Visit of the University Palace (Palazzo dei Gesuiti and Palazzo Balbi) Meeting point: entrance of via Balbi 5

Frontiers in synaptic plasticity

Chair: Anna Fassio (Genoa, Italy)

Egidio D'Angelo (Pavia, Italy)

Distributed synaptic plasticity in closed-loop robotic simulations

Arianna Maffei (New York, NY, USA)

Crosstalk between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic plasticity in sensory neocortex

Gian Michele Ratto (Pisa, Italy)

Acute alterations of the excitation/inhibition equilibrium interfere with normal visual processing in the adult mouse

Anna Fassio (Genoa, Italy)

Synaptic vesicle pool as a target for synaptic plasticity

Andrea Barberis (Genoa, Italy)

Molecular mechanisms of post-synaptic inhibitory plasticity

Welcome to Participants by University and City Authorities

Lauro Magnani (University of Genoa, Italy)

Ricerca e Formazione in un "museo diffuso": il patrimonio artistico e monumentale dell'Università di Genova

Semir Zeki (University College London, London, UK)

The Neurobiology of Beauty

Welcome Cocktail

Symposium 1   [Room Scirocco]
Small Brains – Complex Behaviours: the contribution of invertebrates and lower vertebrates to Neuroscience

In memory of Francesco (Ciccio) Vitiello
Chair: Pier Giorgio Montarolo (Turin, Italy)

Bernard Poulain (Strasbourg, France)

Coexistence of distinct pools of release-ready synaptic vesicles shapes the ability of neurons to maintain synaptic efficacy

Mirella Ghirardi (Turin, Italy)

Formation and plasticity of neuronal circuits of the land snail Helix aspersa in vitro

Graziano Fiorito (Naples, Italy)

How behavioural plasticity is achieved, the case of the Octopus

Gianfranco Gennarini (Bari, Italy)

Regulated expression of axonal adhesive glycoproteins in synaptic plasticity, neural development and evolution

Chiara Milanese (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Zebrafish as a model to study nitrite neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease

Symposium 2   [Room Levante-Ponente]
Hibernation, hypometabolism and sleep: how the physiological background of energy saving inspires future medical applications

Chair: Matteo Cerri (Bologna, Italy)

Matteo Cerri (Bologna, Italy)

Central control of metabolic rate: exploiting hibernation

Hannah Carey (Madison, WI, USA)

The host-microbe symbiosis is remodeled during hibernation

Rob H. Henning (Groningen, The Netherlands)

Role of endogenous H₂S production in hibernation

Domenico Tupone (Portland, OR, USA)

Central activation of the A1 adenosine receptor (A1AR) induces hypothermia and a torpor-like state: clinical implication in stroke and neurogenic fever

Ugo Faraguna (Pisa, Italy)

Hibernation and sleep: a synaptic link?

Coffee Break  [Congress Center]

Workshop 1 · Neural Plasticity   [Room Scirocco]

Chairs: Natale Belluardo (Palermo, Italy), Egidio D'Angelo (Pavia, Italy)

Valentina Di Liberto (Palermo, Italy)

Muscarinic Acetilcholine receptors transactivate Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and enhance neurite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons

Walter Gulisano (Catania, Italy)

Physiological role of TGF-β1 in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory

Federico Pecoraro Bisogni (Genoa, Italy)

Repressor Element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) - dependent synaptic homeostasis of hippocampal excitatory synapses exposed to chronic hyperactivity

Giorgia Giansante (Genoa, Italy)

Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into functional human neurons

Giampiero Leanza (Trieste, Italy)

Noradrenergic regulation of spatial learning and memory in the rat: effects of selective lesions and repair by transplanted noradrenergic neuroblasts

Claudia Lunghi (Pisa, Italy)

Short-term monocular deprivation alters GABA in the adult human visual cortex

Manuela Medelin (Trieste, Italy)

Altered development in GABA co-release shapes glycinergic synaptic currents in cultured spinal slices of the SOD1^G93A mouse model

Marialuisa Tognolina (Pavia, Italy)

Cerebellar plasticity resolved by advanced multi-photon microscopy

Workshop 2 · Cell Physiology   [Room Libeccio]

Chairs: Elena Fabbri (Bologna, Italy), Maria Marino (Rome, Italy)

Laura Canesi (Genoa, Italy)

Disturbance in lipid homeostasis by environmental chemicals in mammalian and invertebrate hepatic cells

Filippo Acconcia (Rome, Italy)

Endocytic proteins regulate 17β-estradiol-induced cell proliferation

Bruno Burlando (Alessandria, Italy)

Resveratrol induces intracellular Ca²⁺ rise in mesothelioma cells via T-type Ca²⁺ channels

Maria A. Mariggiò (Pescara, Italy)

Evidence for impaired intracellular Ca²⁺ handling in GAP43-knockout myotubes

Tiziano Verri (Lecce, Italy)

Structure-function relationships in vertebrate transport proteins: a ‘phylogenetic’ approach for the H⁺/peptide transporter PEPT1 (SLC15A1)

Rosa Mancinelli (Pescara, Italy)

