Adult neurogenesis

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Group leader:  Luca Bonfanti and  Paolo Peretto

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paolo peretto

Paolo Peretto

Full Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology

Contacts:

Tel +39 011 6706605 NICO
Tel +39 011  6704673 c.o. Dept of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin

e-mail:   paolo.peretto@unito.it

Born in Turin on 18.09. 1963. Italian.

Education
- Honours degree in Biology, University of Turin, Italy (1993)
- One year Post-degree training (Lab. of Neurobiology, Dept. of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, Italy and Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Basel, Switzerland) (1994)
- Telethon Foundation’s fellowship one year (Dept. of Neuroscience, University of Turin) (1995)
- PhD in Neuroanatomy (Dept. of Veterinary Morphophysiology, University of Turin) (1998)
- Cavalieri Ottolenghi Foundation’s one year post-doc fellowship (Dept. of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin) (1998)

Employment and research experience
- Assistant Professor (SSD, BIO06, SC, 05/B2 AnatomiaComparata e Citologia), Dept of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, Italy. From Sept to Dec 2000 as Visiting Researcher at the Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA (1999-2005).
- Associate Professor (SSD, BIO06; SC, 05/B2;AnatomiaComparata e Citologia), Dept. of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Italy (2005-2016).
- Full Professor (SSD, BIO06; SC, 05/B2;AnatomiaComparata e Citologia), Dept. of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Italy (2016- today).

Principal research lines
Research activity on anatomical/molecular organization of the postnatal and adult neurogenic niches in the CNS of mammals. Ongoing studies: i) role of newborn neurons in the context of reproduction and cognitive functions; ii) function of neuronal parenchymal progenitors in the striatum of adult mammals; iii) effects produced by aerobic physical activity (amateur running) on brain plasticity.

Main findings
- Identification/characterization of the “glial tubes”, the structures that envelop and guide adult-born neuroblasts from the sub-ventricular zone to the olfactory bulb (Peretto et al., 1997, Brain Res. Bull. 42, 9-21).
- Identification/characterization of new neurogenic niches in the striatum of adult rabbit and postnatal guinea pig (Luzzati et al., 2006, J. Neurosci. 26, 609-621; Luzzati et al., 2014, Development 141(21), 4065-75).
- Identification/molecular characterization of local astroglial neurogenic progenitors in the injured mouse striatum (Luzzati et al., 2011, PLOS ONE 6 (9) e25088, 1-16; Nato et al., 2015, Development 142(5):840-5).
- Identification/characterization of pheromonal-dependent mechanisms in the regulation of adult neurogenesis in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice (Oboti et al., 2009 Eur.J. Neurosci. 29(4), 679-692).
- Identification/functional characterization of accessory olfactory bulb newborn neurons in the context of the neuroendocrine reflex known as the “bruce effect” (Oboti et al., 2011, Front. Neurosci. 5, p. 1-14).
- Identification of a link among adult neurogenesis, levels of circulating testosterone, and opposite sex-attraction in male mice (Schellino et al., 2016, Sci. Rep. 6:36063).

Main scientific collaborations
Dr. Paolo Giacobini, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center, School of Medicine, Lille (France); Prof. Jeroen Pasterkamp, Dept. of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht (Netherlands); Prof. Luca Bonfanti, Dip. ScienzeVeterinarie,Università Torino (Italia); Dr. LivioOboti, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin (HU Berlin); Prof. Dustin Penn (Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Veterinary Medicine University, Vienna); Prof Sylvain Gigan (Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel Sorbonne Université, Paris).

Guest Referee for international scientific journals and grant projects
Associate Editor Frontiers in Neuroscience
Referee for Scientific Journals: European Journal of Neuroscience; Developmental Neurobiology; Hippocampus; Journal of Comparative Neurology; Brain Research; Neurochemical Research; Neuroscience; Frontiers in Neurogenesis.
Referee as Scientific expert for: ANR the French National Research Agency; Expert Peer Reviewers for Italian; Scientific Evaluation Neurological Foundation of New Zealand

Scientific Societies
Unione Zologica Italiana (UZI)
Gruppo Embriologico Italiano (GEI)
EuropeanChemoreceptionResearch Organization (ECRO)
Membership in research centers:
NeuroscienceInstitute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO, Turin);
NeuroscienceInstituteTurin (NIT);
Academic Board - PhD program in Neuroscience-University of Turin.

Academic Activities
- Chair of “Comparative Anatomy”. First cycle degree courses in “Natural Science”, University of Turin (2008-today).
- Chair of “Comparative Neurobiology”. Master Degree in “ Evolution of Animal and Human Behavior”, University of Turin (2006-today)
- President of the Master Degree in Evolution of Animal and Human Behavior (2015-today)

News

Unravelling the neural basis of sexual imprinting

Serena Bovetti  has received a highly competitive and prestigious international grant to study the neural basis of sexual imprinting. The grant is from the  Human Frontier Science program (HFSP)  an international program of research support, funding frontier research on complex mechanisms of living organisms.
Dr Serena Bovetti works with  Prof. Paolo Peretto  at the  Department of Life Science and Systems Biology  and at the  Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi – University of Turin , and she is part of a three-person team awarded a HFSP program grant of more than $1 million US over three years.

18 April 2020

Opposite-sex attraction in male mice requires testosterone dependent regulation of adult olfactory bulb neurogenesis

Scientific Reports , October 2016
Schellino R, Trova S, Cimino I, Farinetti A, Jongbloets BC, Pasterkamp RJ, Panzica G, Giacobini P, De Marchis S, Peretto P.

24 January 2017