Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology
Director of Academic Support
Course Director, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

Dr. Yerko Berrocal joined FIU's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) in 2010 as Assistant Professor at the Department of Cellular Biology & Pharmacology. He also serves as the Director of Academic Support and as the Course Director of the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems course at the HWCOM.  A native of Chile, Dr. Berrocal received his medical degree from The Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil Medical School in 2001.  He continued his studies at The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as a Neuroscience post-doctoral associate at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis where he expanded his work in the spinal cord injury (SCI) field. Among other projects, Dr. Berrocal was involved in studies required by the FDA for the approval of a phase 1 clinical trial to test the transplantation of autologous human Schwann cells in patients with SCI.  His areas of research include the development of cellular transplantation strategies to repair injuries within both the human central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as the development of novel treatment strategies to improve sensory system recovery, particularly neuropathic pain after SCI.  His most recent research projects focused on the transplantation of Schwann cells within a collagen tube for the repair of large segmental peripheral nerve defects and on the neuromodulation of central inhibition as implications for behavioral hypersensitivity after contusive SCI.  Dr. Berrocal has also published numerous scientific papers and presented his work at various national and international meetings and conferences. Over the years, Dr. Berrocal has mentored several undergraduate as well as graduate students in the health sciences.  He is currently a member of the Society for Neuroscience and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Recent Publications:
· Eaton MJ, Berrocal Y, Wolfe SQ, Widerström-Noga E.  Review of the history and current status of cell transplant approaches for the management of neuropathic pain. Pain Research and Treatment Journal 2012; 2012:263972. Epub 2012 Jun 14.

· Eaton MJ, Berrocal Y, Wolfe SQ. Potential for cell-transplant therapy with human neuronal precursors to treat neuropathic pain in models of PNS and CNS injury: comparison of hNT2.17 and hNT2.19 cell lines. Pain Research and Treatment Journal, 2012; 2012;356412. Epub 2012 Apr 24                        

· Eaton MJ, Pearse DD, McBroom JS, Berrocal YA. The combination of human neuronal serotonergic cell implants and environmental enrichment after contusive SCI improves motor recovery over each  individual strategy. Behav Brain Res. 2008 Dec 12; 194(2):236-41. Epub 2008 Jul 11.

· Berrocal Y, Pearse DD, Singh A, Andrade CM, McBroom JS, Puentes R, Eaton MJ.  Social and environmental enrichment improves sensory and motor recovery after severe contusive spinal cord injury in the rat. J Neurotrauma. 2007 Nov; 24(11): 1761-72.

· Wolfe SQ, Garg M, Cumberbatch NM, Furst C, Martinez M, Hernandez M, Reimers R, Berrocal Y, Gomez-Marin O, Eaton MJ. Optimizing the transplant dose of a human neuronal cell line graft to treat SCI pain in the rat. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Mar 6; 414 (2): 121-5. Epub 2007 Jan 31.

· Berrocal YA, Pearse DD, Andrade CM, Hechtman J, Puentes R, Eaton MJ.  Increased spinal c-Fos expression with noxious and non-noxious peripheral stimulation after severe spinal contusion. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Feb 8; 413(1):58-62.  Epub 2006 Dec 11.

·  Pearse DD, Pereira FC, Marcillo AE, Bates ML, Berrocal YA, Filbin M, Bunge MB. cAMP and Schwann cell grafting promote axonal growth and functional after  spinal cord injury, Nature Med 2004 Jun; 10(6):610-6. Epub 2004 May 23.            

· Berrocal Claro, Yerko; Yépez Guerra, Luis; Heinert Musello, Ana María; Ramírez Robinson, Reinaldo; Pazmiño Medina, Jorge: Multinodular Goiter. Revista Medicina 5(4):259-62, 1999.