Salvatore Galati

Salvatore Galati is a clinical neurologist expert in movement disorders and also a basic researcher. During his career from University of Palermo through University of Rome Tor Vergata and finally at the Università della Svizzera italiana he has always dealt both with clinical and basic research projects concerning the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia. The academic training and research experience have though provided him with an excellent background in both medicine and neuroscience fields. As an undergraduate, he had the opportunity to study the effects of nitric oxide in basal ganglia by performing electrophysiological recordings and micro-iontophoresis drug injection in both normal conditions and in rodent models of movement disorders. He progressively discovered the translational meaning of the basic research, which further strengthened his interests as a physician and researcher. Combining the clinical interest in movement disorders and the basic research on basal ganglia, he worked on the neurophysiological characterization of the basal ganglia activity in Parkinsonian patients undergone to deep brain stimulation surgery. In the meantime, he studied the cannabinoid alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinsonian patients as well as the L-dopa induced changes in dopamine metabolism in different stages of the disease. He has also participated to the clinical and electrophysiological identification of novel targets for deep brain stimulation, such as the pedunculopontine nucleus and the intralaminar thalamic nuclei.

He spent part of his training program as fellow in the University of Toronto and a post-graduate research visit at University College London.

Research topics: 1) the effects of nigra-striatal pathway blockade on the coherence of cortex and basal ganglia; 2) association between levodopa-induced dyskinesia and sleep; 3) pathological beta and gamma band oscillation in freely moving rats in parkinsonian state and during levodopa-induced dyskinesia.