Brain health is increasingly taking center stage in the health system and among policymakers (WHO https://www.who.int/health-topics/brain-health#tab=tab_1): “Different determinants related to physical health, healthy environments, safety and security, life-long learning and social connection, as well as access to quality services influence the way our brains develop, adapt and respond to stress and adversity”. These give way to strategies for promotion and prevention across the life course. Brain health is strongly interconnected to One Health (WHO - https://www.who.int/health-topics/one-health#tab=tab_1), meaning that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.A fundamental issue in the nervous system consists in the neuron/astrocyte relationship, which is altered in the pathology of the CNS (epilepsy, stroke, PD, and AD). We will investigate in vitro and in animal models the effects of air pollutants and pesticides. We will aim to elucidating the neuroexposome and emphasizing the brain’s distinctive responses to environmental exposures, by develop and/or validating better in-vivo, in-silico and in-vitro models. These insights will identify molecular signatures and neuron/dysfunctions, and establish biomarkers of exposure and disease risk.

Molecular biology, histology, anatomy of the nervous system, microscopy, behavioral tests for animal models, cell culture

Our group studies the development and the normal and pathological aging of the nervous system at different scales (molecular, cellular, and neural network levels).We apply molecular, biochemical, and morphological methods to investigate neurodegenerative diseases (such as motor neuron diseases like SMA and ALS, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).
In this context, we study:

- the role of excitotoxicity and autophagy;

- mitochondrial dysfunctions;

- neuroinflammation.

Some of these conditions are associated with frailty and muscle disorders.
Our aim is not only to understand disease mechanisms but also to identify biomarkers and molecular pathways to develop new therapeutic strategies.

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