ABSTRACT
Cognition plays a vital role in survival and reproduction, yet individuals often differ in their cognitive abilities. Understanding how these differences arise is a central question in cognitive ecology. A growing body of research suggests that early-life conditions can shape cognitive development by influencing brain structure and function.

In reptiles, glucocorticoids (GCs) — stress-related hormones — and temperature are known to have significant effects on neural and cognitive development. Both factors are powerful determinants of developmental rate and metabolic activity in ectotherms, with known effects on neurogenesis and brain plasticity. Furthermore, thermal conditions can modulate stress physiology and GCs concentration, suggesting that these two factors may not act independently.

In my thesis, I investigated the combined influence of prenatal corticosterone (CORT) — the primary GC in reptiles — and incubation temperature on cognition in two species of skink. Through a series of behavioural experiments and physiological analyses, I examined the impact of prenatal CORT and incubation temperature on learning and perception, as well as the neural mechanisms underlying these cognitive processes.

BIOGRAPHY
I studied biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain) from 2011 to 2015, where I started developing a scientific interest in herpetology and animal behaviour. In 2017, I completed my Master’s in Biodiversity, Evolution, and Conservation at the Universitat de Valencia (Spain), conducting a research project on the phenology of various species of Amphibians in a Mediterranean ecosystem.

After completing my Master’s, I returned to Madrid and started working in the National Natural Sciences Museum on several projects on the behaviour of alpine and fossorial reptiles. I remained in Madrid until 2022, when I was awarded a PhD Scholarship at the Australian National University (ANU) where I am currently researching reptile cognition and physiology.