Dipartimento di Psicologia

Temi di ricerca

INVESTIGATING THE CAUSAL LINK BETWEEN ARGININE-VASOPRESSINAND OXYTOCIN
DYSREGULATION, AND AUTISM-LIKE SYMPTOMS: ANATOMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES

My hypothesis for this PhD project is that OT and AVP imbalance is responsible for the social 
deficits and autistic symptoms, and is potentially contributing to their sexually dimorphic 
manifestation. This will be tested in a multilayered study that consists of mapping the AVP and OT 
hypothalamic systems in ASD mice models in the context of: 
1) Characterizing OT and AVP systems in CDKL5 KO vs WT mice brains
2) Given the fact that most studies include exclusively male mice, our aim is to compare these 
networks in both sexes in order to decipher the sexual dimorphism in ASD
3) In different developmental stages to tackle the critical developmental phases of these 
networks where future interventions and/or early diagnosis could take place (Madrigal and 
Jurado, 2021)

Gruppi di ricerca

• Basi neuronali delle malattie rare del neurosviluppo