1974–2015), where he established the Peripheral Nerve Histopathology Laboratory and the Neurogenetics Laboratory, fostering advanced genetic analyses, immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy for the study of neurodegenerative and hereditary disorders. His research interests encompass hereditary ataxias and paraplegias, Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, Guillain–Barré syndrome, stroke, Chiari malformation, Sneddon syndrome, multiple sclerosis and ALS. Prof. Dr. José Berciano has authored 516 publications with 15,952 citations and an h-index of 59, supervised 20 doctoral theses, contributed to 70 books or book chapters and led 17 competitive research projects, often collaborating internationally with research teams across Europe and the USA. His research skills include neurogenetics, clinical neurophysiology, neuropathology, epidemiology and translational neuroscience. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Holmes’ Prize of Ataxia, Galien Prize for Best Research Laboratory, Scientific Awards from the Spanish Society of Neurology and Honorary Membership of SEN. Prof. Dr. José Berciano is highly deserving of recognition for his seminal contributions to neurology, leadership in research and education, mentorship of future neurologists and ongoing potential to advance high-impact, internationally collaborative neuroscience studies.
Featured Publications
1. Schmitz-Hubsch, T., Du Montcel, S. T., Baliko, L., Berciano, J., Boesch, S., et al. (2006). Scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia: Development of a new clinical scale. Neurology, 66(11), 1717–1720.
2. Healy, D. G., Falchi, M., O’Sullivan, S. S., Bonifati, V., Durr, A., Bressman, S., et al. (2008). Phenotype, genotype, and worldwide genetic penetrance of LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s disease: A case-control study. The Lancet Neurology, 7(7), 583–590.
3. Fanciulli, A., & Wenning, G. K. (2015). Multiple-system atrophy. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(3), 249–263.
4. Querol, L., Nogales-Gadea, G., Rojas-Garcia, R., Diaz-Manera, J., Pardo, J., et al. (2014). Neurofascin IgG4 antibodies in CIDP associate with disabling tremor and poor response to IVIg. Neurology, 82(10), 879–886.
5. Pascual, J., Iglesias, F., Oterino, A., Vazquez-Barquero, A., & Berciano, J. (1996). Cough, exertional, and sexual headaches: An analysis of 72 benign and symptomatic cases. Neurology, 46(6), 1520–1524.