Gianluigi Tanda

Gianluigi Tanda was born in Cagliari, Italy in 1960. He received the Diploma as Doctor in Pharmacy, in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree in toxicology (summa cum laude), in 1993, from the University of Cagliari, Italy. Dr. Tanda has worked, in collaboration with Prof G. DiChiara, on neuroscience projects about functional interactions of dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic brain systems. These studies were the first to identify a common trait of different clinically effective antidepressants in stimulating dopamine transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex. After working on the successful development of an original vertical probe for “in vivo” intracerebral microdialysis, Dr. Tanda, in collaboration with Drs FE Pontieri and G DiChiara firstly characterized and suggested different roles for nucleus accumbens shell and core subregions in stimulation of dopamine transmission by drugs abused by humans. In collaboration with Dr. S. Goldberg, NIDA/NIH, Dr. Tanda successfully developed the first animal model of THC (marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient) self-administration behavior demonstrating THC reinforcing behavior in nonhuman primates. Dr. Tanda is currently working on projects on the effects of newly synthesized dopamine membrane transporter blockers on behavioral measures and on DA neurotransmission. Some of the newly synthesized drugs, the benztropine analogs synthesized in Dr. Amy Newman’s lab, show a behavioral profile different from that of cocaine, and some compounds, promising as cocaine-abuse medications, significantly reduce the behavioral, neurochemical, and reinforcing effects of cocaine.

Biography Updated on 25 October 2010

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