The research at Huertas lab is focused on the fascinating world of chemical communication and olfactory processes in fish. Specially, we aim to uncover how external chemical signals (pheromones, chemical cues, pollutants) are detected and affect the fish nose, how that information is integrated in the brain, and how it is translated into activation of the endocrine axis that initiates a specific physiological process (reproduction, behavior, etc). To achieve our goals, we use several techniques that we have refined, including electrophysiology, protein biochemistry (to investigate the morphology and physiology of elements of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gland axis), histology and molecular procedures. Our goal is to advance the understanding of the vertebrate olfactory process and provide new tools for managing of fish populations.