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Sâmia Joca

Joca Lab - Translational Neuropharmacology

How pscyhoactive drugs affect our brain to regulate mood, motivation and cognitive aspects associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression and anxiety)? How can we use this information to understand disease neurobiology and foster the development of improved therapeutic for mental disorders?

These are some of the questions that our group is trying to answer. Our research focus is the mechanism of action of psychoactive drugs, primarly antidepressants, examining how these unique molecules influence neural plasticity, stress responses, and emotional regulation. We are particularly interested in understanding how lipid mediators, such as endocannabinoids, affect neuroplasticity and behavior.

We use translational approaches combining animal models of stress-related psychiatric disorders, in vitro models for drug testing (primary and immortalized cell cultures), molecular biology methods for protein and mRNA quantification, evaluation of drug-receptor interactions, neurochemical analysis (neurotransmitters and lipid mediators), and microscopy (immunofluorescence, confocal). We collaborate with different groups at Aarhus University and abroad to tackle our research questions with different methodological approaches and perspectives.

News


DANDRITE Postdoc Receives Young Researcher Award from the Parkinson’s Association

Nanna Møller Jensen received the award when the Danish Parkinson’s Association held its annual research event
- Grants and awards

Saturday November 2nd 2024, the Danish Parkinson’s Association held its annual research event, highlighting current research in Parkinson's disease.…

Welcome to NORPOD Postdoc Amanda Muñoz Juan

Picture of Amanda Muñoz Juan
- People news

We welcome Amanda Muñoz Juan as a new postdoc in Gilles Vanwalleghem’s group. Amanda joins the group within the NORPOD postdoctoral program. This…

Sadegh Nabavi recognized as a Lundbeck Ascending Investigator

Sadegh Nabavi
- Grants and awards

With this honorable title comes a grant of DKK 6,095,007, distributed over four years, which Sadegh Nabavi will use to delve deeper into the neural…