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Despina Tata

Professor

Discipline : Biopsychology

  • 208, Old Building, Faculty of Philosophy

Despina Tata received her PhD in Biopsychology from the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNY Stony Brook, 2004) under the supervision of Professor B.J. Anderson. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Department of Philosophy, Education, and Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.) and two Master’s degrees (“Cognitive Psychology” from A.U.Th. and “Biopsychology” from SUNY Stony Brook). From 2004 to 2007, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Neurochemistry under the supervision of Professor B.K. Yamamoto at Boston University Medical School.
She has served as advisor for undergraduate, masters’ and PhD theses and as an ad hoc journal reviewer for scientific journals. Additionally, she has been a member of research proposal evaluation committees and various academic and administrative committees within the School of Psychology and Aristotle University. She currently serves as the director of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Dr. Tata’s research focuses on the impact of psychological stress on brain anatomy and neurochemistry, and its effects on various forms of learning and memory, and emotion-related behaviors. She, also, explores whether enriched environmental conditions can mitigate the negative effects of psychological stress at neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and behavioral levels. Her expertise includes behavioral studies using preclinical models, as well as neuroanatomical techniques (light microscopy, electron microscopy) and biochemical methods (HPLC, Western blotting, in vivo microdialysis, and immunohistochemistry).

Key Words: psychological stress, environmental enrichment, limbic system, neuroanatomy, neuronal plasticity, behavior
  1. Dandi, E., Kesidou, E., Simeonidou, C., Spandou, E., Grigoriadis, N., & Tata, D.A. (2024). Sex-Specific Differences and the Role of Environmental Enrichment in the Expression of Hippocampal CB1 Receptors following Chronic Unpredictable Stress. Brain Sciences, 14, https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14040357
  2. Dandi, E., Theotokis, P., Petri, M. C., Sideropoulou, V., Spandou, E., & Tata, D. A. (2023). Environmental enrichment initiated in adolescence restores the reduced expression of synaptophysin and GFAP in the hippocampus of chronically stressed rats in a sex-specific manner. Developmental Psychobiology, 65, e22422. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22422
  3. Dandi, E. Spandou, E., Dalla, C., Tata, D.A. (2023). Τhe neuroprotective role of environmental enrichment against behavioral, morphological, neuroendocrine and molecular changes following chronic unpredictable mild stress: A systematic review. European Journal of Neuroscience, 1-23. doi:1111/ejn.16089.
  4. Papadea, D., Dalla, C. & Tata, D.A. (2023). Exploring a Possible Interplay between Schizophrenia, Oxytocin, and Estrogens: A Narrative Review. Brain Sciences,13, doi/10.3390/brainsci13030461.
  5. Murack, Μ., Smith, Κ.Β., Traynor, Ο.Η., Pirwani, Α.F., Gostlin, S.K., Mohamed, T., Tata, D.A., Ismail, N., (2023). Environmental Enrichment Alters LPS-induced BDNF and PSD-95 Expression Changes During Puberty. Brain Research, 1806, doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148283.
  6. Kesidou, Ε., Bitsina, C., Chatzisotiriou, A., Chatzisotiriou A., Dandi, E., Tata, D.A., Spandou, E. (2022). N-acetylcysteine administration attenuates sensorimotor impairments following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(24), 16175. doi: 10.3390/ijms232416175.
  7. Dandi, E., Spandou, E., Tata, D.A. (2022). Investigating the role of environmental enrichment initiated in adolescence against the detrimental effects of chronic unpredictable stress in adulthood: Sex-specific differences in behavioral and neuroendocrinological findings. Behavioural Processes, doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104707.
  8. Michailidis, M., Tata, D.A., Moraitou, D., Kavvadas, D., Karachrysafi, S., Papamitsou, T., Vareltzis, P., Papaliagkas, V. (2022). Antidiabetic Drugs in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 4641. doi: 3390/ijms23094641.
  9. Michailidis, M., Moraitou, D., Tata, D.A., Kalinderi, K., Papamitsou, T., Papaliagkas, V. (2022). Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes: Common Pathophysiological Mechanisms between Alzheimer’s Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 23(5):2687. doi:10.3390/ijms23052687.
