Education
1988, MD, Unviersity of Padova, Italy
1992, Residency in Neurology, Neurological Clinic, University of Padova, Italy
Position
1992 – 2010: Tenure position as Research Assistant in Physiology, Insitute of Human Physiology, University of Padova
1996 – 1997: Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, San Diego State University
2010 – today: Tenure position as Associate Professor in Physiology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova
2017 – today: Scientist, Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova
2021 – today: Director, Center for the History of Medicine, University of Padova
Scientific activity
Neurophysiological and neurobiological fundaments of complex “cognitive” motor responses in fruitflies
Main actors of the evolutionarily maintained molecular nanomachine regulating synaptic activity
Selected publications
Bolatto C, Chifflet S, Megighian A, Cantera R (2003) Synaptic activity modifies the levels of Dorsal and Cactus at the neuromuscular junction of Drosophila. J Neurobiol 54:525–536.
Bosco G, Clamer M, Messulam E, Dare C, Yang Z, Zordan M, Reggiani C, Hu Q, Megighian A (2015) Effects of oxygen concentration and pressure on Drosophila melanogaster: oxidative stress, mitochondrial activity, and survivorship. Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 88:222–234.
Bruzzone M, Chiarello E, Maset A, Megighian A, Lodovichi C, Maschio M dal (2023) Light-Based Neuronal Circuit Probing in Living Brains at High Resolution: Constraints and Layouts for Integrating Neuronal Activity Recording and Modulation in Three Dimensions. :75–100.
Caccin P, Scorzeto M, Damiano N, Marin O, Megighian A, Montecucco C (2015) The synaptotagmin juxtamembrane domain is involved in neuroexocytosis. FEBS Open Bio 5:388–396.
Fabris F, Megighian A, Rossetto O, Simonato M, Schiavo G, Pirazzini M, Montecucco C (2024) Local Tetanus Begins with a Neuromuscular Junction Paralysis around the Site of Tetanus Neurotoxin Release due to Cleavage of the Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein. Am J Pathol 194:1752–1763.
Frighetto G, Zordan MA, Castiello U, Megighian A (2019) Action-based attention in Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurophysiol 121:2428–2432.
Frighetto G, Zordan MA, Castiello U, Megighian A, Martin J-R (2022) Dopamine Modulation of Drosophila Ellipsoid Body Neurons, a Nod to the Mammalian Basal Ganglia. Front Physiol 13:849142.
Lorenzon P, Amoretti S, Furlan S, Ravara B, Bernareggi A, Sciancalepore M, Sacchetto R, Megighian A, Zampieri S, Nori A, Volpe P (2025) Adaptation of the endplate in skeletal muscle of Homer 2(-/-) mice. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 329:C2064–C2078.
Malacrida S, Lazzari FD, Mrakic-Sposta S, Vezzoli A, Zordan MA, Bisaglia M, Menti GM, Meda N, Frighetto G, Bosco G, Cappello TD, Strapazzon G, Reggiani C, Gussoni M, Megighian A (2022) Lifespan and ROS levels in different Drosophila melanogaster strains after 24 h hypoxia exposure. Biol Open 11.
Meda N, Frighetto G, Megighian A, Zordan MA (2020) Searching for relief: Drosophila melanogaster navigation in a virtual bitter maze. Behav Brain Res 389:112616.
Meda N, Menti GM, Megighian A, Zordan MA (2022) A heuristic underlies the search for relief in Drosophila melanogaster. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1510:158–166.
Megighian A, Pirazzini M, Fabris F, Rossetto O, Montecucco C (2021) Tetanus and tetanus neurotoxin: From peripheral uptake to central nervous tissue targets. J Neurochem 158:1244–1253.
Megighian A, Rigoni M, Caccin P, Zordan MA, Montecucco C (2007) A lysolecithin/fatty acid mixture promotes and then blocks neurotransmitter release at the Drosophila melanogaster larval neuromuscular junction. Neurosci Lett 416:6–11.
Megighian A, Zordan M, Costa R (2001) Giant neuron pathway neurophysiological activity in per(0) mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. J Neurogenet 15:221–231.
Megighian A, Zordan M, Pantano S, Scorzeto M, Rigoni M, Zanini D, Rossetto O, Montecucco C (2013) Evidence for a radial SNARE super-complex mediating neurotransmitter release at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. J Cell Sci 126:3134–3140.
Menti GM, Bruzzone M, Zordan MA, Visentin P, Drago A, Maschio MD, Megighian A (2024) Optokinetic response in D. melanogaster reveals the nature of common repellent odorants. Sci Rep 14:22277.
Menti GM, Meda N, Zordan MA, Megighian A (2023) Towards a unified vision on animal navigation. Eur J Neurosci 57:1980–1997.
Negro S, Stazi M, Rigoni M, Megighian A (2022) Neurotransmission Recovery by Melatonin Measured by CMAP. Methods Mol Biol 2550:413–423.
Peron S, Zordan MA, Magnabosco A, Reggiani C, Megighian A (2009) From action potential to contraction: neural control and excitation-contraction coupling in larval muscles of Drosophila. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 154:173–183.
Romano G, Appocher C, Scorzeto M, Klima R, Baralle FE, Megighian A, Feiguin F (2015) Glial TDP-43 regulates axon wrapping, GluRIIA clustering and fly motility by autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms. Hum Mol Genet 24:6134–6145.
Stazi M, D’Este G, Mattarei A, Negro S, Lista F, Rigoni M, Megighian A, Montecucco C (2020) An agonist of the CXCR4 receptor accelerates the recovery from the peripheral neuroparalysis induced by Taipan snake envenomation. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14:e0008547.
Volpe P, Reggiani C, Megighian A (2025) The impact of the 1938 fascist anti-Semitic legislation on the development of physiology in Italian universities following replacement of five full professors. Adv Physiol Educ 49:999–1008.
Zordan MA, Massironi M, Ducato MG, Kronnie GT, Costa R, Reggiani C, Chagneau C, Martin J-R, Megighian A (2005) Drosophila CAKI/CMG protein, a homolog of human CASK, is essential for regulation of neurotransmitter vesicle release. J Neurophysiol 94:1074–1083.