Zisis Bimpisidis
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About
Zisis Bimpisidis was born in Orestiada, Greece, and studied Psychology and Neurosciences at the University of Crete. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cagliari at Gaetano Di Chiara’s lab where he studied the effects of substances of abuse on behavioral and neurochemical responses to taste stimuli, the interaction of cortical and subcortical dopaminergic systems during reward consumption, as well as the involvement of dopamine and endocannabinoid systems in substance use disorder.
He then moved to Sweden, at Prof. Angela Cenci’s group at Lund University, to investigate behavioral, pharmacological, molecular and neurovascular mechanisms involved in Parkinson’s Disease and treatment-induced dyskinesias using toxin based rat models of the disease.
After Lund, Zisis moved to Uppsala, Sweden, to join Prof Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie’s group. He pursued studies aiming to disentangle the heterogeneity of the midbrain dopamine systems, focusing on the cellular complexity of the Ventral Tegmental Area. He studied the circuitry involving dopamine, glutamate and co-releasing neurons and how they are mediating reward-related behaviors.
During his career Zisis has used a wide range of methodology to answer his scientific questions regarding the understanding of the biological substrate of behavior under normal conditions and disease. He joined Dr Francesco Papaleo’s GeCo lab at IIT, Genova, on October 2020 where he works to unravel the biological substrate of social behavior.
Interests
Dopamine Glutamate VTA Prefrontal cortex Basal ganglia Reinforcement Substance Use Disorder SchizophreniaSelected Publications
- Bimpisidis, Z.*, König, N., & Wallén-Mackenzie, Å.* (2020). Two different real-time place preference paradigms using optogenetics within the ventral tegmental area of the mouse. JoVe, 156. doi: 10.3791/60867. *corresponding authors
- Bimpisidis, Z., & Wallén-Mackenzie, Å. (2019)*. Neurocircuitry of reward and addiction: potential impact of dopamine-glutamate co-release as future target in substance use disorder. The Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8. doi: 10.3390/jcm8111887. *review article containing original scientific data
- Bimpisidis, Z., König, N., Stagkourakis, S., Zell., V., Vlcek, B., Dumas, S., Giros, B., Broberger, C., Hnasko, T.S., & Wallén-Mackenzie, Å. (2019). The NeuroD6 subtype of VTA neurons contributes to psychostimulant sensitization and behavioral reinforcement. eNeuro, 6. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0066-19.2019.
- Bimpisidis, Z.*, Öberg, C.M., Maslava, N., Cenci, M.A.*, & Lundblad, C. (2017). Differential effects of gaseous versus injectable anesthetics on changes in regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism induced by L-DOPA in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Experimental Neurology, 292:113-124. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.03.006. *corresponding authors
- Viereckel, T., Dumas, S., Smith-Anttila., C., Vlcek, B., Bimpisidis, Z., Lagerstrom, M.C., Konradsson-Geuken, A., & Wallen-Mackenzie, A. (2016). Midbrain gene screening identifies a new mesoaccumbal glutamatergic pathway and a marker for dopamine cells neuroprotected in Parkinson’s Disease. Scientific Reports, 6:35203. doi: 10.1038/srep35203.
- Fieblinger, T., Sebastianutto, I., Alcacer, C., Bimpisidis, Z., Maslava, N., Sandberg, S., Engblom, D., & Cenci, M.A. (2014). Mechanisms of dopamine D1 receptor-mediated ERK1/2 activation in the parkinsonian striatum and their modulation by metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34: 4728-4740. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2702-13.2014.
- Bimpisidis, Z., De Luca, M.A., Pisanu, A., Di Chiara, G. (2013). Lesion of medial prefrontal dopamine terminals abolishes habituation of accumbens shell dopamine responsiveness to taste stimuli. European Journal of Neuroscience, 37: 613-622. doi: 10.1111/ejn.12068.
- De Luca, M.A., Solinas, M., Bimpisidis, Z., Goldberg, S.R., & Di Chiara, G. (2012). Cannabinoid facilitation of behavioral and biochemical hedonic taste responses. Neuropharmacology, 63: 161-168. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.10.018.
IIT Publications
- 2020
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DOI
Selective Knockout of the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 (Vmat2) Gene in Calbindin2/Calretinin-Positive Neurons Results in Profound Changes in Behavior and Response to Drugs of Abuse
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, vol. 14 -
DOI
Two different real-time place preference paradigms using optogenetics within the ventral tegmental area of the mouse
Journal of Visualized Experiments, vol. 2020, (no. 156) - 2019
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DOI
Neurocircuitry of Reward and Addiction: Potential Impact of Dopamine-Glutamate Co-release as Future Target in Substance Use Disorder
Journal of Clinical Medicine, vol. 8, (no. 11), pp. 1887 -
DOI
The neuroD6 subtype of VTA neurons contributes to psychostimulant sensitization and behavioral reinforcement
eNeuro, vol. 6, (no. 3) - 2018
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DOI
Targeting VGLUT2 in Mature Dopamine Neurons Decreases Mesoaccumbal Glutamatergic Transmission and Identifies a Role for Glutamate Co-release in Synaptic Plasticity by Increasing Baseline AMPA/NMDA Ratio
Frontiers in Neural Circuits, vol. 12 -
DOI
Taste novelty and dopamine
Food Neophobia: Behavioral and Biological Influences, pp. 147-165, Publisher: Elsevier - 2017
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DOI
Differential effects of gaseous versus injectable anesthetics on changes in regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism induced by L-DOPA in a rat model of Parkinson's disease
Experimental Neurology, vol. 292, pp. 113-124 -
DOI
Levodopa-induced abnormal involuntary movements correlate with altered permeability of the blood-brain-barrier in the basal ganglia
Scientific Reports, vol. 7, (no. 1) - 2016
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DOI
Dissociation of metabolic and hemodynamic levodopa responses in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model
Neurobiology of Disease, vol. 96, pp. 31-37 -
DOI
Midbrain Gene Screening Identifies a New Mesoaccumbal Glutamatergic Pathway and a Marker for Dopamine Cells Neuroprotected in Parkinson's Disease
Scientific Reports, vol. 6 - 2015
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DOI
Lactoferrin- and antitransferrin-modified liposomes for brain targeting of the NK3 receptor agonist senktide: Preparation and in vivo evaluation
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 479, (no. 1), pp. 129-137 -
DOI
Stimulation of in vivo dopamine transmission and intravenous self-administration in rats and mice by JWH-018, a Spice cannabinoid
Neuropharmacology, vol. 99, pp. 705-714 - 2014
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DOI
Endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol self-administration by Sprague-Dawley rats and stimulation of in vivo dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell
Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 5, (no. OCT) -
DOI
Mechanisms of dopamine D1 receptor-mediated ERK1/2 activation in the parkinsonian striatum and their modulation by metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5
Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 34, (no. 13), pp. 4728-4740 - 2013
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DOI
Lesion of medial prefrontal dopamine terminals abolishes habituation of accumbens shell dopamine responsiveness to taste stimuli
European Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 37, (no. 4), pp. 613-622 -
DOI
Modulating mGluR5 and 5-HT1A/1B receptors to treat l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia: Effects of combined treatment and possible mechanisms of action
Experimental Neurology, vol. 250, pp. 116-124 - 2012
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DOI
Cannabinoid facilitation of behavioral and biochemical hedonic taste responses
Neuropharmacology, vol. 63, (no. 1), pp. 161-168 - 2011
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DOI
Influence of morphine sensitization on the responsiveness of mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine transmission to appetitive and aversive gustatory stimuli
Psychopharmacology, vol. 216, (no. 3), pp. 345-353