Established in 2024, the Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) conducts cutting-edge research on psychiatric and neurological disorders linked to chronic stress, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety.
Our research program is centered on dissecting the molecular and cellular substrates that drive behavioral impairments, particularly anhedonia and depressive-like phenotypes. We are guided by the conviction that decoding the mechanisms underlying neural dysfunction and progressive loss of brain function is fundamental to enabling the development of next-generation therapeutics and preventive strategies.
Through a translational framework, our goal is to bridge basic and clinical neuroscience, fostering the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets that may ultimately mitigate disease burden and enhance quality of life on a global scale.
Our research group (Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience) was founded in 2024 by Professor Mauricio Peña Cunha, Ph.D. and Professor from the Department of Physiological Sciences in the School of Biological Sciences at Federal University of Santa Catarina. The Laboratory is located in the Department of Physiological Sciences (CFS) of the School of Biological Sciences (CCB) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). UFSC was founded in 1960 and is currently one of the most important centers of excellence in teaching, research, and extension in Brazil. It is home to more
than 45,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs in various areas of science, technology, and humanities. For more information, visit: www.ufsc.br (in Portuguese).
The Department of Physiological Sciences (CFS) is located in the School of Biological Sciences on the main campus (Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima). The CFS was officially established as a department in 1976 and its mission is to generate knowledge in physiology and disseminate it to the community, as well as to teach Human Physiology in undergraduate courses, focusing on understanding basic mechanisms that are relevant to medical conditions. For more information, visit: https://cfs.ccb.ufsc.br/ (in Portuguese).
