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For more information on all activities carried out in my laboratory, visit the Melis laboratory website.

I received a degree in Pharmacy at the University of Palermo (Italy) in 1993, and I joined the group of in vivo electrophysiology at the Department of Neuroscience “Bernard B. Brodie” (University of Cagliari, Italy) under the mentorship of GianLuigi Gessa in the laboratory led by Marco Diana. The team was focused on understanding the cellular basis of the acute anc chronic effects of drugs of abuse on dopaminergic neurons. We discovered that the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana (THC) increases the firing activity of dopamine neurons similarly to alcohol, nicotine and morphine. We were the first to provide electrophysiologic evidence in vivo for both acute recreational (Gessa et al., 1998; Diana et al., 1998a) and dysphoric associated with acute withdrawal from chronic THC exposure (Diana et al., 1998b).

In 2000 I moved to San Francisco to the “Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center” of the University of California of San Francisco (UCSF) in the laboratory of Antonello Bonci, where I studied the effects of in vivo acute exposure to alcohol on synaptic properties of dopamine neurons ex vivo (Melis et al 2022; Wanat et al 2008). 

Upon my return to Cagliari at the same department of Neuroscience in 2002, I discovered that dopamine neurons can also synthesized and release endocannabinoids (Melis et al., 2004a* eb*). We were the first to show that endocannabinoids can tune neuronal activity of dopamine both ex vivo and in vivo, and for these discoveries I was awarded the "Farmindustria-SIF" award for the pharmacological research (2005) and the NIDA Travel award (2004) at the Society for Neuroscience for the meeting held in San Diego, where I also was a speaker in a symposium.

I graduated with PhD in Neuroscience in 2011 with Marco Pistis, MD. During my undergraduate years, I studied the functional modulation of lipid molecules belonging to the endocannabinoid system (e.g., ethanolamines of fatty acids) on neuronal activity of dopamine neurons through a non-genomic mechanism that is downstream of the activation of transcription factor and nuclear receptor that is PPARα, by using a combination of electrophysiological, behavioral and biochemical approaches (Melis et al., 2008; 2010*; 2013a*). This work has revealed a specific interplay between the cholinergic system and PPARα on dopamine neurons (Melis et al., 2013b*), which is implicated in various disorders associated with a imbalance between the dopamine-acetylcholine systems (es. depression, nicotine addiction, ADHD, stress). 

In 2011, I was a visiting scientist at the Departiment of Neuroscienze of the University of Lund in Sweden. I worked in the group studying epilepsy and lead by Merab Kokaia to learn and master optogenetics (Berglind et al., 2014; Toft Sorensen et al., 2018). Upon my return, I remain in the same team lead by Marco Pistis at the Departiment of Biomedical Sciences. The interaction between the cholinergic system and PPARα was extended to other regions of the brain and other pathological conditions, such as epilepsy and depression (Puligheddu et al., 2013; Scheggi, Melis et al., 2016). ). In particular, the activation of PPARα has been useful in rodent models, both pharmacological and genetic, of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, which we have successively implemented in a clinical setting (Puligheddu, Melis et al., 2017).

In the fall of 2016, I was appointed associate professor of Pharmacology at the same department.
My long-term objective is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms at the basis of resilience and vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disturbances (for example, alcohol use disturbances, antisocial behavior, anxiety, depression) with particular attention to all modifications of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway. che of the endocannabinoid system. I have started to respond to this "domanda di ricerca" first of all my ricerca group (Melis et al. 2013c*, 2014*) and have continued successively (Frau et al 2019**; Frau, Miczàn et al. 2019**; Sagheddu, Traccis et al 2021**; Traccis, Serra et al 2021**; Serra et al., 2023**). 

On September 8, 2023, I was promoted to full professor of Pharmacology in the same Department. 

I am actively engaged in the destigmatization of mental health .

*I am the corresponding author
** I am aboth last author and corresponding author 

A complete list of my publications can be found in your  PubMed