NEUROSCIENCES AND PHARMACOLOGY

Neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases represent an overwhelming social and economic burden, with an expected exponential increase in the near future driven by ageing, drug abuse, and traumatic lifestyles. These conditions impact not only mind and brain functions but also whole-body function, with a particularly high incidence in cardiovascular health.

There is growing awareness that a common hallmark of neurological and psychiatric diseases is synaptic dysfunction. The Unit’s main focus is to evaluate how neurons, glial cells, and synapses are modulated, and how these processes are altered in disease states or restored by potential therapeutics. Current research addresses dysfunctions in various types of epilepsy, synaptic circuitry remodeling after stroke and seizures, synaptic reorganization following chronic drug abuse and/or depression, and functional alterations of neurons, glial cells, and synapses at the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.

We aim to understand these dysfunctions at the synaptic and neuronal circuitry levels and to identify novel strategies that may pave the way for the discovery of more effective therapeutics.