http://www.in.cnr.it/index.php/en/staff-padova-en/95-losi-en

• 1999. Master degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Graduated on February  19, 1999. Rating: 110/110 cum laude.
• 1999. Annual Postgraduate Course in Laboratory Techniques and Methodologies for drug Research at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
• 2000-2002 and summer 2004. Research Fellow at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University, Washington DC (USA) for electrophysiological and imaging studies on synaptogenesis in different brain regions.
• 2004. Ph.D. in Biologically Active Natural Substances (XV cycle, 4 years program) at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, awarded on February 16, 2004.
•  2005. Winner of a scientific project granted by SPINNER (ASTER-Emilia Romagna and ESF).
• 2006-2007. Research assistant at the Department of Experimental Biomedical Science, Pharmacology section, of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
• 2007-2008. Teacher of Technology and Computer Science at Don Giuseppe Dossetti School (Cavriago-RE).
• 2008-2011. Research assistant at Neuroscience Institute of the CNR and Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
• Participant of different scientific projects supervised by Giorgio Carmignoto (granted by ERC, Telethon, Cariparo, IIT).
• Member of the Società Italiana di Neuroscienze (SINS) and of the Society for Neuroscience (SFN); member of the Review Editorial Board of Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
• 2012-today. Researcher at Neuroscience Institute of the CNR and Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.

Astrocytic glial cells are key players in the control of brain tissue homeostasis. By releasing gliotransmitters (glutamate, ATP, D-serine, cytokines) astrocytes can modulate synaptic activity or synchronize groups of neurons. Our main goal is to clarify how astrocytes modulate neuronal network activity in physiological and pathological conditions. Our results show the involvement of astrocytes at seizure generation, pointing them as a novel target to treat seizures. In brain slices we developed an experimental model that, by using local neuronal stimulation, has the unique advantage to evoke focal seizure like discharges from a known restricted site and at known time (Losi et al 2010). New anticonvulsant molecules can be easily studied with this experimental approach as reproducible seizure like events can be repeatedly induced. We showed that astrocytic activation or inhibition in the focal area favours or impairs, respectively, the generation of seizure like events (Gomez-Gonzalo et al 2010), revealing the importance of astrocytes in their generation. Our recent data also show that seizure like discharge propagation occurs in modular groups of principal neurons that coincides with a sudden impairment of local GABAergic parvalbumin fast spiking interneurons activity that leads to a dramatic inhibitory failure (Cammarota et al 2013).

 

  1. Cammarota M*, Losi G*, Chiavegato A, Zonta M, Carmignoto G. Fast spiking interneuron control of seizure propagation in a cortical slice model of focal epilepsy. J Physiol. 2013; 591(Pt 4):807-22.   * equally contributed.
  2. Gómez-Gonzalo M*, Losi G*, Chiavegato A, Zonta M, Cammarota M, Brondi M, Vetri F, Uva L, Pozzan T, de Curtis M, Ratto GM, Carmignoto G. An excitatory loop with astrocytes contributes to drive neurons to seizure threshold. PLoS Biol. 2010; 8(4):e1000352. * equally contributed.
  3. Losi G, Cammarota M, Chiavegato A, Gomez-Gonzalo M, Carmignoto G. A new experimental model of focal seizures in the entorhinal cortex. Epilepsia. 2010; 51(8):1493-502.
  4. Losi G, Prybylowski K, Fu Z, Luo J, Wenthold RJ, Vicini S. PSD-95 regulates NMDA receptors in developing cerebellar granule neurons of the rat. J Physiol. 2003 Apr 1;548(Pt 1):21-9.
  5. Prybylowski KL, Fu Z,  Losi G, Hawkins LM, Luo JH, Chang K, Whenthold RJ and Vicini S. Relationship between availability of NMDA receptor subunits and their expression at the synapse. J Neurosci 2002; 22(20):8902-10.