GIULIA TORROMINO

ADDRESS
Sapienza University of Rome
Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin"
Center for Research in Neurobiology "D. Bovet"
P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
giulia.torromino@uniroma1.it
ORCID: 0000-0002-7041-0289

EDUCATION
2017 Ph.D. in Psychobiology e Psychopharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2014 Master Degree in Neurobiology, 110/110 cum laude, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
CURRENT POSITION
05/2025-present Research Fellow (SSD PSIC-01/B, ex-M-PSI/02) – Ricercatore Tenure Track. Dept. of Biology and Biotechnology C.Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome.

Academic Appointments
28/06/2021 02/05/2025 University of Naples Federico II (Naples, Italy) Research Fellow (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato di Tipo A)
01/02/2021 25/06/2021 Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council (Rome, Italy) Post-Doctoral Fellow
(Assegno di Ricerca)
01/02/2020 31/01/2021 Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council (Rome, Italy) Post-Doctoral Fellow
(Assegno di Ricerca)
01/02/2019 31/01/2020 Institute of Genetics and Biophysics “A. Buzzati Traverso”, National Research Council (Naples, Italy) Post-Doctoral Fellow
(Assegno di Ricerca)
01/07/2018 31/12/2018 Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (Pozzuoli, Italy) Post-doctoral Research Fellow
(Collaborazione autonoma coordinata e continuativa)
01/01/2018 10/06/2018 Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (Pozzuoli, Italy) Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
(Collaborazione autonoma coordinata e continuativa)
01/09/2017 31/12/2017 Columbia University – The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America (New York, USA) Research Associate
(Fellow)
01/05/2017 31/10/2017 Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine at the Charles University of Pilsen (Pilsen, Czech Republic) Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Visiting Researcher
(Collaborazione autonoma coordinata e continuativa)
01/11/2016 30/04/2017 Aix-Marseille University (Marseille, Francia) funded by Sapienza University of Rome Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (Program: “Borsa di Perfezionamento all’Estero)

Teaching experience as lecturer
Year Institution Lecture/Course
2024-2025 University of Naples Federico II Course “Anatomical, Physiological and Neuropsychological Basics of Psychic Activity”
(“Fondamenti anatomofisiologici e neuropsicologici dell’attività psichica”) – SSD PSIC-01/B, 8 CFU, Bachelor in Psychological Sciences and Techniques
2023-2024 University of Naples Federico II Course “Anatomical, Physiological and Neuropsychological Basics of Psychic Activity”
(“Fondamenti anatomofisiologici e neuropsicologici dell’attività psichica”) – SSD PSIC-01/B, 8 CFU, Bachelor in Psychological Sciences and Techniques
2022-2023 University of Naples Federico II Course “Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology”
(“Psicobiologia e Psicologia Fisiologica”) – SSD PSIC-01/B, 8 CFU, Bachelor in Psychological Sciences and Techniques
2021-2022 University of Naples Federico II Course “Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology”
(“Psicobiologia e Psicologia Fisiologica”) – SSD PSIC-01/B, 8 CFU, Bachelor in Psychological Sciences and Techniques

Fellowships and Awards
2019 Acknowledgement of the abstract as Neuroscience 2019 Hot Topic – 100 out of 14000 – at the International Neuroscience Congress of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), Chicago (USA)
2019 Travel grant for the National Congress of the Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS), Perugia (Italy)
2017 Fellow of the Art, Humanities, and Neuroscience Fellowships Program of the The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America – Columbia University (New York, USA)
2016 Scholarship by Sapienza University of Rome – Program “Borsa di Perfezionamento all’estero” – in Prof. Marianne Amalric Cognitive Neuroscience laboratory, at the Aix-Marseille University (France)
2016 Young Investigator Training Program (YITP) 2016 – FENS Forum Copenhagen 2016 – in Prof. Sadegh Nabavi’s laboratory, at the DANDRITE, Aarhus University (Denmark)
2011 Student fellowship from the Dept. of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

Society memberships
2011-present Member, Italian Society for Neuroscience (SINS)
2011-present Member, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
2011-present Founding Member, Numero Cromatico (www.numerocromatico.it)

Organization of Scientific Meetings
2024 Co-organizer and chair of the conference “Empatia e non-umano”, Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II.
2023 Organizer and chair of the conference “Sul Futuro dell’AI: una riflessione a partire dall’ambito umanistico”, Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II.
2015 Organization team of the meeting “10th Years of Neurobiology” at Sapienza University of Rome.
2013-2016 Organization team of the annual seminars for the Master Degree in Neurobiology at Sapienza University of Rome.
2011-present Organization team of scientific and dissemination events for the research center in art and neuroscience Numero Cromatico, Italy – https://en.numerocromatico.com/eventi

Institutional responsibilities
2023 Member of the Evaluation Committee for 1 contract per month at Sapienza University of Rome.
2023 Member of the Evaluation Committee for 1 post-graduate fellowship at Sapienza University of Rome.
2023 Member of the Evaluation Committee for 1 post-graduate fellowship at Sapienza University of Rome.
2021 Member of the Evaluation Committee for 1 post-graduate fellowship at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the National Research Council (IBBC-CNR).

