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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 Alumnus: "DANDRITE has shown that neuroscience can be studied in many different and diverse perspectives"

Dongik Park started as a tenured Assistant Professor at Ghent University Global Campus Korea in 2024.
- People news

During six formative years at DANDRITE as part of Nykjær Lab, Dongik gained deep interdisciplinary training and developed a broader scientific…

DANDRITE-postdoc receives grant to build AI-designed proteins for memory research

Vili is a postdoc in Magnus Kjærgaards group.  Photo: MBG
- Grants and awards

Postdoc Vili Petteri Lampinen is one of 27 young researchers awarded a Lundbeck Foundation grant. With nearly DKK 3 million over three years, he will…

Welcome to new Lab Manager Mads Vestergaard

- Dandrite

Mads joins Kitazawa Lab as a new lab manager and will play a key role in both daily operations and research support in the lab. His responsibilities…