Group Leader : Francesca R. D’amato
Topic: Neurobiology

 

The main object of my research is the evaluation of gene X environment interaction on behavioural phenotypes in the mouse.
In particular I’m interested in the evaluation of emotional and social behaviors during development and at adulthood in mouse models of developmental psychopathologies. Mother-infant interaction and the effect of early postnatal manipulations on mothers’ and pups’ behavior, physiology and neurobiology can modulate the development of individual phenotype. Early postnatal manipulations may represent useful tools for functional recovery from neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders to be used during plasticity life-windows,

 RECENT RESEARCH PROJECTS: 

  • OPRM1-/- MICE AS A MODEL OF DEFICIT IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND ULTRASONIC VOCALIZATIONS
  • EARLY SOCIAL ENRICHMENT AS A RESCUE STRATEGY IN DEVLOPMENTAL DISORDERS
  • EARLY ENVIRONMENTAL INSTABILITY AS A RISK FACTOR FOR EMOTIONAL DISORDERS: A MOUSE MODEL FOR PANIC DISORDER
  • SETTING UP A MOUSE MODEL OF INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION

Key Pubblications

Moles A., Kieffer, B. D’Amato F.R.
Deficit in attachment behavior in mice lacking the µ-opioid receptor gene.
SCIENCE, 304: 1983-1986, 2004.

D’Amato FR, Zanettini C, Lampis V, Coccurello R, Pascucci T, Ventura R, Puglisi-Allegra S, Spatola C, Pesenti-Gritti P, Oddi D, Moles A, Battaglia M.
Unstable Maternal Environment, Separation Anxiety, and Heightened CO2 Sensitivity Induced by Gene-by-Environment Interplay. PLoS One. 2011 Apr 8;6(4):e18637

Cinque C, Pondiki S, Oddi D, Di Certo MG, Marinelli S, Troisi A, Moles A, D’Amato FR.
Modeling socially anhedonic syndromes: genetic and pharmacological manipulation of opioid neurotransmission in mice. Transl Psychiatry. 2012 Aug 28;2:e155. doi: 10.1038/tp.2012.83.

Di Segni M, Andolina D, Coassin A, Accoto A, Luchetti A, Pascucci T, Luzi C, Lizzi AR, D’Amato FR, Ventura R.
Sensitivity to cocaine in adult mice is due to interplay between genetic makeup, early environment and later experience. NEUROPHARMACOLOGY 2017 Oct;125:87-98. doi: 10.1016/j.n

Giannese F, Luchetti A, Barbiera G, Lampis V, Zanettini C, Knudsen GP, Scaini S, Lazarevic D, Cittaro D, D’Amato FR, Battaglia M. Conserved DNA Methylation Signatures in Early Maternal Separation and in Twins Discordant Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 2;8(1):2258

Research group

 

Group leader :
Francesca R. D’amato

Post-doctoral fellows:
Valentina Vacca valentina.vacca@ibcn.cnr.it

Programs and resources

  • European Science Foundation: workshop “”Gene-Environment and Developmental Models of Emotional Disorders.
  • TELETHON Foundation( 2005-2008),
  • Ministero della Ricerca :PRIN 2008,
  • Ministero della Salute (Finalizzata 2010),
  • CNR (progetti bilaterali CNR-CNRS e CNR-PAN).