Researchers

Matilde Loddo

• Email:

   matildeloddo7@gmail.com

• Expertise: Ataxia, cerebellum, Purkinje cells, behavioral tests
• CV:
• • ORCID: view
  • PUBLICATIONS:  view

In 2023 Matilde Loddo obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Cagliari and in 2025 she earned her Master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Turin. During the two years of her Master’s program, she did the traineeship at the Cavalieri Ottolenghi Neuroscience Institute in Professor Filippo Tempia’s research group, under the supervision of Professor Eriola Hoxha, and wrote her thesis on the study of white matter alterations in a mouse model of ataxia-telangiectasia with neuronal deletion of ATM.

The research project focuses on studying the role of the NURR1 gene in physiological and pathological conditions, as well as the effects of various compounds provided by the company Immunic.
Another part of the research project aims to study the neuropathological mechanisms underlying ataxia-telangiectasia, a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the ATM gene. The study will further investigate the role of Purkinje cells, particularly through electrophysiological analyses.

Anita Maria Rominto

• Email: anitamaria.rominto@unito.it
• Expertise: Depression, prefrontal cortex, behavior, electrophysiology
• CV: view
• ORCID: view

Anita Maria Rominto obtained her bachelor degree in Biology at the University of Parma and her master degree in Neuroscience at the University of Trieste. She worked as an intern at the Institute for Cognitive Neurosciences Marc Jeannerod (France) and as a visiting master student at the University of Oxford (UK). During her studies, she focused on psychiatric diseases in different animal models. In 2022 she joined NICO as a PhD student with a project on altered neuronal activity in mood disorders.
 

The PhD project of Anita Maria Rominto aims to investigate how chronic stress affects neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key brain region implicated in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Additionally, the project explores the role of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (GSK3), an enzyme whose dysregulated activity may influence the onset and progression of this disorder. The goal of this study is to identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of MDD. To achieve this goal, Anita is employing several techniques, including animal models of depression, behavioral tests, immunohistochemistry, and ex vivo patch-clamp recordings.