Lanfranco Ranieri Paolo Troncone

Graduate studies in Biomedical sciences in 1980, focused on psychopharmacology and psychobiology. Masters in 1985 and PhD in 1988 on sleep physiology. Joined Instituto Butantan, pharmacology department in 1987 by a public contest and classified in first place. As a Scientific Researcher, reached level VI in 2007. Post-doctoral experiences in U. of Toronto (Prof. Milton P. Charlton and Prof. Jose N. Nobrega - from 1994 to 1997) working on NMJ electrophysiology and neuroimaging. Post-doctoral experience at Oxford-Brookes U. - UK - (Prof. I. Bermudez in 1998 and 1999) working on Xenopus oocyte TEVC and effect of low MW neurotoxins isolated from spider venoms . Licensed to use radiotracers in laboratory scale. Scientific interest areas include the investigation of striatal neurotransmission in health, Parkinson and Huntington diseases, stress and depression, neuropharmacology of animal venoms and potential medical applications. Recent achievements include contributions to the understanding of gyroxin and crotamine (from snake venom Crotalus d. terrificus) mechanisms of action; identification of a spider venom toxin involved in Calcium channel blockade and another as the responsible for inducing priapism in humans and test animals, triggering investigation on the possible use as a medicine for erectile functions; establishing the differences between the effects of physical and psychological stresses and the consequences for the understanding of the neural basis of depression; development of pre-clinical behavioral models of depression, envisaging the development of more reliable methods to screen new drugs. My laboratory currently employs: Animal models of anxiety and depression, labeled neurotransmitter release and uptake, receptor binding assay, brain mapping of receptors, regional brain activity mapping by 2-DG, cFOS and cytochrome-oxidase activity, stereotaxic surgery in rodents, blood pressure and cavernousal pressure assessment as a model of erective function/priapism, electrophysiological methods in neuromuscular junction and frog oocyte heterologous expression of receptors for TEVC. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)