معرفی
Manoela V. Fogaca is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying stress-related behaviors and the actions of fast-acting antidepressants and anxiolytics. She explores how GABAergic and glutamatergic neuronal circuits modulate network dynamics in stress disorders and antidepressant responses. Fogaca's lab employs molecular neuropharmacology, genetic approaches, and circuit-level studies to identify novel therapeutic targets for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Her postdoctoral training was at Yale University under Drs. Ronald Duman and Marina Picciotto. She has received prestigious awards, including the K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (2022) and the NARSAD Young Investigator Award (2020). Her work emphasizes pharmacological strategies targeting the glutamatergic and GABAergic systems, such as ketamine-like compounds and GABA receptor modulators.
Key research themes include GABAergic dysfunction in stress, synaptic plasticity, BDNF signaling, and the role of specific neuronal subpopulations (e.g., somatostatin and parvalbumin interneurons). Her publications highlight contributions to understanding rapid antidepressant mechanisms, neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol, and stress-induced transcriptomic changes in interneurons.
- Awards: K99/R00 (2022), NARSAD (2020)
- Labs/Teams: Fogaca Lab at URMC focuses on translational neuropharmacology and circuit neuroscience.
