Cannabis and the Developing Brain

Miriam Melis is an Associate Professor at the University of Cagliari, Italy. She holds a PharmD (University of Palermo, 1993) as well as a PhD in Neuroscience (University of Cagliari, 2011). During her career she worked as a Research Fellow for two years at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UCSF and as a Visiting Scientist at Lund Universitet Wallenberg Neuroscience Center in 2011. Her research is focused on understanding neurobiological mechanisms (i.e., adaptations of both mesocorticolimbic dopamine and endocannabinoid signaling) of resilience and susceptibility to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes leading to neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., psychotic- spectrum, substance use disorder, antisocial behavior, anxiety, depression). She has published 46 research papers, 5 book chapters and edited two books specifically on the effects of (endo)cannabinoids in the CNS.

Olivier Manzoni is a Research Director at INSERM in Marseille and director of the International Associated Laboratory CannaLab (University of Indiana, Bloomington USA / Aix-Marseille University, France). His research is centered on understanding the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity in normal and pathological conditions, with a focus on the function of the endocannabinoid system and the effects of cannabis during lifetime.