Affiliation: IRCSS, Santa Lucia Foundation

Dr. Babicola started studying Psychology at the University of L'Aquila during her Bachelor's (Applied Psychological Sciences) and Master's (Applied Clinical and Health Psychology) degrees. Following her Master's thesis internship in Rome, she decided to attend Sapienza University of Rome to obtain her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience (Behavioral Neurophysiology curriculum). Throughout her career, Dr. Babicola has focused on understanding how the brain responds and adapts to environmental stimuli. As in physiological adjustments necessary in daily life, such as motor coordination or psychopathological consequences due to adaptation to stressful experiences (either in early or late life experience), the preclinical model allowed ḥer the opportunity to investigate the neurophysiological, neurochemical, and behavioral consequences. Dr. Babicola's current focus is on brain modifications associated with environmental enrichment, and their role in ameliorating disabilities caused by neurodevelopment disorders mimicked in preclinical models. Additionally, she is interested in identifying potential epigenetic modifications associated with them, which can be useful in identifying potential biomarkers for clinical interventions.