About me

Dr. Luigi Bellocchio obtained a faculty position (CRCN) at NeuroCentre Magendie in 2017. Since his PhD studies in the lab of Giovanni Marsicano, he has been focusing is research on the role of the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of energy balance in the brain, acquiring a complete technical expertise in the use of transgenic mouse models combined with pharmacological approaches in order to study physiological processes involving the endocannabinoid system. With his post-doctoral studies, he went deeper into cellular mechanisms underlying the activity of G-protein signaling (with particular emphasis on CB1 receptor) in order to understand how this receptor can exert different functions according to the cellular population (and the subcellular compartment) involved. Since 2012, in Manuel Guzman’s lab at Complutense University of Madrid, he acquired a strong theoretical background on the role of GPCRs signaling in the regulation of motor and cognitive functions at basal ganglia level, as well as the knowledge and ability to apply genetic (particularly the use of viral vectors), pharmacological and pharmacogenetic tools to dissect it in different behavioral contexts. Re-joining the lab of Giovanni Marsicano in 2014, he used the knowledge acquired to study the role of mitochondrial CB1 signaling in the regulation of mitochondrial activity, and how it can modulate certain brain functions, such as memory. His research interest mainly focus on the link between mitochondrial CB1R and motor regulation at basal ganglia level, integrating his recently acquired knowledge of signalling pathways and mitochondrial processes.