Early life stress, pet therapy, and diversity in neuroscience

Francesca Cirulli is Research Director at the Center for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy. Her research investigates the role of lifestyle, dietary and social factors in determining stress vulnerability and resilience and the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying it. She is currently investigating how developmental stressors, such as high-fat diet or psychosocial stress, can negatively affect brain development and behavior. Epigenetic markers, neuroimmune regulations, and microbiota signatures in preclinical studies and clinical cohorts are assessed to derive mechanisms and novel targets for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. She is the recipient of numerous grants from major international and national funding agencies. She participates in review panels for major international funding agencies. She is currently Treasurer of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), Chair-elect of the ALBA network, a network of leading scientists aiming to promote equality and diversity in brain sciences and Chair of the ECNP Nutrition network. She is also Chief Editor of the journal Neuroscience, Associate Editor of Neuroscience and Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, and is on the Editorial Board of Neuroscience Applied.

Silvia is a PhD student at the Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Denmark. She is part of the Serotonin and Beyond European consortium and as part of her PhD she did an internship in science communication at ECNP. Her research primarily focuses on genetic and epigenetic markers of depression and antidepressant treatment, with a main focus on the serotonin system.