Ricerc@Sapienza

My research focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the formation and processing of traumatic memory and on identifying novel therapeutic targets for stress- and trauma-related psychiatric disorders in animal models. The studies combine approaches from molecular biology, opto- and chemogenetic manipulations, fiber photometry, and behavioral pharmacology, with four main research lines: analyzing the effects of stress on corticolimbic circuits involved in traumatic memory, investigating the role of the endo-/para-cannabinoid system in aversive memory regulation, identifying molecular biomarkers of resilience or vulnerability, and studying the neuronal and molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of social support.