As a postdoctoral researcher, my work centers on uncovering the molecular drivers of age-related cognitive decline using both mouse models and human induced neurons. I investigate how pharmacological modulation of autophagy influences dorsal hippocampal–dependent memory across ageing in mice, with the goal of identifying mechanisms that preserve cognitive function. In parallel, I study the regulation of neuronal primary cilia in human neurons and how its disruption may contribute to neurodegenerative processes associated with ageing. I also examine how ageing impacts autophagy and proteostasis within the dorsal hippocampus, and how these changes relate to the decline of hippocampal-dependent memory. Together, these projects aim to clarify the role of proteostasis, autophagy and cyclogenesis in neuronal signaling pathways that shape cognitive ageing.

Education

Bachelor’s in Biology: National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico

Master’s in Science: National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico

Doctoral degree in molecular biology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany

Publications

Miguel del Ángel, A. Tsutiya, A. Hayani, D. Madencioglu, E. Kul, G. Caliskan, Y. Demiray, A. Dityatev & O. Stork. 2025. The Serine/Threonine Kinase NDR2 Regulates Integrin Signaling, Synapse Formation, and Synaptic Plasticity in the Hippocampus. J Neurochem. DOI: 10.1111/jnc.70094

Evangelia Pollali, Daniel Frías Donaire, Miguel del Ángel, Yunus Emre Demiray, Sara Enrile Lacalle, Jan-Oliver Hollnagel, Anil Annamneedi & Gürsel Çalışkan. 2025.  Aberrant hippocampal gamma oscillations in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome: Insights from in vitro slice models. Molecular Autism. In press.

Gürsel Çalışkan , Sara Enrile Lacalle , Emre Kul , Miguel del Ángel , Allison Loaiza Zambrano , Renate Hukema , Mónica Santos , Oliver Stork. 2025. Modelling fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders in young inducible 90CGG premutation mice. Brain. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaf203

Miguel del Ángel, Kevin Jonishkies, Yunus Demiray, Allison Loaiza & Oliver Stork. 2024. The NDR family of kinases: essential regulators of ageing. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 17:1371086. DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1371086

Miguel del Ángel, Ndr2 deficiency prevents spatial memory decline and proteostasis alterations in the ageing hippocampus, Doctoral dissertation, Otto-von-Guericke University, Uni-Halle repository.

Katharina Klinger, Miguel del Ángel, Gürsel Çalışkan & Oliver. 2023. Increasing NPYergic transmission in the hippocampus rescues aging-related deficits of long-term potentiation in the mouse dentate gyrus. Front. Aging Neurosci. 15:1283581. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1283581

Ahsan Raza, Katharina Klinger, Miguel del Angel, Yunus Demiray, Gürsel Çalışkan, Michael Kreutz & Oliver Stork, 2022. Fear engrams and NPYergic circuit in the dorsal dentate gyrus determine remote fear memory generalization. Preprint, BioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.26.489543

Çalışkan, Gürsel, French, T., Lacalle, S., Del Angel, M., Steffen, J., Heimesaat, Markus., Dunay, Idilko., Stork, O. Antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis leads to activation of microglia and impairment of cholinergic gamma oscillations in the hippocampus. 2022. Brain, Behaviour and Immunity. 99: 203 – 217.

Anil Annamneedi, Miguel del Angel, Eckart Gundelfinger, Oliver Stork, & Gürsel Çalışkan. The Presynaptic Scaffold Protein Bassoon in Forebrain Excitatory Neurons Mediates Hippocampal Circuit Maturation: Potential Involvement of TrkB Signalling. 2021. 22-15: 7944. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22157944