Antonia Manduca

Tenure-track assistant professor (Ricercatore a tempo determinato tipologia B, RTD-B), Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology «V. Erspamer», Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

antonia.manduca@uniroma1.it

Academic Appointments

  • 2022 – to date Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza
    University of Rome, Rome, Italy
  • 2019 – 2022 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
  • 2014 – 2018 Postdoctoral fellow, Institut de Neurobiologie de la Mediterranée (INMED), INSERM U1249,
    Marseille, France
  • 2011 – 2013 PhD student, Department of Biology, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

Honors and Awards:

  • 2022 Regione Lazio Fondo Sociale Europeo Plus (FSE+ 2021-2027) research award sponsored by Regione Lazio to strengthen the professional experience of young researchers working in Regione Lazio research system, Italy
  • 2022 Travel grant sponsored by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) to attend the International Conference “Addiction 2022: Enlightening the addicted brain: cells, circuits and therapies” (Villasimius, Italy 25 – 28 September 2022)
  • 2020 Travel grant sponsored by the Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS) to attend the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum (11 – 17 July 2020)
  • 2019 Autism Speaks Postdoctoral Fellowship for the most promising research on autism, sponsored by Autism Speaks USA
  • 2019 Travel grant sponsored by Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) to attend the International Conference “Perinatal Origins of Neuropsychiatric Disorders: from Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Perspectives” (Palermo, Italy 29 – 31 May 2019)
  • 2017 L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science (FWIS) Postdoctoral Fellowship for the most promising young female researchers in France
  • 2017 Best Poster Presentation at the 6th Conference of the Mediterranean Society of Neuroscience (MNS) sponsored by the MNS (St. Julian’s, Malta, 12 – 15 June 2017)
  • 2016 SIF-Farmindustria-2016 Prize for Young Scientist in Pharmacology sponsored by Farmindustria and Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF)
  • 2015 Travel grant sponsored by the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (MNS) to attend the 5th MSN Conference (Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy, 12 – 15 June 2015)
  • 2014 Ville de Marseille “Accueil Chercheurs” prize for international researchers joining a French research laboratory, Marseille, France.
  • 2014 Travel grant sponsored by the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) to attend the 24th Annual International Cannabinoid Research Society Symposium on the Cannabinoids (Baveno, Italy, 28 June – 3 July 2014)
  • 2014 Best Post Doctoral presentation at the 24th Annual International Cannabinoid Research Society Symposium on the Cannabinoids sponsored by the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) (Baveno, Italy, 28 June – 3 July 2014)
  • 2014 Sapienza University of Rome Postgraduate Fellowship for a 6-month research period in a foreign research laboratory
  • 2013 Research grant sponsored by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) to join a foreign laboratory
  • 2013 Travel grant sponsored by the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society (EBPS) to attend the 15th Biennial Meeting of EBPS (La Rochelle, France, 6 – 9 September 2013)
  • 2011 Best Poster Presentation at the 35th National Congress of the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) sponsored by the Italian Society of Pharmacology (SIF) (Bologna, Italy, 14 – 17 September 2011).

Scientific interests

I have a strong background in Behavioral Pharmacology and Cellular and Synaptic Physiology. During my PhD at Roma Tre University, Italy (Supervisor: V. Trezza), I focused on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of emotional states across development. I combined behavioral and pharmacological approaches to investigate the contribution of endocannabinoid signaling in socio-emotional responses discovering that endocannabinoids in brain regions such as nucleus accumbens and amygdala modulate social reward in rats. I also contributed to preclinical studies on novel pharmacological targets for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, I focused on the analysis of behavioral alterations observed in valproic acid (VPA) rat model of ASD to shed light on possible neurochemical alterations causing this disorder and to find new pharmacological targets. Later on, as postdoctoral fellow (April 2014-November 2018, two maternity leaves, one for twins) under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Manzoni in Marseille, France, I focused on the study of synaptic and behavioral pathophysiology in rodent models of early life adversity (unbalanced western-like diets and prenatal exposure to Cannabis) in order to identify synaptic modifications and to discover new endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression. In 2017 I got funded by L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science, France, to investigate the neurobehavioral consequences of perinatal Cannabis exposure. This grant allowed me to unravel sex-dependent deficits in Cannabis-exposed offspring at different developmental ages. Under the mentorship of V. Trezza at Roma Tre University in 2020, I got funded by Autism Speaks USA to investigate the role of the endocannabinoid system in an animal model of Fragile X syndrome which displays autistic-like features. In October 2022, I got a tenure-track position as assistant professor in Pharmacology at Sapienza University of Rome. Supported by recent fundings, I’m investigating the consequences of exposure to environmental risk factors (e.g., social isolation, prenatal insults) at critical ages on neurobehavioral functions in rodents. Overall, I have a demonstrated record of successful and productive research projects in an area of high scientific and societal relevance, i.e., developmental vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Contribution to Science

