Silvia Maioli

Silvia Maioli

Senior Research Specialist | Docent
Visiting address: Blickagången 6, 14157 Huddinge
Postal address: H1 Neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle, H1 Neurogeriatrik Maioli, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • I am research group leader and Docent (Associate Professor).

    I have defended my PhD at the University of Bologna in 2011 and did my postdoc at KI. I have been working within the neuroscience field in relation to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) since my PhD and my work is based on investigating the mechanisms for risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease focusing on ApoE, cholesterol metabolism and oxysterols.

    I am currently main supervisor for 3 PhD students in my lab and co-supervisor for 3 PhD students. Until now I have directed one PhD thesis as main supervisor.

    I have extensive knowledge in the field of mouse behavior and mouse models of neurodegenerative disease and I am Facility Coordinator for the Animal Behavior Core Facility (ABCF) at KI. In addition, I work with different molecular biology techniques.

Research

  • My research is focused on understanding the biological mechanisms behind risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease (AD), with a focus on sex-differences.

    Changes in brain cholesterol metabolism occurs in early stages of the disease and are considered important drivers of the neurodegenerative cascades in AD. AD risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, lifestyle, affect brain cholesterol metabolism. I study the role of cholesterol metabolites and transporters in the brain during neurodegenerative processes by using in vitro and in vivo models, as well as human samples. In addition, I am interested in the connection between cholesterol metabolism and sex hormones. Sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone, originate from cholesterol and promote neuroprotective functions in the brain. Both cholesterol and sex hormones are shaped by genes and the environment (for example medications, diet), serving as potential preventive and therapeutic targets for AD.

    Another topic in the lab is multi-medication therapies and related sex-differences. We study the effects of different combinations of drugs commonly used in AD comorbidities using mouse models and human data from different clinical cohorts

Teaching

  • I am course director for the PhD Course 5239 Behavioral Analysis in Rodents: Classic and Novel Approaches, Neuroscience Programme, Karolinska Institutet.

    I teach in courses/study programmes at Karolinska Institutet:
    - Clinical Research School in Molecular Medicine.
    - PhD course 5539: Alzheimer’s Disease – Clinical features and pathogenic mechanisms.
    - Advanced course in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias.
    - Frontiers in Biomedicine (4Bi107) Master’s Programme in Biomedicine.

    Until now I have been supervisor for 15 master students .

Selected publications

Articles

All other publications

Grants

Employments

  • Senior Research Specialist, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2023

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