The Epigenetics and System Neuroscience laboratory headed by Dr. Carla Nasca is working on an innovative model of epigenetic mechanisms of neuroplasticity to stress with a new angle on the communication between mitochondria and cell nuclei. Key to this framework is the pivotal mitochondrial metabolite L-acetyl-carnitine or LAC, which our group discovered as a novel epigenetic modulator of glutamatergic function and a promising therapeutic target for clinical endophenotypes of depression – a prodrome to Alzheimer’s Disease. Her laboratory also uses computational approaches together with emerging technologies to isolate patient-derived exosomes for identifying in vivo neural mechanisms of main CNS diseases (mood and cognitive disorders) and potential biomarkers of the responses to antidepressant candidates (LAC), drugs (ketamine) and brain stimulation (TMS).