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Graziano Pinna received his Laura of Doctor in Biological Sciences in 1993 from the University of Cagliari, Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy). In 1995 he received a PhD equivalent from this University. Dr. Pinna 's scientific career began in 1990 when he worked as a student research assistant under the supervision of Prof. Concas (Prof. G. Biggio, Director). From 1993-1994, Dr Pinna worked as a Research Scientist in the Department of Neuropsychopharmacology (Dr. DN Stephens, Director), Laboratories of the Schering AG (Berlin, Germany). From 1994-2001 he was appointed Research Scientist at the Department of Nuclear Medicine (Prof. H. Meinhold, Director), Free University of Berlin, (Berlin, Germany). In 2001, Dr Pinna received a PhD in Medical Sciences (Dr rer. Med.; Summa cum Laude thesis: http://darwin.inf.fu-berlin.de/2001/80. 1-124. 2001.) from the Free University of Berlin, (Berlin, Germany). From 2001 Dr Pinna was appointed Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry (Dr. E. Costa, Director), University of Illinois, Chicago., and he is currently investigating the role of steroid hormones and neurosteroids in the mechanisms of aggressive behavior.
Research Interests
Dr. Pinna 's current research in neuropharmacology has focused on the function of GABAA receptors in conjunction with anxiolytic drug tolerance and dependence and their neurosteroid-facilitated modulation mediated by antidepressant/antiaggressive agents. His primary interests also include the physiological role of neurosteroids in neuronal functions and investigation of the gender-related mechanisms of aggressive behaviors in male and female mice.
Awards
2004/2005 CRB Award to study “Neurosteroids and gender-related aggression in isolated mice”
Representative publications
Pinna G, Galici R, Schneider H, Stephens DN and Turski L: Alprazolam dependence prevented by substituting with the ß-carboline abecarnil. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:2719-2723. 1997.
Pinna G, Meinhold H, Hiedra L, Thoma R, Hoell T, Gräf K-J, Stoltenburg-Didinger G, Eravci M, Prengel H, Brödel O, Finke R and Baumgartner: Elevated 3,5-diiodothyronine concentrations in the sera of patients with nonthyroidal illnesses and brain tumors. J. Clin. Endocr. & Metab. 82:1535-1542. 1997.
Pinna G., Hiedra L., Meinhold H., Eravci M., Prengel H., Brödel O., Gräf K.-J., Stoltenburg-Didinger G., Baumgartner A: 3,3'-Diiodothyronine concentrations in the sera of patients with nonthyroidal illnesses and brain tumors, and of healthy subjects during acute stress. J. Clin. Endocr. & Metab. 83:3071-3077. 1998.
Pinna G, Uzunova V, Matsumoto K, Puia G, Mienville JM, Costa E and Guidotti A: Brain allopregnanolone regulates the potency of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. Neuropharmacology 39:440-448. 2000.
Pinna G, Brödel O, Visser T, Jeitner A, Grau H, Eravci M, Meinhold H and Baumgartner A: Concentrations of seven iodothyronine metabolites in brain regions and the liver of the adult rat. Endocrinology 143:1789-1800. 2002.
Pinna G, Dong E, Matsumoto K, Costa E and Guidotti A: In socially isolated mice, the reversal of brain allopregnanolone down-regulation mediates the anti-aggressive action of fluoxetine. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:2035-2040. 2003.
Pinna G, Broedel O, Eravci M, Stoltenburg-Didinger G, Plueckhan H, Fuxius S, Meinhold H and Baumgartner A: Thyroid hormones in the rat amygdala as common targets for antidepressant drugs, mood stabilizers and sleep deprivation. Biol Psychiatry. 54:1049-1059. 2003.
Pinna G, Costa E and Guidotti A: Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine stereospecifically facilitate pentobarbital sedation by increasing neurosteroids. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:6222-6225. 2004.
Pinna G, Agis-Balboa RC, Doueiri M-S, Guidotti A and Costa E: Brain neurosteroids in the gender-related aggression induced by social isolation. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology 16:75-82. 2004.
Pinna G, Costa E, and Guidotti A: In female mice, the testosterone-mediated neurosteroid downregulation induces aggressive behavior. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2005
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