Molecular Neurology

The focus of our research concerns the study of neurodegenerative mechanisms that occur in conditions like brain aging, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), stroke, Huntington’s disease (HD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  The group has a major interest in the understanding of the molecular determinants of the neuronal loss and excitotoxic mechanisms driven by overactivated glutamate receptors (1,2).  Over the years, our team has employed advanced ionic imaging and electrophysiological techniques along with genomic and proteomic approaches to provide critical insights into the dynamics of the intracellular changes occurring in living neurons and glial cells exposed to excitotoxic challenges.  These techniques have been employed in “in vivo” and “in vitro” models of ALS, HD, and AD.  Our team has also employed pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to delay cognitive decline in aging individuals as well as persons affected by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and AD (3,4).  To that aim, we have used a wide range of techniques, including proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, and neuroimaging (fMRI, MRI) to investigate the response to cognitive training programs, anti-degenerative as well as cognitive-enhancing compounds.