Biomedical Neuroscience Lab (Diana Prata's Lab)

We are based at the Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

Our interest is understanding the biological basis of human behaviour, in particular the social one, which we aim to translate into improving etiological and therapeutic models of neuropsychiatric disorders and human well-being.

We are dedicated to: 1) understanding the role of oxytocin in social cognition, and its relevance to psychosis, psychopathy and autism, social symptoms and a healthy social life; and 2) building clinically useful biomarkers for aiding clinical diagnostic and prognostic predictions in psychiatric and neurological illnesses. For this, we combine psychological and neuropharmacological experimentation with (epi)genetics, neuroimaging and psychophysiological tools – which is made possible by a diverse team of biomedical engineers, psychologists, biologists, pharmacists, anthropologists, medics and psychiatrists.

Our lab’s mission is to: 1) using neuroscience, highlight the importance of the social dimension of our lives to our personal and societal well-being, and to enhance it in health and disease; and 2) to achieve this in an empathic, creative, team-work centered, and socially healthy lab environment.

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