Thanks to this prestigious contract awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Diego Lozano is leading an innovative study on binocular rivalry, a phenomenon in which the brain automatically “switches” between two ambiguous images presented to each eye. "Our aim is to determine whether a mathematical formula developed by a collaborator from UPF, the lecturer Rubén Moreno-Bote, can predict perceptual switching times and whether this variation is reflected in specific patterns of brain activity recorded via electroencephalography,” explains Lozano. "This breakthrough could open the door to new diagnostic and treatment strategies for patients with amblyopia and other visual disorders."  To do this, Lozano and his team, in collaboration with Dr José Lamarca, ophthalmologist and lecturer in the Department of Medicine, are working with patients at Clínica Barraquer to translate these findings into clinical practice. 

At the same time, Lozano is pursuing another line of research, this time alongside Albert Pérez, a researcher in the Department of Medicine. In this project, Lozano explores the application of the same techniques to tactile perception using stimulators applied to the hands and wrists. "We want to analyse how patients with carpal tunnel syndrome perceive sensory stimuli and assess whether these variations could serve as indicators of disease progression and treatment effectiveness,” notes the Ramón y Cajal researcher. This study will also involve lecturer Salva Soto-Faraco, an ICREA researcher at UPF.

Diego Lozano holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Neurosciences from the University of Barcelona. He obtained his PhD from Radboud Nijmegen University in the Netherlands, where he used magnetoencephalography techniques to analyse brain activity in cognitive processes.

His postdoctoral career has led him to renowned international centres. At the Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CNRS, Toulouse) he studied the role of alpha oscillations in visual perception. Later, at the Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), he investigated the dynamics of electroencephalogram in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. He also worked at the CTB-UPM Center for Biomedical Technology, where he studied the interaction between the hippocampus and amygdala in memory formation through intracranial recordings in epilepsy patients.

In the business field, he has developed his career in the biotech sector with projects in the company Neuroelectrics, focused on the simulation of digital twins of the brain to optimise protocols of brain stimulation in epilepsy, and in Telefónica Innovación Digital, where he led an awareness framework based on artificial intelligence for the development of adaptive information visualisation systems.

UIC Barcelona currently has five researchers on Ramón y Cajal contracts, one of the most prestigious and competitive funding calls in Spain, awarded to researchers with outstanding careers.