The focus of the research performed by the Molecular Neurology Unit of the Center of Excellence on Aging and Translational Medicine of The University of Chieti-Pescara that I lead concerns mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Particular emphasis has been put on excitotoxic conditions resulting from glutamate receptor overactivation. Over the years, our group has employed advanced ionic imaging and electrophysiological techniques along with genomics and proteomics approaches to provide critical insights into intracellular changes in living neurons exposed to excitotoxic challenges. These techniques have been employed in "in vivo" and "in vitro" models of neurological conditions like brain aging, stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Alzheimer's diseases (AD). The group has also employed pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to favor synaptic plasticity and delay cognitive decline in aging individuals, MCI, and AD patients. To that aim, we have employed a wide range of techniques, including proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, and neuroimaging (fMRI, MRI) approaches to investigate the response to cognitive training programs as well as cognitive-enhancing compounds. Present Position: Professor of Neurology University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Science