معرفی
Michela Fagiolini, PhD, is a researcher affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She holds academic appointments in the Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work bridges molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral analyses to study cortical plasticity mechanisms in conditions like Rett Syndrome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Education: She earned her M.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Pisa, Italy, and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy. After a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF under Dr. Michael P. Stryker, she joined the Laboratory for Neuronal Circuit Development at Japan's Brain Science Institute, collaborating with Dr. Takao K. Hensch.
Research Interests: Dr. Fagiolini explores how sensory experiences shape early brain development and critical periods. Her lab investigates Excitatory/Inhibitory (E/I) circuit dysregulation in neurodevelopmental disorders, leveraging mouse models and human cerebral organoids. Recent studies emphasize therapeutic strategies to restore cortical function by targeting E/I circuit imbalances. She also develops novel biomarkers like fNIRS and transparent microelectrode arrays to assess neural deficits non-invasively.
Publications Trends: Her work spans 30+ years, with recent focus on Rett Syndrome biomarkers, autism subtypes via fMRI, and CDKL5 deficiency mechanisms. Earlier contributions include foundational studies on NMDA receptor regulation, critical period plasticity in visual cortex, and the role of epigenetic factors in neurodevelopmental processes.
Advising & Grants: While no formal advisees are listed, her research has been supported by grants exploring therapeutic interventions and biomarker development. She collaborates widely, including with the FANTOM consortium for large-scale transcriptomic studies.
Labs & Teams: She leads projects within the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center and F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, which integrate multidisciplinary approaches to neurodevelopmental disorder research.
