Prof. Morelli has a long standing experience in research on central active drugs such as antidepressant, antipsychotic and antiparkinson drugs. From more than 10 years prof. M. Morelli has devoted her research interests to the study of the central effects of adenosine A1 and A2A agonist and antagonist drugs. Her research group have produced pioneristic studies demonstrating that blockade of A2A receptors play a positive role in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s disease by modulating motor responses induced by L-DOPA as well as dopamine D1 and D2 agonists. Behavioral studies on this topic, have been correlated to in situ hybridisation studies on dynorphin, enkephalin and GAD67 mRNA. These studies have recently contributed to the design of clinical trials of A2A antagonists in Parkinsonian patients

Degree in Biological Sciences. From 1981/82 and 1985/86 : Research Associate at the Department of Pharmacology University of Arizona (Tucson) USA. From 1990 full Professor of Pharmacology. From 1995- belongs to CNR Institute of Neurogenetic and Neuropharmacology From 2001- belongs to Center of Excellence on Neurobiology of Dependence 2001-2006 elected member of the Italian Neuroscience Society Council 2004- Council of the International Basal Ganglia Society (IBAGS) 2005- Italian representative on the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) - Editorial board committee of Neurotoxicity Research, Experimental Neurology, International Review in Neurobiolgy - Referee of numerous international journals

Cauli O, Pinna A, Valentini V and Morelli M (2003) Subchronic Caffeine Exposure Induces Sensitization to Caffeine and Cross-Sensitization to Amphetamine Ipsilateral Turning Behavior Independent from Dopamine Release. Neuropsychopharm. 28 (10):1752-9.
Carta AR., A. Pinna, E. Tronci and M. Morelli (2003) Adenosine A2A and dopamine receptor interactions in basal ganglia of dopamine denervated rats. Neurology 61: S39-43.
Carta AR., MA. Tabrizi, PG. Baraldi, A. Pinna, P. Pala, M. Morelli (2003) Blockade of A2A receptors plus L-DOPA after nigrostriatal lesion results in GAD67 changes different from L-DOPA alone in the rat globus pallidus and substantia nigra reticulata. Exp. Neurology 184: 679-687.
Simola N, Fenu S, Baraldi PG, Tabrizi MA, Morelli M. (2004) Blockade of adenosine A2A receptors antagonizes parkinsonian tremor in the rat tacrine model by an action on specific striatal regions. Exp Neurol. 189(1):182-8.
Carta AR, Tronci E, Pinna A, Morelli M. (2005) Different responsiveness of striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons to L-DOPA after a subchronic intermittent L-DOPA treatment. Eur. J. Neurosci. 21: 1196-1204.
Simola N, Fenu S, Baraldi PG, Tabrizi MA, Morelli M. Involvement of globus pallidus in the antiparkinsonian effects of adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists. Exp Neurol. 2006, 202(1):255-7.
Tronci E., Simola N., Carta AR., De Luca M.A., Morelli M. Potentiation of amphetamine-mediated responses in caffeine-sensitized rats involves modifications in A2A receptors and zif-268 mRNAs in striatal neurons. J Neurochem. 2006, 98(4):1078-89.
Schwarzschild, M.A., Agnati, L., Fuxe, K., Chen, J.F., Morelli, M. Targeting adenosine A(2A) receptors in Parkinson’s disease. Trends. Neurosci. 2006, 29 (11): 647-654.
Pinna Annalisa, Silvia Pontis, Franco Borsini and Micaela Morelli (2007) Adenosine A2A receptor antagonists improve deficits in initiation of movement and sensory motor integration in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Synapse 2,61: 606-614.
Morelli M, Di Paolo T, Wardas J, Calon F, Xiao D, Schwarzschild MA. (2007) Role of adenosine A(2A) receptors in parkinsonian motor impairment and l-DOPA-induced motor complications. Prog Neurobiol. 83: 293-309.