ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9453-1237
Curriculum: Experimental Neuroscience
Tutor: Professor Laura Musazzi
Supervisor: Professor Ilaria Rivolta
Workplace: School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore, 48, Monza, 20900, MB, Italy
Abroad period: to be defined, in 2025
Noemi Nicosia is a PhD candidate in Experimental Neurosciences at the University of Milano-Bicocca. She completed her master’s degree in pharmacy at the University of Messina in 2018 and subsequently obtained her professional qualification in 2019.
In January 2020, she was awarded the “Antonio Imbesi” Scholarship which enabled her to conduct research in the field of pharmacognosy at the Department of Pharmacological Screening of Jagiellonian University in Cracow (Poland) until June 2022. Her studies focused on elucidating the phytochemical profile of Isatis tinctoria leaf extracts and investigating their antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse model of acute restraint stress (ARS).
In June 2022, Noemi joined the Neuroscience Division at Vita Salute San Raffaele University as a Research Assistant. In this role, she explored behavioral alterations in the Syn triple knockout (TKO) mouse model and examined neuronal activity dysfunctions in the hippocampus and cortex using in vivo electrophysiology techniques.
Since November 2023, Noemi has been pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Professor Musazzi in the Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory. In her PhD project, she is investigating the effects of rapid-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine and psilocybin, within a mouse model of chronic restraint stress (CRS). She is employing a multimodal approach including social behavior analysis, molecular assays, and electrophysiological techniques to study the influence of these drugs on neuronal and synaptic functions.
PhD research project
A multimodal approach to investigate rapid antidepressant effects of psychedelics in male and female mice exposed to Chronic Restraint Stress (CRS)
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition that profoundly impacts personal, social, and physical well-being, representing a significant public health issue. Exposure to chronic stress plays a pivotal risk factor for the onset of psychiatric disorders, including MDD. Stress has been shown to lead to disruption of neuroplasticity and neuronal functions in crucial regions of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus (HP), as well as to impair behavioral response. Despite a wide array of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for MDD, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) presents a significant challenge, highlighting the limitations of current therapeutic strategies. Indeed, traditional antidepressants have a delay of several weeks before exerting any therapeutic effect and fail to provide relief in up to 30% of patients affected by MDD, prompting the exploration of novel drugs. Clinical and preclinical investigations have been conducted in recent years with the goal of developing rapid-acting antidepressants capable of overcoming the limits of traditional antidepressants and identifying new pathways linked to the disease. In this scenario, ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has emerged as a promising pharmacological intervention for TRD, particularly noted for its rapid onset of antidepressant effects. Current research efforts are directed towards deciphering the molecular mechanisms behind ketamine’s therapeutic action, with the aim of developing more effective antidepressants for MDD and TRD. At the same time, psilocybin has drawn the greatest attention among all psychedelics due to its claimed similarities to ketamine’s quick-acting qualities as well as its minimal physiological toxicity. Intriguingly, psilocybin’s mechanism of action involves combination of serotonergic and glutamatergic properties. Although the impressive clinical benefits of ketamine and psychedelics, their potential for abuse limits their use. Nevertheless, these drugs can be used as a tool to understand the mechanisms underlying the rapid antidepressant action. However, despite investigators having scrutinized ketamine pharmacological profile, the basis of the rapid antidepressant effect remains largely elusive. Therefore, the present study promises to collect crucial data for understanding rapid antidepressant mechanisms, supporting the future development of novel rapid-acting antidepressants.
The main aim of the study is to investigate cellular mechanisms and functional alterations associated with rapid-acting antidepressants in both sexes using a mouse model of Chronic Restraint Stress (CRS).