Dr. Vinicius Oliveira

Research

In the last few years, the effects of sex on behavior and brain function have been under the spotlight. Researchers are trying to understand how external stimuli are differently processed by the female and male brain and how internal stimuli like sexual hormones can change brain processing and behavior.
I am especially interested in how sex affects social behaviors such as aggression.  Out-of-context and exacerbated aggression causes severe socio-economic, as well as medical consequences, which has stimulated extensive research on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying offensive behaviors especially in males. Although recent data have shown that rates of violence are rising among girls and young women in the Western societies, research on female aggression has been limited. In this context, my project aims to unravel the neurobiological underpinnings of female aggression. We are particularly interested in how the social neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin regulate aggressiveness in female rats. In addition, we wonder how environmental conditions such as social isolation and/or early life stress may change aggressive display and the neurobiology of the oxytocin and vasopressin systems. In order to answer these research questions, we combine extensive behavioral, pharmacological (local and i.c.v. cannula placement, microdialysis)  and molecular approaches (immunohistochemistry, receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization and viral injections).
This project is embedded in the EU consortium Neurobiology and Treatment of Adolescent Female Conduct Disorder: The Central Role of Emotional Processing FemNAT CD (602407).
 

Profile

2015 ongoing    Ph.D. in Neurobiology (Department of Molecular and Behavioral Neurobiology) Lerstuhl Neumann FP7 Project: Neurobiology and Treatment of Adolescent Female with Conduct Disorder: The Central Role of Emotion Processing Fem-NATCD (602407) EU Project  University of Regensburg Supervisor: Dr. Trynke de Jong

2013 – 2015    Masters in Biological Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology). Federal University of Minas Gerais, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Title: Cholinergic modulation of social behaviors in mice. Supervisor: Grace Schenatto Pereira Moraes Co-supervisor: Maristela de Oliveira Poletini Support/fellowship: CAPES/CNpq/FAPEMIG

2009 – 2013    Degree in Biological Sciences – Bachelor of Sciences Federal University of Lavras, UFLA, LAVRAS, Brazil. Title: The role of the cholinergic and vasopressinergic systems on social and aggressive behaviors in mice. Supervisor: Grace Schenatto Pereira Moraes
Born April 19th, 1991 Santo Antônio do Monte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Publication

1.    Dias, TL, Giolino, HF, Oliveira, VEM, Moraes, MFD, Pereira, GS. c-FOS expression predicts long-term social memory retrieval in mice. Behavior Brain Research. 313 (2016) 260-271

2.    Leite, HR, Lima, OCO, Pereira, LM, Oliveira, VEM, Prado, VF, Prado, MAM, Pereira, GS, Massenssini, AR. Vesicular Acetylcholine knock-down mice are more susceptible to inflammation, c-Fos expression and sickness behavior induced by lipopolysaccharide. Brain Behavior and Immunity (2016)

3.    Pádua-Reis, M, Aquino N, Oliveira, VEM, Szawka, RE, Prado, MAM, Prado, VF, Pereira, GS. Reduced vesicular acetylcholine transporter favors antidepressant behaviors and modulates serotonin and dopamine in female mouse brain. Behavior Brain Research. Apr 28 (2017)

4.    Pereira, LM, Guimarães IM, Oliveira, VEM, Bastos, CP, Ribeiro, FM, Prado, VF, Prado,MAM, Pereira, GS. Estradiol effect on short-term object recognition memory under hypocholinergic condition. Brain Research Bulletin. (2018).

5.     Massis-Calvo, M, Schmidtner, AK, Oliveira, VEM, Grossmann, CP, de Jong, TR, Neumann, ID. Animal models of social stress: the dark side of social interactions. The International Journal on the Biology of Stress. (2018).