A first-class learning and working
environment on the cutting edge
of neurobiology research
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Whatever question you want to ask the brain, here you will find the language and the tools to carry out your experiment, the right advisors to supervise your research, and the ideal working environment to start a brilliant and satisfying career in Neuroscience. All research and teaching take place in English. There are no tuition fees, and each PhD student receives a fellowship for 3-4 years.

 

Faculty

Anna Menini

Anna Menini

Olfactory systemFull Professor
 

Laura Ballerini

Laura Ballerini

Neurons and nanomaterialsFull Professor
 

Giuliano Taccola

Giuliano Taccola

Spinal cord neurophysiologyAssociate Professor
 

Paul Heppenstall

Paul Heppenstall

Physiology of somatosensationCourse Coordinator - Full Professor
 

Michele Giugliano

Michele Giugliano

From neurons to networksAssociate Professor
 

Katja Reinhard

Katja Reinhard

Sensory-motor processingAssistant Professor
 

Associated members

Loredana Casalis

Loredana Casalis

AFM litographyScientist at Elettra Sincrotrone
 

Dan Cojoc

Dan Cojoc

Optical manipulation and imagingSenior Scientist at IOM-CNR
 

Latest Publications

05/03/2024 J. Neurosci. Methods

Mapping lumbar efferent and afferent spinal circuitries via paddle array in a porcine model

A.G. Steele, G. Taccola, A.M. Frazier, M. Manzella, M. Hogan, P.J. Horner, A.H. Faraji, D.G. Sayenko

13/02/2024 ACS Nano

Environmental and health impacts of graphene and other two-dimensional materials: A graphene flagship perspective

Hazel Lin, Tina Buerki-Thurnherr, Jasreen Kaur, Peter Wick, Marco Pelin, Aurelia Tubaro, Fabio Candotto Carniel, Mauro Tretiach, Emmanuel Flahaut, Daniel Iglesias, Ester Vázquez, Giada Cellot, Laura Ballerini, Valentina Castagnola, Fabio Benfenati, Andrea Armirotti, Antoine Sallustrau, Frédéric Taran, Mathilde Keck, Cyrill Bussy, Sandra Vranic, Kostas Kostarelos, Mona Connolly, José Maria Navas, Florence Mouchet, Laury Gauthier, James Baker, Blanca Suarez-Merino, Tomi Kanerva, Maurizio Prato, Bengt Fadeel, Alberto Bianco

03/02/2024 Life

The Bittersweet Symphony of COVID-19: Associations between TAS1Rs and TAS2R38 Genetic Variations and COVID-19 Symptoms

Aurora Santin, Beatrice Spedicati, Alessandro Pecori, Giuseppe Giovanni Nardone, Maria Pina Concas, Gioia Piatti, Anna Menini, Giancarlo Tirelli, Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo, Giorgia Girotto 

25/01/2024 BioRxiv

Dual effects of ARX poly-alanine mutations in human cortical and interneuron development

Vanesa Nieto-EstevezParul VarmaSara MirsadeghiJimena CaballeroSergio Gamero-AlamedaAli HosseiniSonal GoswamiMarc J. SilvosaDrew M. ThodesonZane R. LybrandMichele GiuglianoChristopher NavaraJenny Hsieh

23/1/2024 Molecular Brain

The brain cytokine orchestra in multiple sclerosis: from neuroinflammation to synaptopathology

Roberta Amoriello, Christian Memo, Laura Ballerini, Clara Ballerini

23/1/2024 Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences

Ribosomal protein L24 mediates mammalian microRNA processing in an evolutionarily conserved manner

Yonat Tzur, Serafima Dubnov, Nimrod Madrer, Adi Bar, Bettina Nadorp, Nibha Mishra, Paul Heppenstall, Estelle R. Bennett, David S. Greenberg, Katarzyna Winek, Hermona Soreq

29/10/2023 Exp. Neurol.

Dynamic electrical stimulation enhances the recruitment of spinal interneurons by corticospinal input

Giuliano Taccola, Roger Kissane, Stanislav Culaclii, Rosamaria Apicella, Wentai Liu, Parag Gad, Ronaldo M. Ichiyama, Samit Chakrabarty, V. Reggie Edgerton

09/09/2023 Sci Adv

Pathway-specific inputs to the superior colliculus support flexible responses to visual threat

Chen Li, Norma K. Kühn, Ilayda Alkislar, Arnau Sans-Dublanc, Firdaouss Zemmouri, Soraya Paesmans, Alex Calzoni, Frédérique Ooms, Katja Reinhard, Karl Farrow

05/07/2023 bioRxiv

The neural basis of defensive behaviour evolution in Peromyscus mice

Felix Baier, Katja Reinhard, Victoria Tong, Julie Murmann, Karl Farrow, Hopi E. Hoekstr

03/07/2023 bioRxiv

Spinal facilitation of descending motor input

Giuliano Taccola, Roger Kissane, Stanislav Culaclii, Rosamaria Apicella, Wentai Liu, Parag Gad, Ronaldo M. Ichiyama, Samit Chakrabarty, V. Reggie Edgerton

14/09/2023 Chem. Eur. J.

Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Hamper Glutamate Mediated Excitotoxicity and Protect Neuronal Survival In An In vitro Stroke Model

Lorenza Tortella, Irene Santini, Neus Lozano, Kostas Kostarelos, Giada Cellot, Laura Ballerini

21/07/2023 iScience

Shedding light on human olfaction: Electrophysiological recordings from sensory neurons in acute slices of olfactory epithelium

Andres Hernandez-ClavijoCesar Adolfo Sánchez TriviñoGiorgia GuarneriChiara Ricci, Fabian A Mantilla-Esparza, Kevin Y Gonzalez-Velandia, Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo, Margherita Tofanelli, Pierluigi Bonini, Michele Dibattista, Giancarlo Tirelli, Anna Menini

 

04/05/2023 Sci Rep

Passive limb training modulates respiratory rhythmic bursts

Rosamaria Apicella and Giuliano Taccola 

30/04/2023 Biomolecules

Impact of magnetite nanowires orientation on morphology and activity of in vitro hippocampal neural networks

Belén Cortés-LlanosRossana RautiÁngel Ayuso-SacidoLucas Pérez, Laura Ballerini

06/02/2023 Chem Senses

Paradoxical electro-olfactogram responses in TMEM16B knock-out mice.

Giorgia Guarnieri, Simone Pifferi, Michele Dibattista, Johannes Reisert, Anna Menini

02/02/2023 Cell Mol Neurobiol

Suprapontine Structures Modulate Brainstem and Spinal Networks.

Atiyeh Mohammadshirazi, Rosamaria Apicella, Benjamín A. Zylberberg, Graciela L. Mazzone and Giuliano Taccola

02/12/2022 ACS Appl. Nano Mater.

Bonding of Neuropeptide Y on Graphene Oxide for Drug Delivery Applications to the Central Nervous System.

Cellot G, Jaquemin L, Reina G, Franceschi Biagioni A, Fontanini M, Chaloin O, Nishina Y, Bianco A, Ballerini L.

14/06/2022 Experimental Neurology

Stochastic spinal neuromodulation tunes the intrinsic logic of spinal neural networks.

Taccola G, Ichiyama RM, Edgerton VR, Gad P.

25/01/2022 Int. J. Mol. Sci.

Multidimensional Functional Profiling of Human Neuropathogenic FOXG1 Alleles in Primary Cultures of Murine Pallial Precursors.

Frisari S, Santo M, Hosseini A, Manzati M, Giugliano M, Mallamaci A.  

21/10/2022 ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

TEGylated Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Platforms to Engineer Neuronal Networks.

Myriam Barrejón, Francesca Zummo, Anastasiia Mikhalchan, Juan J. Vilatela, Mario Fontanini, Denis Scaini, Laura Ballerini, and Maurizio Prato

 

02/09/2022 Front Neuroanat

No evidence for age-related alterations in the marmoset retina.

Haverkamp S, Reinhard K, Peichl L, Mietsch M. 

12/08/2022 Sci Adv

Distributed interfacing by nanoscale photodiodes enables single-neuron light activation and sensory enhancement in 3D spinal explants.

Thalhammer A, Fontanini M, Shi J, Scaini D, Recupero L, Evtushenko A, Fu Y, Pavagada S, Bistrovic-Popov A, Fruk L, Tian B, Ballerini L.

04/08/2022 Nanoscale

2D MXene interfaces preserve the basal electrophysiology of targeted neural circuits.

Xiao M, Li X, Pifferi S, Pastore B, Liu Y, Lazzarino M, Torre V, Yang X, Menini A, Tang M.

Cell Death Dis. 2022 Aug 13;13(8):705. doi: 10.1038/s41419-022-05144-6.PMID: 35963860

The dual action of glioma-derived exosomes on neuronal activity: synchronization and disruption of synchrony.

Spelat R, Jihua N, Sánchez Triviño CA, Pifferi S, Pozzi D, Manzati M, Mortal S, Schiavo I, Spada F, Zanchetta ME, Ius T, Manini I, Rolle IG, Parisse P, Millán AP, Bianconi G, Cesca F, Giugliano M, Menini A, Cesselli D, Skrap M, Torre V.

eNeuro. 2022 May 17;9(3):ENEURO.0471-21.2022. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0471-21.2022. Print 2022 May-Jun.PMID: 35487703

Slow Inactivation of Sodium Channels Contributes to Short-Term Adaptation in Vomeronasal Sensory Neurons.

Sarno N, Hernandez-Clavijo A, Boccaccio A, Menini A, Pifferi S.

Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 6;12(1):11447. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15572-1.PMID: 35794236

Expression pattern of Stomatin-domain proteins in the peripheral olfactory system.

Gonzalez-Velandia KY, Hernandez-Clavijo A, Menini A, Dibattista M, Pifferi S.

 

Cell Physiol Biochem. 2022 Jun 7;56(3):254-269. doi: 10.33594/000000531.PMID: 35670331

Supporting Cells of the Human Olfactory Epithelium Co-Express the Lipid Scramblase TMEM16F and ACE2 and May Cause Smell Loss by SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Induced Syncytia.

Hernandez-Clavijo A, Gonzalez-Velandia KY, Rangaswamy U, Guarneri G, Boscolo-Rizzo P, Tofanelli M, Gardenal N, Sanges R, Dibattista M, Tirelli G, Menini A.

Cellular, Molecular, Physiological, and Behavioral Aspects of Spinal Cord Injury, Academic Press, 2022, Pages 51-63

Neuromodulation and restoration of motor responses after severe spinal cord injury.

Sayenko DG, Cerrel Bazo HA, Horner PJ, Taccola G.

 

Latest Projects

In Vitro locomotor patterns - Innovative protocols of electrical stimulation to activate the in vitro locomotor pattern

In these last years, growing attention has been drawn upon the use of epidural electrical stimulation applied to the dorsal spinal cord to counteract...read more
 
 
student's voice

forthcoming activities

14
March
2024
10:00
134
Lecture
Deconstructing the modular organization and real-time dynamics of mammalian spinal locomotor networks
by Maria Ermolaeva
 
16
February
2024
14:00
5
Lecture
Photo-Chemical Stimulation of Neurons with Organic Semiconductors
by Mario Fontanini
 
 
 

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