During my PhD, I discovered that endocannabinoids in brain regions such as nucleus accumbens and amygdala modulate social reward in rodents, together with a key modulatory role of NAc dopaminergic neurotransmission in social play. As a postdoctoral fellow in Marseille, France, I focused on how environmental insults modeling neuropsychiatric diseases (i.e., nutritional omega-3 deficiency and prenatal Cannabis exposure) transform the architecture and the functionality of synaptic networks and reduce the behavioral working range in a sex-related manner. I identified new pharmacological targets to correct the socio-cognitive and synaptic deficits associated with nutritional n-3 PUFA deficiency and prenatal cannabinoid exposure.

More recently, I investigated the role of the endocannabinoid system in an animal model of Fragile X syndrome which displays autistic-like features, highlighting the potential of cannabidiol polypharmacology in neuropsychiatric disorders.

5 Selected publications

  • Manduca A, Buzzelli V, Rava A, Feo A, Carbone E, Schiavi S, Peruzzi B, D’Oria V, Pezzullo M, Pasquadibisceglie A, Polticelli F, Micale V, Kuchar M, Trezza V. Cannabidiol and positive effects on object recognition memory in an in vivo model of Fragile X Syndrome: Obligatory role of hippocampal GPR55 receptors. Pharmacological Research. 2024; 203:107176.
  • Manduca A, Servadio M, Melancia F, Schiavi S, Manzoni OJ, Trezza V. Sex-specific behavioural deficits induced at early life by prenatal exposure to the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55, 212-2 depend on mGlu5 receptor signalling. British Journal of Pharmacology. 2020; 177(2):449-463.
  • Bara A, Manduca A*, Bernabeu A, Borsoi M, Servadio M, Lassalle O, Murphy M, Wager-Miller J, Mackie K, Pelissier-Alicot AL, Trezza V, Manzoni OJ. Sex-dependent effects of in utero cannabinoid exposure on cortical function. Elife. 2018; 7:e36234 (*: co-first authorship).
  • Manduca A, Bara A, Larrieu T, Lassalle O, Joffre C, Layé S, Manzoni OJ. Amplification of mGlu(5)-Endocannabinoid Signaling Rescues Behavioral and Synaptic Deficits in a Mouse Model of Adolescent and Adult Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Imbalance. Journal of Neuroscience. 2017; 37(29):6851-6868.
  • Manduca A, Servadio M, Damsteegt R, Campolongo P, Vanderschuren LJ, Trezza V. Dopaminergic Neurotransmission in the Nucleus Accumbens Modulates Social Play Behavior in Rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016; 41(9):2215-23.

On-going Grants

Project Title Funding source Amount (Euros) Period Role of the PI
Deprivation matters: exploring sex-dependent vulnerability to alcohol use and anorexia nervosa following social impoverishment during early adolescence PRIN 2022 PNRR 230.792 12/2023-11/2025 Co-Principal Investigator and Responsible of Research Unit (7 % of time)
Dissecting the mechanisms underlying the impact of maternal environmental risk factors on offspring mental health Sapienza Progetti di Ateneo Medi 2023 10.602 01/2024-12/2025 Principal Investigator (5 % of time)

Complete list of published work in MyBibliography:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1Z94tJL8LULQ-/bibliography/public/

KEYWORDS:

Neuropharmacology, Development, Endocannabinoid, Perinatal insults.

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