Relationship between oxidative stress and muscle regeneration in aging

Mirko Baruscotti (Milan, Italy)

Molecular aspects of ivabradine binding to hHCN4 and hHCN1 channel pores

Andrea Barbuti (Milan, Italy)

Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes as a model to unravel electrophysiological alterations at the basis of familial atrial fibrillation

Workshop 3 · Physiological mechanisms of nutritional and metabolic adaptation   [Room Levante-Ponente]

Chairs: Antonio Colantuoni (Naples, Italy), Alberto Battezzati (Milan, Italy)

Amilcare Barca (Lecce, Italy)

Involvement of genes related to carnosine metabolism in diabetic neuropathy: evidence in murine PNS tissues affected by hyperglycemic conditions

Giuseppe Calamita (Bari, Italy)

Decreased hepatic aquaporin-9 and glycerol permeability are related to insulin resistance in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Gabriella Gallo (Genoa, Italy)

A silybin-phospholipid complex ameliorates lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in an in vitro model of steatohepatitis

Assunta Lombardi (Naples, Italy)

Uncoupling Protein-3 influences energy metabolism and high fat diet induced lipid accumulation in mice maintained at thermoneutrality

Maria Pina Mollica (Naples, Italy)

Sodium butyrate and its synthetic amide derivative affect energy efficiency and inflammatory state by modulating mitochondrial function

Elena Grossini (Novara, Italy)

Des acyl ghrelin increases coronary blood flow in anesthetized pig in a nitric oxide-dependent way. Analysis of mechanisms of action in coronary artery endothelial cells

Rachele Garella (Florence, Italy)

Relaxin reduces cigarette smoke-mediated vascular injury in aortic preparations from guinea pigs: functional and immunohistochemical studies

Herbert Ryan Marini (Messina, Italy)

Diet, nutrition and heart function in menopause: potential benefit of genistein, a soy-derived isoflavone, in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome

Lunch and Poster Discussion  [Rossopomodoro Restaurant and Congress Center]

Symposium 3   [Room Scirocco-Libeccio]
Nanomaterials and novel technologies: new frontiers in cell physiology

Chair: Laura Ballerini (Trieste, Italy)

Vladimir Parpura (Birmingham, AL, USA/Rijeka, Croatia)

Probing astrocytes with carbon nanotubes and assessing their effects on astrocyte structural and functional properties

Fernando Maya-Vetencourt (Genoa, Italy)

Commanding neuronal activity with light: from photovoltaic interfaces to neural prosthesis

Paolo Medini (Umeå, Sweden)

Optical and electrophysiological exploration of cortical circuits in the living brain

Vincenzo Lombardi (Florence, Italy)

Realization of a sarcomere-like machine based on muscle myosin

Laura Ballerini (Trieste, Italy)

3D carbon nanotube scaffolds shape neurites navigation in bio-hybrid microsystems functionally reconnecting segregated spinal explants

Symposium 4   [Room Levante-Ponente]
Cellular and physiological adaptations to physical training and detraining in hypoxia

Chair: Carlo Capelli (Verona, Italy/Oslo, Norway)

Vittore Verratti (Chieti, Italy)

Gokyo Khumbu/Ama Dablam Trek 2012: a dual model of scientific expedition

Tiziana Pietrangelo (Chieti, Italy)

High altitude and physical training: human responses at cellular level

Luana Ricci-Paulesu (Siena, Italy)

Altitude-induced changes in young adult women: physiological role of hypoxia, MIF, oxidative stress and gonadal hormones

Carlo Capelli (Verona, Italy/Oslo, Norway)

Effects of physical training and high altitude exposure on oxidative metabolism and muscle composition in humans

Bruno Grassi (Udine, Italy)

Combined effects of inactivity and hypoxia on skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism in humans

Coffee Break  [Congress Center]

Roberto Cingolani (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy)

The impact of future technologies in health and social life

Teatro Carlo Felice  [Auditorium E. Montale]
Concerto per Aperitivo

Alberto Tessarotto (piano)

Symposium 5   [Room Scirocco]
Novel molecular mechanisms controlling neuronal communication

Chair: Cristian Ripoli (Rome, Italy)

Fabrizia Cesca (Genoa, Italy)

The neuronal protein Kidins220/ARMS is a functional mediator of nervous system development, maturation and plasticity

Giorgia Fattorini (Ancona, Italy)

Co-expression of VGLUT1 and VGAT sustains glutamate and GABA co-release in cerebral cortex

Cristian Ripoli (Rome, Italy)

Direct and persistent activation of LIMK1 by CaMKII at glutamatergic synapses during hippocampal structural and functional plasticity

Gabriele Lignani (London, UK)

Sodium channel splice variants in the regulation of neuronal excitability

Symposium 6   [Room Levante-Ponente]
Grasp encoding in the brain fronto-parietal network: evidences from human and nonhuman primates

Chair: Rossella Breveglieri (Bologna, Italy)

Luca Turella (Trento, Italy)

Neural dynamics underlying action representations for motor planning

Simona Monaco (Trento, Italy)

