Marta Pratelli

Tactile Mechanisms and Afferents Underlying the Rat Pup Transport Response

The paper investigates the sensory mechanisms and afferents involved in the rat pup transport response, identifying anterior neck grasping and loss of ground contact as triggers for calming and postural adjustments.

Postsynaptic receptors regulate presynaptic neurotransmitter stability through trans-synaptic bridges

The paper shows that postsynaptic receptors influence presynaptic transmitter stability via trans-synaptic bridges, ensuring synaptic fidelity.

Generalized fear following acute stress is caused by change in co-transmitter identity of serotonergic neurons

Acute stress causes generalized fear by switching serotonergic neuron co-transmitter from glutamate to GABA in mice, as observed in PTSD patients.

Drug-induced change in transmitter identity is a shared mechanism generating cognitive deficits

The paper shows that different drugs cause cognitive deficits by inducing glutamatergic neurons to adopt a GABAergic phenotype, which can be reversed by normalizing neuronal activity.