Ricerc@Sapienza

My research focuses on the effects of stress on memory function, investigating the role of different neural circuits that mediate behaviour in response to stress. Particularly, I investigate the role of the endocannabinoid system in regulating memory consolidation, memory retrieval and memory extinction, and its specific action in response to both acute and chronic stressors. My research aims at providing important insights on the brain mechanisms that are affected by stress in physiological and pathological conditions and may improve our ability to identify therapeutic targets for stress-related disorders.

My research interests have recently expanded from rodents to human settings to explore the neural mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive disorders in PTSD patients and the neurobiological underpinnings of memory processes in a unique Italian human population of subjects with highly superior autobiographic memory (HSAM).