  10. Tata, D.A., Dandi, E., Spandou, E. (2021). Expression of synaptophysin and BDNF in the medial prefrontal cortex following early-life stress and neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. Developmental Psychobiology, 63(2), 173-182. doi: 10.1002/dev.22011.
  11. Dandi, E., Kalamari, A., Touloumi, O., Lagoudaki, R., Nousiopoulou, E., Simeonidou, C., Spandou, E., Tata, D.A. (2018). Beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on behavior, stress reactivity and synaptophysin/BDNF expression in hippocampus following early life stress. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 67, 19-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.03.003
  12. Griva, G., Touloumi, O., Lagoudaki, R., Nousiopoulou, E., Karalis, F., Georgiou, T., Simeonidou, C., Tata, D.A., Spandou, E. (2017). Long-term effects of enriched environment following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia on behavior, BDNF and synaptophysin levels in rat hippocampus: Effect of combined treatment with G-CSF. Brain Research, 1667, 55-67. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.05.004.
  13. Markostamou, Ι., Ioannidis, Α., Dandi, E., Mandyla, M.A., Nousiopoulou, Ε., Symeonidou, C., Spandou, Ε., Tata, D.A. (2016). Maternal separation prior to neonatal hypoxia-ischemia: Impact on emotional aspects of behavior and markers of synaptic plasticity. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 52, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2016.04.002.
  14. Tata, Α., Markostamou, Ι., Ioannidis, A., Gkioka, M., Simeonidou, C., Annogianakis, G., Spandou, E. (2015). Effects of Maternal Separation on Behavior and Brain Damage in Adult Rats Exposed to Neonatal Ηypoxia-Ιschemia. Behavioural Brain Research, 280, 51-61. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.11.033.
  15. Ιωαννίδης, Α., Τατά, Δ.Α. (2013). Επιπτώσεις του Μητρικού Αποχωρισμού στη Γνωστική Λειτουργία και σε Δείκτες Νευρογένεσης και Νευρωνικής Ευπλαστότητας σε Πειραματικά Μοντέλα Ζώων. Ελεύθερνα, Eπιστημονική Eπετηρίδα του Τμήματος Ψυχολογίας, Πανεπιστήμιο Κρήτης.
  16. Tata, D.A. (2012). Maternal Separation as a Model of Early Stress: Effects on Aspects of Emotional Behavior and Neuroendocrine Function. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 9, 84-101.
  17. Tata, D.A., & Anderson, B. (2010). The effects of chronic glucocorticoid exposure on dendritic length, synapse numbers and glial volume in animal models: implications for hippocampal volume reductions in depression. Physiology & Behavior, 99 (2), 186-193. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh. 2009.09.008.
  18. Tata, D.A., Yamamoto, B.K. (2008). Chronic stress enhances methamphetamine-induced extracellular glutamate and excitotoxicity in the rat striatum. Synapse, 62 (5), 325-3 doi: 10.1002/syn.20497.
  19. Tata, D.A., Raudensky, J., Yamamoto, B.K. (2008). Augmentation of methamphetamine-induced toxicity in the rat striatum by unpredictable stress: contribution of enhanced hyperthermia. European Journal of Neuroscience, 26 (3), 739-748. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05688.x.
  20. Tata, D.A., Yamamoto, B.K. (2007). Interactions between methamphetamine and environmental stress: role of oxidative stress, glutamate and mitochondrial dysfunction. Addiction, 102 (Suppl. 1), 49-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01770.x.
  21. Tata, D.A., Marciano, V.A., Anderson, B.J. (2006). Synapse loss from chronically elevated glucocorticoids: relationship to neuropil volume and cell number in hippocampal area CA3. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 498 (3), 363-3 doi: 10.1002/cne.21071.
  22. Coburn-Litvak, P.S., Tata, D.A., Gorby, H.E., Richardson, G., McCloskey, D.P., Anderson, B.J. (2004). Chronic corticosterone reduces brain weight, and mitochondrial, but not glial volume fraction in CA3.  Neuroscience, 124 (2), 429-436. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2003.11.031.
  23. Coburn-Litvak, P.S., Pothakos, K., Tata, D.A., McCloskey, D.P., Anderson, B.J. (2003). Chronic administration of corticosterone impairs spatial reference memory before spatial working memory in rats.  Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 80 (1), 11-23. doi: 10.1016/s1074-7427(03)00019-4.
  24. Tata, D.A., & Anderson, B.J. (2002). A new method for the investigation of capillary structure.  Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 113 (2), 199-206. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0270(01)00494-0.

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