Carlos Portera-Cailliau, MD, PhD
- Movement Disorders Neurology|
- Neurology
About
Dr. Portera-Cailliau was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. He obtained a B.A. in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from U.C. San Diego in 1990. He then attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and obtained an MD-PhD degree in 1997.
After completing a residency in Neurology at The Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, where he was Chief Resident in 2001, Dr. Portera-Cailliau moved to Columbia University for a movement disorders fellowship under Dr. Stanley Fahn. He also completed post-doctoral fellowships at Columbia and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
He joined the UCLA faculty in 2005, where he leads an NIH-funded laboratory that investigates the circuit basis of neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and intellecutual disability. He has joint appointments in the Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology. He attends the movement disorders clinic on Fridays.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degrees
Recognitions
- HÉROE award, Fundación Querer, Madrid, Spain, 2024
- Golden Test Tube Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Classroom or Laboratory, UCLA, 2023, 2025
- Undergraduate Research Week Faculty Mentor Award, UCLA, 2020
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Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
- Neocortical development
- Circuit basis of neurodevelopmental condtions (Autism, Fragile X Syndrome)
- Sensory processing, perceptual learning
Publications
In the News
- Brain Development Research: The Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau Lab (UCLA Neurology YouTube)
- Timing is key in treating sensory traits in fragile X (Spectrum News; By Angie Voyles, 11 July 2022)
- Misfiring visual cells may underlie key sensory problem in fragile X (Spectrum News; By Nicholette Zeliadt, 17 October 2018)
- Hyperactive brain cells could be early hint of autism (Los Angeles Times; By Geoffrey Mohan, 3 June 2013)
- Scientists flash videos of brain development in fragile X (Spectrum News; By Virginia Hughes, 30 July 2010)
- Fragile X mice marked by immature synapses (Spectrum News; By Virginia Hughes, 21 October 2009)
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- L.A. Care
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
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Recognitions
- HÉROE award, Fundación Querer, Madrid, Spain, 2024
- Golden Test Tube Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Classroom or Laboratory, UCLA, 2023, 2025
- Undergraduate Research Week Faculty Mentor Award, UCLA, 2020
- John Merck Fund Translational Research Program Award, 2015
- Steven C. Gordon Family Chair in Parkinson’s Disease Research, DGSOM, UCLA, 2013
- SFARI Dynamics of Neural Circuits Award (Simons Foundation), 2013
- Elected Fellow of the American Neurological Association, 2011
- Stein-Oppenheimer Endowment Award, 2010
- March of Dimes Award, 2005
- Dana Foundation Award – Brain and Immuno-imaging, 2005
- Menek Goldstein Award - National Parkinson Foundation, 2001
- Resident Teaching Award (Neurology), Harvard Medical School, 2001
- 2000-2001: Chief Resident in Neurology, Partners Health Care System, 2000-2001
- 1986: Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude, UC San Diego, 1986