Speaker: Erika Comasco, Associate Professor and SciLifeLab Fellow at the Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University

Venue: Triple room, Navet, BMC, Husargatan 3, Uppsala

Abstract
Sex differences and gonadal hormones´effects have been abundantly reported in psychiatry; however their psychoneuroendocrine underpinnings remain largely unknown, thus impeding the development of sex-specific treatments. In women, for instance, maladaptive neural responsiveness to gonadal hormones´fluctuations is expected to explain disorders such as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Peripartum Depression. This seminar will describe recent findings on the neurobiology of sex-specific disorders. Understanding neuroimaging and molecular correlates of sex-specific disorders is of relevance to the development of diagnoses and treatments informed by biology.

Short Bio
After earning a master degree in Pharmacy from the University of Pavia, I conducted my scientific work at Uppsala University in the fields of Addiction and Psychoneuroendocrinology. As postdoc and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at the Medical University of Vienna, my research interest has been on Gender Dysphoria. My current studies, as SciLifeLab fellow, focus on Molecular Psychiatry. For example, by using neuroimaging techniques, I aim to investigate the molecular underpinnings of gonadal hormones´influence on women’s brain and behaviour.

Contact person: Mikaela Friedman, mikaela.friedman@localhost