An article authored by a team from CNC-UC, led by the reseracher Rui O. Costa, was featured on the cover of the May issue of Brain, one of the world’s most prestigious journals in neurology and neuroscience.

This publication represents a significant scientific achievement and further strengthens the international recognition of the research conducted at CNC-UC.

The article, entitled “RNArchitects: how hnRNPs shape neuronal landscapes”, is a review that examines the role of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) in neuronal RNA biology and explores how alterations in these proteins contribute to a wide range of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy, and related neurological conditions, as well as the rare HNRNPH2-related neurodevelopmental disorder (HNRNPH2-RNDD).

By integrating current knowledge in the field, the review provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders and aims to support future advances in neuroscience research and therapeutic strategies.

The article was authored by Afonso Lourinho (first author), Marta Silva, Emanuel Tahiri, Ana Pinto, Ana Beatriz Caniceiro, Irina Moreira, and Carlos B. Duarte, under the senior authorship of Rui O. Costa.

The study was supported by national funding agencies, particularly Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), as well as the Liga Portuguesa Contra a Epilepsia, whose Scientific Incentive Grant 2022 enabled the launch of this line of research.