creating a
healthier future
Hélder Cruz
Associate Researcher

Cardoso-Cruz H is a researcher at the i3S and Oporto Medicine Faculty (FMUP). His research interest is the relationship between pain and cognitive functions, namely the prefrontal-hippocampus dynamics during working-memory processing. His research involves an interdisciplinary approach, combining in-vivo electrophysiology techniques, behavior evaluation, optogenetics brain stimulation, development of analytical tools for the study of neuronal dynamics, and design and implementation of algorithms for decoding neuronal data. 

Selected Publications

Cardoso-Cruz H., Lima D., Galhardo V.
Impaired spatial memory performance in a rat model of neuropathic pain is associated with reduced hippocampus-prefrontal cortex connectivity. Journal of Neuroscience33(6):2465-2480, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 104] [IF: 6,7]
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5197-12.2013 SCOPUS: 84873294842

Cardoso-Cruz H., Sousa M., Vieira J.B., Lima D., Galhardo V.
Prefrontal cortex and mediodorsal thalamus reduced connectivity is associated with spatial working memory impairment in rats with inflammatory pain. Pain154(11):2397-2406, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 70] [IF: 5,8]
DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.07.020 SCOPUS: 84886313692

Cardoso-Cruz H., Dourado M., Monteiro C., Matos M.R., Galhardo V.
Activation of dopaminergic D2/D3 receptors modulates dorsoventral connectivity in the hippocampus and reverses the impairment of working memory after nerve injury. Journal of Neuroscience34(17):5861-5873, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 6,3]
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0021-14.2014 SCOPUS: 84899483174

Cardoso-Cruz H., Paiva P., Monteiro C., Galhardo V.
Selective optogenetic inhibition of medial prefrontal glutamatergic neurons reverses working memory deficits induced by neuropathic pain. Pain160(4):805-823, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 17] [IF: 5,5]
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001457 SCOPUS: 85063251954

Monteiro C., Cardoso-Cruz H., Matos M., Dourado M., Lima D., Galhardo V.
Increased fronto-hippocampal connectivity in the Prrxl1 knockout mouse model of congenital hypoalgesia. Pain157(9):2045-2056, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 5,4]
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000611 SCOPUS: 84984605078

Silva A., Cardoso-Cruz H., Silva F., Galhardo V., Antunes L.
Comparison of anesthetic depth indexes based on thalamocortical local field potentials in rats. Anesthesiology112(2):355-363, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 59] [IF: 5,5]
DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181ca3196 SCOPUS: 77449114783

Cardoso-Cruz H., Paiva P., Monteiro C., Galhardo V.
Bidirectional optogenetic modulation of prefrontal-hippocampal connectivity in pain-related working memory deficits. Scientific Reports9(1):, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 18] [IF: 4]
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47555-0 SCOPUS: 85069907317

Alemi M., Pereira A.R., Cerqueira-Nunes M., Monteiro C., Galhardo V., Cardoso-Cruz H.
Role of Glutamatergic Projections from Lateral Habenula to Ventral Tegmental Area in Inflammatory Pain-Related Spatial Working Memory Deficits. Biomedicines11(3):, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 6] [IF: 4,7 (*)]
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030820 SCOPUS: 85151966729

Cardoso-Cruz H., Laranjeira I., Monteiro C., Galhardo V.
Altered prefrontal-striatal theta-band oscillatory dynamics underlie working memory deficits in neuropathic pain rats. European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom)26(7):1546-1568, 2022. [Journal: Article] [CI: 7] [IF: 3,6]
DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1982 SCOPUS: 85130800017

Rodrigues D., Monteiro C., Cardoso-Cruz H., Galhardo V.
Altered Brain Expression of DNA Methylation and Hydroxymethylation Epigenetic Enzymes in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain. International Journal of Molecular Sciences24(8):, 2023. [Journal: Article] [CI: 7] [IF: 4.9]
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087305 SCOPUS: 85156227212

Cerqueira-Nunes M., Monteiro C., Galhardo V., Cardoso-Cruz H.
Orbitostriatal encoding of reward delayed gratification and impulsivity in chronic pain. Brain Research1839:, 2024. [Journal: Review] [IF: 2.7 (*)]
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.149044 SCOPUS: 85194376489

Pereira A.R., Alemi M., Cerqueira-Nunes M., Monteiro C., Galhardo V., Cardoso-Cruz H.
Dynamics of Lateral Habenula–Ventral Tegmental Area Microcircuit on Pain-Related Cognitive Dysfunctions. Neurology International15(4):1303-1319, 2023. [Journal: Review] [CI: 1] [IF: 3 (*)]
DOI: 10.3390/neurolint15040082 SCOPUS: 85180650555

Cardoso-Cruz H., Monteiro C., Galhardo V.
Reorganization of lateral habenula neuronal connectivity underlies pain-related impairment in spatial memory encoding. Pain:, 2024. [Journal: Article] [IF: 5.9 (*)]
DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003493 SCOPUS: 85212865852

Cardoso-Cruz H., Lima D., Galhardo V.
Instability of spatial encoding by CA1 hippocampal place cells after peripheral nerve injury. European Journal of Neuroscience33(12):2255-2264, 2011. [Journal: Article] [CI: 22] [IF: 3,6]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07721.x SCOPUS: 80955180955