Veronica Bisagno She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Buenos Aires (1994) and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Buenos Aires (2000). For four years, she completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Psychology, Hunter College of CUNY, USA, specializing in neuropharmacology and drugs of abuse. She also completed postdoctoral fellowships at NIDA-NIH, USA, and was a Visiting Research Scholar at the Center for Translational Neuroscience, UAMS, USA.

People use psychoactive substances daily to stay awake, improve concentration, or relax. However, these substances can alter the processing of our nervous system, affecting the functions that regulate thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

In our laboratory, we study how certain substances, such as stimulants, can alter communication between neurons or the differential expression of genes. This could help us better understand the effects these substances have on our bodies or develop strategies to reduce adverse effects. We also study drugs with potential therapeutic applications for difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders, such as substance abuse and depression. Currently, we are working with substances that alter perception, such as psychedelics, which may be able to improve depressive disorders. We are doing this using experimental models in which the expression of a specific gene has been modified.

We work in basic science with the idea that our research can contribute to improving the knowledge of the effects of psychoactive drugs and their possible toxic effects.

• Study of the functional alterations of ion channels, membrane receptors and circuits associated with thalamocortical dysrhythmia syndromes.
• Characterization of the effects of ibogaine and noribogaine on the CNS and the immune system in a murine model: implications for the treatment of difficult-to-treat neuropsychiatric diseases.

SCIENCE + TEACHING + OUTREACH:

In addition to science, we do outreach, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the Universidad AustralTogether with Dr. Maria Veronica Torres Cerino (Head of Toxicology at the Austral University Hospital), we coordinated the Diploma in Problematic Consumption and Addictions, Postgraduate Department of the FCB: https://www.austral.edu.ar/cienciasbiomedicas/cienciasbiomedicas-posgrados/ceges/diplomatura-en-abordaje-de-consumo-problematico-y-adicciones/

We collaborate with

• Dr. Francisco Urbano (IFIByNE, UBA-CONICET).
• Dr. Patricia Pennisi (CEDIE-CONICET)
• Dr. Pablo Torterolo, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Uruguay.
• Dr. Ignacio Carrera, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Republic, Uruguay.

• Rivero-Echeto MC, Perissinotti PP, González-Inchauspe C, Kargieman L, Bisagno V, Urbano FJ. Simultaneous administration of cocaine and caffeine dysregulates HCN and T-type channels. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2021 Mar;238(3):787-810. doi:10.1007/s00213-020-05731-5. FI_{2018: 4.07}
• Bisagno V, Cadet JL. Histone Deacetylases and Immediate Early Genes: Key Players in Psychostimulant-Induced Neuronal Plasticity. Neurotox Res. 2021 Dec;39(6):2134-2140. doi:10.1007/s12640-021-00420-3. FI_{2020: 3.5}
• Perissinotti PP, Rivero-Echeto MC, Kargierman L., Correa F., Rodriguez Leone N. Junge S., Villalba MS, Bernardi MA, Bisagno V, Urbano FJ.” Neurotoxicity induced by caffeine in the thalamocortical system: Role of intracellular calcium-dependent mechanisms and intrinsic properties”, in: Natural Molecules in Neuroprotection and Neurotoxicity. Editor: M. De Oliveira.. ISBN 9780323951180 Elsevier Inc.. Academic Press. The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK. (2023)
• Villalba S, González B, Junge S, Bernardi A, González J, Fagúndez C, Torterolo P, Carrera I, Urbano FJ, Bisagno V5-HT_2A Receiver Knockout Mice Show Sex-Dependent Differences following Acute Noribogaine Administration. Int J Mol Sci. (2024) Jan 5;25(2):687. doi:10.3390/ijms25020687. FI_{2023: 5.6}
• Villalba S, Bosch S, Di Constanzo L, González B, Torterolo P, Carrera I, Urbano FJ, Bisagno V. Noribogaine altered intrinsic properties of thalamocortical neurons in a sex-dependent manner. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 9:111467. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111467.
• Miguel B, Villar MJ, Giovannetti T, Desanto V, Villalba S, Bisagno V, Casadei M, Teesalu T, Hökfelt T, Brumovsky PR. Intravenous galanin (1-16) and a GalR1 agonist attenuate allodynia in rats with spared nerve injury. Pain Rep. 2026 Mar 10;11(2):e1422. doi: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001422.

• Director: Dr. Veronica Bisagno, independent researcher CIC, CONICET/Associate Professor FCB, UA. Member of the CIE, FCB, UA.
• Biochemist Maria Sofia Villalba, CONICET doctoral fellow
• Est. Marco Desimone, TIF Thesis, Psychology, FCB, UA.
• Est. Lucia Di Costanzo, TIF Thesis, Medicine, FCB, UA.
• Est. Margarita Pyfrom, TIF Thesis, Medicine, FCB, UA.
• Est. Ines Laplacette, TIF Thesis, Medicine, FCB, UA.
• Tobias Giovanetti, Technical Staff, CONICET.

• CONICET, CONICET-DFG Cooperation Project (Germany), 23120160100012CO. Study of the functional alterations of ion channels, membrane receptors and circuits associated with thalamocortical dysrhythmia syndromes.
• CONICET, PIP 11220210100198CO, Argentina. Physiological alterations mediated by imbalances in histone acetylation/deacetylation in central and peripheral neuronal circuits.
• ANPCyT, FONCYT, PICT-2021-IA-00187, Argentina. Characterization of the effects of ibogaine and noribogaine on the mouse thalamocortical system: implications for the treatment of psychostimulant addicts.
• Research projects Universidad Austral, Career Category, 2025 Call. Contribution of the serotonin 2A receptor to the immunomodulatory effects of psychedelic drugs.

• Address: IIMT CONICET-Austral, Av. Perón 1500, B1629AHJ, Derqui (Pilar), Buenos Aires, Argentina
• E-Mail: VBisagno-IIMT@austral.edu.ar
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Veronica-Bisagno