Editorial and Reviewing activities
2018-2021 Reviewer for the neuroscience journals: Scientific Reports, Frontier in Behavioural Neuroscience; Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience; Brain Research; Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology; Journal of Computational Neuroscience.
2019-2020 Reviewer for The French National Research Agency (ANR), France.
2012-present Editorial Board of Nodes. Journal of Art and Neuroscience (ANVUR Class A journal – ISSN: 2281-1168). Publisher: Numero Cromatico, Italy (http://nodesjournal.com/en/)

Grants
2023 MEM-TOUCH: Improving Memory by Touch (role: PI) University Research Program (FRA 2022) - University of Naples Federico II

Main Research Activities
Behavioral neurobiology, learning and memory, brain circuits in vivo manipulation, subcortical-to-cortical communication, rodent models
In vivo neural circuits activation and inhibition through chemogenetics and optogenetics manipulation in rodents for the study of the neurobiological correlates of behavior, with a focus on learning and memory processes.
Aging, memory decline, mild cognitive impairment, preclinical markers, non-motor symptoms, neurodegenerative diseases Identification of early cognitive and molecular markers of cognitive decline in physiological and pathological aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
Memory, Peripheral Nervous System, Neuromodulation, Heterosynaptic Plasticity, Brain circuits, Neuroenhancement, Embodied Cognition
Role of peripheral inputs in memory formation and possible applications of peripheral stimulation for neuroenhancement, in animal models and humans.

Peer-reviewed Publications and Book Chapters (indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science)
1) Fiorentini, G., Massè, E., Ficarella, S., Torromino, G.# (2025). Peripheral transcutaneous electrical stimulation to improve cognition: a review of the main effects in healthy humans and in mildly cognitively impaired patient populations. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 111290.
2) Torromino, G. (2024). Environmental Enrichment in Real and Virtual Realms Fosters Neural Plasticity Related to Learning and Memory Processes. In: Santoianni, F., Giannini, G., Ciasullo, A. (eds) Mind, Body, and Digital Brains. Integrated Science, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58363-6_12
3) Caterino, M.*, Paris, D.*, Torromino, G.*, Costanzo, M., Flore, G., …, Lania, G. (2024). Brain and behavioural anomalies caused by Tbx1 haploinsufficiency are corrected by vitamin B12. Life Science Alliance, 8(2).
4) Stabile, F.*, Torromino, G.*, Rajendran, S., Del Vecchio, G., Presutti, C., Mannironi, C., De Leonibus, E., Mele, A., & Rinaldi, A. (2023). Short-Term Memory Deficit Associates with miR-153-3p Upregulation in the Hippocampus of Middle-Aged Mice. Molecular Neurobiology, 1-11.
5) Iemolo, A., De Risi, M., Giordano, N.§, Torromino, G.§, Somma, C., Cavezza, D., Colucci, M., Mancini, M., de Iure, A., Granata, R., Picconi, B. Calabresi, P. & De Leonibus, E. (2023). Synaptic mechanisms underlying onset and progression of memory deficits caused by hippocampal and midbrain synucleinopathy. npj Parkinson's Disease, 9(1), 92.
6) Pellegrini, F., Padovano, V., Biscarini, S., Santini, T., Setti, A., Galfrè, S.G., Silenzi, V., Vitiello, E., Mariani, D., Nicoletti, C., Torromino, G., De Leonibus, E., Martone, J., & Bozzoni, I. (2023). A KO mouse model for the lncRNA Lhx1os produces motor neuron alterations and locomotor impairment. iScience.
7) Chiarella, S. G.*#, Torromino, G.*#, Gagliardi, D. M., Rossi, D., Babiloni, F., & Cartocci, G. (2022). Investigating the negative bias towards artificial intelligence: Effects of prior assignment of AI-authorship on the aesthetic appreciation of abstract paintings. Computers in Human Behavior, 137, 107406.
8) Torromino, G.*, Loffredo, V., Cavezza, D., Sonsini, G., Esposito, F., Crevenna, A. H., Gioffrè, M., De Risi, M., Treves, A., Griguoli, M. & De Leonibus, E. (2022). Thalamo-hippocampal pathway regulates incidental memory capacity in mice. Nature Communications, 13(1), 4194.
9) Pisano, F., Torromino, G., Brachi, D., Quadrini, A., Incoccia, C., & Marangolo, P. (2021). A standardized prospective memory evaluation of the effects of COVID-19 confinement on young students. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(17), 3919.
10) De Risi, M., Tufano, M., Alvino, F. G., Ferraro, M. G., Torromino, G., Gigante, Y., Monfregola, J., Marrocco, E., Pulcrano, S., Tunisi, L., Lubrano, C., Papy-Garcia, D., Tuchman, Y., Salleo, A., Santoro, F., Bellenchi, G., Cristino, L. Ballabio, A., Fraldi, A. & De Leonibus, E. (2021). Altered heparan sulfate metabolism during development triggers dopamine-dependent autistic-behaviours in models of lysosomal storage disorders. Nature communications, 12(1), 3495.
11) Torromino, G., Maggi, A., & De Leonibus, E. (2021). Estrogen-dependent hippocampal wiring as a risk factor for age-related dementia in women. Progress in Neurobiology, 197, 101895.
12) Rinaldi, A., De Leonibus, E., Cifra, A. Torromino, G., Minicocci, E., De Sanctis, E., López-Pedrajas, R.M., Oliverio, A., & Mele, A. (2020). Flexible use of allocentric and egocentric spatial memories activates differential neural networks in mice. Scientific Reports 10, 11338.
13) De Risi, M.*, Torromino, G.*, Tufano, M., Moriceau, S., Pignataro, A., Rivagorda, M., Carrano, N., Middei, S., Settembre, C., Ammassari-Teule, M., Gardoni, F., Mele, A., Oury, F. & De Leonibus, E. (2020). Mechanisms by which autophagy regulates memory capacity in ageing. Aging Cell: e13189.
14) Torromino, G., Autore, L., Khalil, V., Mastrorilli, V., Griguoli, M., Pignataro, A., Centofante E, Biasini, G.M., De Turris, V., Ammassari-Teule, M., Rinaldi, A., & Mele, A. (2019). Offline ventral subiculum-ventral striatum serial communication is required for spatial memory consolidation. Nature Communications, 10(1), 5721.
15) Cappucci U.*, Torromino G.*, Casale A.M., Camon J., Capitano F., Berloco M., Mele A., Pimpinelli S., Rinaldi A., & Piacentini L. (2018). Stress-induced strain and brain region-specific activation of LINE-1 transposons in adult mice, Stress 1-6.
[IF: 2.2; Citations: 12]
16) Ztaou, S., Lhost, J., Watabe, I., Torromino, G., & Amalric, M. (2018). Striatal cholinergic interneurons regulate cognitive and affective dysfunction in partially dopamine‐depleted mice. European Journal of Neuroscience, 48(9).
17) Sannino S.*, Russo F.*, Torromino G., Pendolino V., Calabresi P., & De Leonibus E. (2012). Role of the hippocampus in object memory load in mice. Learning and memory 19(5):211-8.
* Co-first authors; # Co-corresponding authors; § Co-author.

