PRESENTATION
Manuel Mameli’s laboratory (M-Lab) is studying the neurobiological processes underlying the transitions from instinctive to learned behaviours. To do this, it intends to identify synapses and neural circuits mediating behavioural actions aimed at pursuing rewarding experiences or avoiding negative outcomes. The M-Lab objective is to understand whether these same substrates, when aberrant, underlie aspects typical of psychiatric diseases such as addiction or depression.
Through uncovering the mechanisms by which instincts and experience define future actions and their susceptibility to environmental challenges, the M-lab research topic has the potential to positively impact societal health— especially in a global society where stress and trauma are a part of everyday life.