Close
Professor Antonella Riccio (MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology) discusses her research and why Neuroscience will become increasingly central to human health as the population ages.
What inspired you to get into neuroscience research?
I have always been interested in the brain and in understanding how this marvellous organ functions. As a young student in Italy, I found fascinating the concept of consciousness and the neurobiological principles underlying our beliefs and social behaviour. When I started my training in medicine, I realised very soon that little was available in terms of therapies for the disorders of the nervous system. This prompted me to pursue a career in science with the hope of contributing with new discoveries that may shed light on the basic mechanisms of brain functions. My laboratory especially focuses on neurodevelopment to understand how sometime neuronal connections can go awry very early in life, resulting in neurological defects that become apparent during childhood or even in the adult.
What does your research focus on?
My laboratory investigates the molecular basis of brain development. We are especially interested in studying how the brain environment influences the chromatin state through epigenetic mechanisms, and how this event impacts on the expression of genes necessary for supporting neuronal survival and growth. We employ an array of cutting-edge techniques based on genomics, epigenomics and transcriptomics coupled with biochemical and microscopy assays. We also study RNA metabolism in neurons and the role of mRNA untranslated regions in mediating the precise and highly localised expression of proteins in neuronal cell bodies, dendrites and axons.
How can neuroscience research change people's lives?
Neuroscience has already changed people’s lives, and as our lifespan increases, it will become increasingly central to human health. We now know that longer lives are often marred by brain decline and loss of cognitive functions. Neuroscience research in all its aspects, from neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration and even brain cancer, has made fundamental contribution in improving our quality of life. An equally important contribution of neuroscience research will be to discover the biological bases of higher functions unique to humans, such as consciousness and the moral behaviours moulded by our upbringing, for example. We still know very little regarding how these unique human functions are regulated, and discoveries in these fields may contribute to understand the biological bases of many human-specific neurological disorders such ASD.