Our group investigates mechanisms that cause synapse failure and memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our experimental approaches comprise a combination of molecular, cellular and animal models of AD, as well as studies in patient cohorts. The central motivation for our work comes from the belief that a deep understanding of mechanisms causing the loss of brain functions is required for the development of novel strategies to prevent or treat AD, leading to an improvement in quality of life of millions of individuals affected by the disease worldwide, their families and caregivers.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, memory, synapse, cellular stress mechanisms
EDUCATION
BS, Chemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
PhD, Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
INVESTIGATION AREAS
Neurosciences
ADITIONAL INFORMATION
AWARDS AND HONORS
National Order of Scientific Merit (awarded by the President of Brazil, 2004)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar (1997-2006)
Fellow of The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (appointed in 2001)
Member, Brazilian Academy of Sciences (elected in 2000)
Pew Charitable Trusts Latin American Fellow in the Biomedical Sciences (1992-1994)
Ledo JH, Azevedo EP, Beckman D, Razolli DS, Ribeiro FC, Santos LE, Melo HM, Bellio M, Teixeira AL, Velloso LA, Foguel D, De Felice FG, Ferreira ST (2016) Crosstalk between brain innate immunity and serotonin signaling underlies depressive-like behavior induced by Alzheimer’s amyloid-β oligomers in mice. J. Neurosci. 36:12106-12116
doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1269-16.2016
Lourenco MV, Frozza RL, de Freitas GB, Zhang H, Kincheski GC, Clarke JR, Ribeiro FC, Beckman D, Staniszevski A, Berman H, Guerra LA, Forny-Germano L, Meier S, Abisambra JF, Wilcock DM, Prado VF, Prado MAM, de Souza JM, Alves-Leon S, Tovar-Moll F, Mattos P, Arancio O, Ferreira ST, De Felice FG* (2019) Exercise-linked FNDC5/irisin rescues synaptic plasticity and memory defects in Alzheimer’s models. Nat. Med. 25(1):165-175.
doi: 10.1038/s41591-018-0275-4
Figueiredo CP, Barros-Aragão F, Neris RLS, Frost PS, Zamberlan D, Antonio LMS, Soares C, Souza AS, Guimarães ALA, de Souza JM, Alves-Leon SV, De Felice FG, Assunção-Miranda I, Clarke JR, Da Poian AT, Ferreira ST (2019) Zika virus replicates in adult human brain tissue and impairs synapses and memory in mice. Nat. Commun. 2019 Sep 5;10(1):3890.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11866-7
Oliveira MM, Lourenco MV, Longo F, Kasica N, Yang W, Ureta G, Ferreira DDP, Mendonça PHJ, Bernales S, Ma T, De Felice FG, Klann E, Ferreira ST (2021) Correction of eIF2-dependent defects in brain protein synthesis, synaptic plasticity and memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Science Signal. 14(668): eabc5429.
doi: 10.1126/scisignal.abc5429
Tahira AC, Verjovski-Almeida S, Ferreira ST (2021) Dementia is an age-independent risk factor for severity and death in COVID-19 inpatients. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 Apr 21.
doi: 10.1002/alz.12352
Research
A study with the participation of IDOR discovered positive actions of lipoxin A4 on cognitive brain functions and the endocannabinoid system. Researchers from the D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) have just published a study in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry that sought to elucidate the mechanisms involved in cognitive deficits in human aging, […]