Diana Prata
Diana Prata | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation | Neuroscientist |
Known for | Head of Biomedical Neuroscience Lab at the University of Lisbon |
Diana Prata is a Portuguese neuroscientist who concentrates on identifying the biological basis of human behaviour. She reported the first evidence that schizophrenia-risk genes can also predispose to bipolar disorder and has also investigated reasons why people respond differently to antipsychotic medications. She is head of the Biomedical Neuroscience Lab at the University of Lisbon.
Training
Diana Prata studied at secondary school in Almada, Portugal on the left bank of the River Tagus, to the southwest of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Between 1997 and 2002, she studied for a BSc and an MSc in biology at the University of Lisbon, obtaining an Erasmus scholarship for study in Crete. With the help of a Leonardo da Vinci programme fellowship she moved to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London (KCL) and then obtained a grant from the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Science and Technology Foundation -FCT) to complete a PhD in neuroimaging genetics, which she obtained in 2008, with a thesis on the "Effect of Dopamine Regulating Genes on Regional Brain Function during Verbal Fluency in Controls and in Patients with Schizophrenia".[1][2][3]
Career
Prata was awarded a
Her research has led to the first evidence that schizophrenia-risk genes can predispose to bipolar disorder. Her PhD research identified how genetic mutations affect
Prata has appeared on most Portuguese television stations, as well as on the History Channel and Radio France Internationale.[1] She is often interviewed by Portuguese newspapers[5] as well as writing opinion pieces.[6] She has given a TEDx talk in Portugal.[7]
Publications
Prata 's most cited peer-reviewed papers are:[8]
- DP Prata, A Mechelli, CHY Fu, M Picchioni, T Toulopoulou, E Bramon, et al. Epistasis between the DAT 3' UTR VNTR and the COMT Val158Met SNP on cortical function in healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106 (32), 13600-13605
- DP Prata, A Mechelli, CHY Fu, M Picchioni, F Kane, S Kalidindi et al. Opposite effects of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met on cortical function in healthy subjects and patients with schizophrenia. Biological psychiatry 65 (6), 473-480
- DP Prata, G Breen, S Osborne, J Munro, DS Clair, DA Collier, et al. An association study of the neuregulin 1 gene, bipolar affective disorder and psychosis. Psychiatric genetics 19 (3), 113-116
- DP Prata, A Mechelli, CHY Fu, M Picchioni, F Kane, S Kalidindi, et al. Effect of disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 on pre-frontal cortical function. Molecular psychiatry 13 (10), 915-917
References
- ^ a b c d "DIANA PRATA: Investigador Associado". IBEB. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Diana Prata". GPS. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Diana Maria Pinto Prata". CIÊNCIAVITAE. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Biography: Diana Prata". ORCid. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Diana Prata e as bases biológicas do comportamento social". Público. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Testes de empatia para liderança". SAPO. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Diana Prata". TEDx Peniche. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Diana Prata". Google Scholar. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
External links
- Diana Prata's TEDx talk (in English)
- Diana Prata publications indexed by Google Scholar