Other monographs and publications (not indexed in Scopus and/or Web of Science)
• Torromino, G., Chiarella, S. G., Focareta, M., Cuono, S., Marenghi, F., Maioli, M. & Gagliardi D. M. (2024). Art as a Supernormal Stimulus? Proposal for an Integrated Perspective Bridging Art with Neuroscience, Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, 47(3).
• Gagliardi, D. M., Chiarella, S. G., Marenghi, F., Focareta, M., Cuono, S. & Torromino, G. (2023). Sull’attuale ruolo dell’intelligenza artificiale nel processo di produzione artistica. Nodes (21-22):8-15.
• Gagliardi, D. M., Torromino, G., Focareta, M., Cuono, S., Chiarella, S. G., Marenghi & F., Maioli, M. (2023). Arte come superstimolo. Attivazione biologica, stimolazione delle funzioni cognitive e sfida alle convenzioni culturali. Nodes (21-22):64-73.
• Gagliardi, D.M., Torromino, G. et al. (2023). La tattilità come elemento nella produzione artistica dal Futurismo a oggi. In: Arte del Tatto (a cura di Gagliardi D. M.), Numero Cromatico Editore. https://doi.org/10.57633/AT2-ITA
• Gagliardi, D.G., Torromino, G., et al. (2022). Il ruolo dell’artista e il pregiudizio su intelligenze artificiali che creano opere d’arte. Nodes (19-20):42-53 (ITA) / Gagliardi, D.G., Torromino, G., et al. (2022). On the role of the artist and the prejudice against AI-generated artworks. Nodes (19-20):98-103 (ENG).
• Gagliardi, D. M., Torromino, G., Focareta, M., Cuono, S., Chiarella,S. G., & Marenghi, F. (2022). Sul Superstimolo: dal supernormal stimulus alla ricerca estetica di Numero Cromatico, In: Superstimolo. Come il cervello partecipa all’opera d’arte§, (a cura di Gagliardi D. M.), Numero Cromatico Editore pp. 10-47. https://doi.org/10.57633/SS1-ITA
• Gagliardi, D. M., Torromino, G., Focareta, M., Cuono, S. (2021). Il ruolo dell’autorialità nell’esperienza estetica. Rivista di Psicologia dell’Arte, anno XLII, n. 32.