Alessandra Panzeri

How the brain–heart dialogue shapes autism

Alessandra comes from Milan, where she completed her bachelor’s and master’s studies in medical biotechnology. She is now pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Geneva, in the lab of Prof. Camilla Bellone. Her research investigates how the brain and heart communicate to integrate internal bodily signals and external social cues. She focuses on the Posterior Insular Cortex and uses a mouse model of autism lacking the Shank3 gene, expressed in both brain and heart. Outside the lab, Alessandra enjoys traveling and photography.