My research is focused on the study of cholinergic modulation both at single cell level and at higher orders of complexity such as neuronal network and behavior. I use a combination of techniques such as patch-clamp in brain slices and in vivo, anatomical methods including viral tracing, opto-chemogenetics as well as behavioral tests. Studying the mechanisms underlying cholinergic control of neuronal circuits during social behavior in both physiological and pathological conditions is the ultimate goal of my research. In the last years I focused my attention on genetic and environmental models of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders. My lab is currently hosted by The European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) Rita Levi Montalcini, Viale Regina Elena 295 c, 00161 Rome.

1) Ciano Albanese N, del Castillo I, Ragaglia G, Castellano G, Ajmone-Cat M A, De Simone R, Griguoli M, Ricceri L (2025). Microglia depletion in a mouse model of prenatal and postnatal immune activation. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 129: 935-947. doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2025.07.018.

2) Pizzarelli R, Pimpinella P, Jacobs C, Tartacca A, Kullolli U, Monyer H, Alberini C M, Griguoli M (2023). Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) rescues social deficits in NLG3-/y mouse model of ASDs. Front Cell Neurosci, 17:1332179.  doi: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1332179.

3) Torromino G, Loffredo V, Cavezza D, Sonsini G, Esposito F, Crevenna AH, Gioffrè M, De Risi M, Treves A, Griguoli M, De Leonibus E (2022). Thalamo-hippocampal pathway regulates incidental memory capacity in mice. Nat Commun 13:4194. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31781-8.

4) Pimpinella D, Mastrorilli V, Giorgi C, Coemans S, Lecca S, Lalive AL, Ostermann H, Fuchs EC, Monyer H, Mele A, Cherubini E, Griguoli M (2021). Septal cholinergic input to CA2 hippocampal region controls social novelty discrimination via nicotinic receptor-mediated disinhibition. ELife 10:e65580, DOI: 10.7554/eLife.65580 IF (2020): 8.15

5) Badurek S*, Griguoli M*, Malik AA*, Zonta B*, Fei G, Middei S, Lagostena L, Jurado Parras MT, Gillngwater TH, Gruart A, Delgado Garcia JM, Cherubini E, Minichiello L (2020). Immature dentate granule cells require Ntrk2/TrkB for the formation of functional hippocampal circuitry. iScience 23 (5) DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101078. *equally contributing authors

6) Modi B, Pimpinella D, Pazienti A, Zacchi P, Cherubini E, Griguoli M (2019). Possible implication of the CA2 hippocampal circuit in social cognition deficits observed in the neuroligin 3 knock-out mouse, a non-syndromic animal model of Autism. Front Psychiatry 10: 513. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00513.

7) Torromino G, Autore L, Khalil V, Mastrorilli V, Griguoli M, Pignataro A, Centofante E, Biasini GM, DE Turris V, Ammassari-Teule M, Rinaldi A, Mele A (2019). Offline ventral subiculum-ventral striatum serial communication is required for spatial memory consolidation. Nat Commun 10, 5721 DOI:10.1038/s41467-019-13703-3.

8) Zucca S*, Griguoli M*, Malézieux M, Grosjean N, Carta M, Mulle C (2017). Control of spike transfer at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses in vivo by GABAA and GABAB receptor mediated inhibition. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(3):587-598. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2057-16.2016 *equally contributing authors

9) Griguoli M, Cellot G, Cherubini E (2013). In hippocampal oriens interneurons anti-Hebbian Long-Term Potentiation requires cholinergic signalling via ɑ7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(3):1044-1049, DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1070-12.2013. IF: 6.75

10) Griguoli M, Maul A, Nguyen C, Giorgetti A, Carloni P, Cherubini E (2010). Nicotine blocks the hyperpolarization-activated current Ih and severely impairs the oscillatory behaviour of O-LM interneurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 30 (32):10773-10783. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2446-10.2010.

Dagmara Wilk, post graduate fellow

Maria Sanzari, visiting PhD student (De Leonibus Lab, IBBC-CNR)

Prof. Andrea Mele (Sapienza University, Rome), Dr Valentina Ferretti (Sapienza University, Rome), Dr Elvira De Leonibus (IBBC-CNR, Rome), Prof. Hannah Monyer (DKFZ, University of Heidelberg), Prof. Cristina Alberini (NYU, New York) and Dr Christophe Mulle (IINS, Bordeaux).