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Debora MasiniResearcher

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Contact

Name and title: Debora Masini Researcher

debora.masini@dbb.su.se

+460733164724

Orcid

0000-0003-1467-2388

Workplace: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Visiting address

Svante Arrhenius väg 16

Office hours

Office room M:442

Postal address

Institutionen för biokemi och biofysik

106 91 Stockholm

Research group

Christian Broberger's research group

In our laboratory, we are interested in the organization of brain circuits that control innate behaviours, such as aggression, reproduction, feeding as well as sleep. These circuits often originate in the hypothalamus, an evolutionarily old part of the brain, and include the neuroendocrine system, the interface between the brain and the endocrine system.

Links

Linkedin Loop

About me

Research group: Christian Broberger

Current research Grants as Main applicant:

- Margaretha Nilssons Foundation (Sweden), for equipment purchase used in 3D volumetric video recordings of behavior.

- NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (USA), for covering research associated costs. Project was also selected for the research partners program (The Salice Family Foundation).

Publications: see ORCID

last update Nov.2025

Teaching

Teaches Masters and PhD courses within neurosciences.

Teaching/Lecture activities in the last 3-years:

Copenhagen University (Denmark). “Novel technologies in behavioral neuroscience”. 3h class/demonstration.

Stockholm University (Sweden). “Neuronal Circuits” lecture on in vivo recording of neural activity using calcium imaging. 2h class.

Copenhagen University (Denmark). “Animal models of disease and behavioral analysis”. I gave 3 lectures: ecological approach, mouse models of Parkinson’s disease, and technical aspects of behavioral recording and analysis. Total 5h class.

Uppsala University (Sweden). “How to study behavior in vertebrates”. lecture on Open-source tools for behavior tracking and analysis (DLC, MoSeq, VAME). 2h class.

Federal University (UFMG, Brazil). “Frontiers in Neuroscience: motor circuits”. 1h lecture.

Stockholm University (Sweden). Presentation at the Department. “Introducing: Computation Neuroethology”.

Research

I have over 10 years of experience working in the research industry. My work ethics are grounded in a deep interest in science and respectful collaboration with peers.

My doctoral research at the Karolinska Institute was focused on the intersection of neuroanatomical and neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying the symptomatology of Parkinson’s Disease. This included the use of appropriate behavioral assays that reduce interpretive confounds when modelling a disease with a strong motor component. My thesis highlights the importance of a comprehensive understanding of Parkinsonian motor and non-motor features, for the successful translation from preclinical to clinical settings.

During my postdoctoral studies at Copenhagen University, I investigated neural circuits implicated in generating locomotor output. The aim of my research was to develop innovative neuromodulatory therapies for neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, which extend beyond the disease-affected basal ganglia circuitry.

Currently, my research interests revolve around the hypothalamus and its vital role in driving fundamental survival functions. The hypothalamus, being an ancient part of the brain, plays a critical role in initiating, organizing, and ceasing innate behaviors. I am studying how hypothalamic circuitries coordinate complex action sequences, such as aggression, and hope to elucidate novel brain areas that could be targeted in the treatment of a range, a common symptom in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.

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