Neural coding of action planning with and without visual feedback

Rossella Breveglieri (Bologna, Italy)

Effect of vision on grasping activity in monkey dorsomedial visual stream

Marco Lanzilotto (Parma, Italy)

Visuo-motor processing of graspable and non-graspable objects in pre-supplementary motor neurons of the macaque

Coffee Break  [Congress Center]

Workshop 4 · Integrative Physiology   [Room Scirocco]

Chairs: Natale Belluardo (Palermo, Italy), Egidio D'Angelo (Pavia, Italy)

Giulia Dal Bò (Bologna, Italy)

Reaching a target in 3-dimensional space in macaque parietal area PEc

Martina Parrini (Genoa, Italy)

Reversing excitatory GABA_A signaling restores synaptic plasticity and memory in a mouse model of Down syndrome

Diego Manzoni (Pisa, Italy)

Sensorimotor trigeminal unbalance modulates pupil size

Laura Avanzino (Genoa, Italy)

A peripheral sensory stimulus modulates the excitability of cerebello-cortical connectivity

Federico Tinarelli (Genoa, Italy)

The circadian mice mutant after-hours reveal epigenetic and physiological alterations in the brain

Antonio Colantuoni (Naples, Italy)

Malvidin’s effects on blood brain barrier alterations during hypoperfusion/reperfusion injury

Francesco Moccia (Pavia, Italy)

Intracellular Ca²⁺ oscillations mediate acetylcholine-induced nitric oxide release in mouse brain endothelial cells

Serena Bovetti (Genoa, Italy)

High-speed scanless imaging of genetically encoded functional indicators in the intact mouse brain

Workshop 5 · Physiology of motor system and exercise  
[Room Libeccio]

Chairs: Guido Ferretti (Brescia, Italy), Marco Linari (Florence, Italy)

Mattia Bonzanni (Milan, Italy)

Effects of miRNAs modulated by endurance training on cardiomyocyte excitability

Marco Caremani (Florence, Italy)

Mechanics of the half-sarcomere in intact trabeculae from rat heart

Simona Boncompagni (Chieti, Italy)

Discovered the sites of store-operated calcium entry in skeletal muscle

Massimo Reconditi (Florence, Italy)

The role of the thick filament in the regulation of skeletal muscle contraction

Eleonora Bardi (Pavia, Italy)

Skeletal muscle deterioration in dilated cardiomyopathy: molecular mechanisms and effects of prolonged endurance training in Tg αq*44h mice

Carlo Bruttini (Milan, Italy)

Accuracy of a wrist-pointing movement in dominant and non-dominant hand is correlated to the timing of intra-limb Anticipatory Postural Adjustments

Fabio Esposito (Milan, Italy)

Electromechanical delay components during skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1

Giovanni Vinetti (Brescia, Italy)

Effects of recovery interval duration during incremental exercise protocols on peak power and critical power in humans

Workshop 6 · Cell- and Neuro-physiology  [Room Levante-Ponente]

Chairs: Maria Marino (Rome, Italy), Fabio Benfenati (Genoa, Italy)

Valentina Pallottini (Rome, Italy)

Mevalonate pathway involvement in neurite outgrowth

Valerio Magnaghi (Milan, Italy)

PKC-ε related mechanisms regulate neuroactive steroid-mediated effects in dorsal sensitive neurons

Adriana Graziano (Catania, Italy)

Effects of psychosine on some apoptosis markers in mouse oligodendrocyte precursors

Ilaria Rivolta (Monza, Italy)

Functional characterization of a mutation in KCNT1 gene related to non-familial Brugada Syndrome (BrS)

Giulio Sancini (Milan, Italy)

Nanotechnology to nanomedicine: are we about to cross the blood brain barrier?

Jacopo Magistretti (Pavia, Italy)

Two distinct mechanisms of depolarizing afterpotential (DAP) generation in entorhinal-cortex layer-II principal neurons

Agnes Thalhammer (Genoa, Italy)

P/Q-type Ca²⁺ channel splice isoforms shape short-term synaptic plasticity

Enrico Castroflorio (Genoa, Italy)

Role of PRRT2 on synaptic physiology and synaptic vesicle trafficking at the presynapse

Lunch and Poster Discussion  [Rossopomodoro Restaurant and Congress Center]

Chairs: Fabrizia Cesca (Genoa, Italy), Fabio Benfenati (Genoa, Italy)

Oral presentation contest of the best 12 posters short-listed by the SIF Committee

Dag Linnarsson (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden)

Physiological constraints of a human colony on the Moon

Coffee Break  [Congress Center]

SIF Prize Lecture

Best Poster Prize

Art & Science Photography Prize

Committee: Pietro Millefiore (Accademia Ligustica delle Belle Arti, Genoa), Hilda Ricaldone (Galleria Chan), Maurizio Vallebona (Aboutness Gallery), Martino Motti (fotografo e giornalista), Enzo Cei (fotografo)

SIF General Assembly

Election of the Board of The Council of Physiology Professors

Visit to the Aquarium and Social Dinner  [Genoa Aquarium]