Marta Pratelli
Assistant Professor
PhD Biology, University of Pisa
Centers for Molecular Medicine (CMM)
Room 546
Training
I obtained my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Pisa, Italy, and later earned a PhD in Biology from the same institution. I conducted my graduate research in the Pasqualetti laboratory, where I studied the serotonergic system across development and adulthood. My doctoral work demonstrated that serotonergic neurons retain a surprising degree of structural plasticity in the adult brain. To further examine how experience shapes brain structure and function, I joined the Spitzer laboratory at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) for postdoctoral training. During this period, I investigated how exposure to drugs of abuse induces neurons in the adult mouse brain to change the neurotransmitter they express—a form of plasticity known as neurotransmitter switching, or transmitter plasticity. This work demonstrated that the gain of GABA in glutamatergic neurons of the adult mouse frontal cortex represents a shared mechanism through which chemically distinct drugs of abuse can produce long-term memory deficits.
Research Interests
The brain exhibits a high degree of plasticity during both development and adulthood.
This plasticity allows experience to shape neural circuit function, supporting learning
and adaptation to new environments. However, plasticity is not always beneficial.
Exposure to addictive substances or stressors can drive alterations in neural circuits
that disrupt mood, memory, and behavior, contributing to addiction and other mental
health disorders. Understanding how negative experiences reshape the brain and
impair circuit function is critical for identifying strategies to prevent or mitigate
their detrimental impact on mental health.
A major discovery in the field of brain plasticity is that neurons in the adult brain can change the neurotransmitters and neuropeptides they express in response to environmental stimuli. This process, known as neurotransmitter switching or transmitter plasticity, involves the gain of a new transmitter, the loss of a previously expressed one, or both. Transmitter plasticity has been observed across species—including in postmortem human brain tissue—and can produce lasting effects on behavior. Experimental interventions—such as manipulation of gene expression, modulation of regional neuronal activity, and pharmacological approaches—that prevent or reverse these changes can also prevent or alleviate the associated behavioral alterations, supporting a causal link between transmitter plasticity and behavioral outcomes.
My laboratory investigates how exposure to drugs of abuse, alcohol, and stress reshapes the brain, with a particular focus on transmitter plasticity and its impact on neural circuit function and behavior. We use a brain-wide, circuit-neuroscience approach that integrates genetic mouse models with circuit manipulation (chemogenetic, optogenetic, and gene-expression tools), fiber photometry, behavioral analyses, and brain-wide mapping to define the mechanisms through which detrimental experiences alter brain function and behavior.
Selected Publications
2024 Pratelli M$, Hakimi AM, Thaker A, Jang H, Li HQ, Godavarthi S, Lim BK, Spitzer NC$. Drug-induced change in transmitter identity is a shared mechanism generating cognitive deficits. Nature Communications 15, 8260. PMID: 39327428 $ corresponding author
2025 Pratelli M$, Spitzer NC. Drugs of abuse drive neurotransmitter plasticity that alters behavior: Implications for mental health. Front Behav Neurosci. 2025 Mar 19;19:1551213. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1551213. PMID: 40177329. $ corresponding author
2024 Li HQ, Jiang W, Ling L, Pratelli M, Chen C, Gupta V, Godavarthi SK, Spitzer NC. Generalized fear after acute stress is caused by change in neuronal cotransmitter identity. Science 383 (6688), 1252-1259. PMID: 38484078
2017 Pratelli M, Migliarini S, Pelosi B, Napolitano F, Usiello A, Pasqualetti M. Perturbation of Serotonin Homeostasis during Adulthood Affects Serotonergic Neuronal Circuitry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28413824. eNeuro. 4(2). PMID:28413824