[ISSUE CoM] IGPM-Assistant Professor. Paola Magioncalda

Dr. Paola Magioncalda has a substantial academic background in psychiatry and neuroscience. After completing medical school and specialising in psychiatry at the University of Genoa (Italy), they obtained a research Master's degree in Affective Neuroscience from Maastricht University (Netherlands) and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the same institution. Their research interests focus on understanding the relationship between brain functioning, phenomenal experience, and behaviour. Specifically, they investigate the psychopathology and pathophysiology of major psychiatric disorders, with a particular emphasis on bipolar disorder. Their work involves neuroimaging techniques and laboratory studies to explore potential neurobiological alterations underlying bipolar disorder. They propose a theoretical model linking immune-inflammatory-mediated damage of white matter, neurotransmitter signalling, and intrinsic brain activity dysbalance to the manic-depressive symptomatology observed in bipolar disorder. At present, they are engaged in an ambitious project with the objective of testing hypotheses derived from their model and exploring innovative treatments for bipolar disorder and other neuropsychiatric conditions.