معرفی
Andrea Messina is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science and a Researcher Tenure Track in Physiology at the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento. His research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism and Williams-Beuren syndrome, using zebrafish models to investigate brain asymmetries and genetic mechanisms.
Education:
- PhD in Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology (2005-2009), University of Siena
- MSc in Biological Science (1999-2005), University of Pisa
Research Interests: The Brain Asymmetry & Neurodevelopmental Disease (BAND) group, led by Dr. Messina, uses zebrafish to model neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism, Williams-Beuren syndrome) by studying gene expression, brain lateralization, and cognitive/behavioral outcomes. Key projects explore how mutations in WBS-linked genes affect sociality, anxiety, and numerical abilities, leveraging sister syndromes like 7qDuplication to dissect hemispheric specialization.
Publication Trends: His recent work (2023-2025) spans ASD modeling, neural bases of numerosity, GABAergic neuromodulation, and retinopathy studies, with methods including CRISPR/Cas9, behavioral assays, and neuroimaging.
Scientific Honors:
- EMBO course: Developmental Neurobiology (2017)
- Clarity Workshop (2015), Stanford University
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Fellowship (2010)
Teaching & Collaborations: Dr. Messina teaches laboratory courses in Cellular Neuroscience, Animal Cognition, and Molecular Physiology. He collaborates with international institutions and serves as a reviewer for journals like Scientific Reports and Frontiers series.