Dr. FORMOLO, Douglas Affonso

Assistant Professor
• Lifestyle habits and mental health
• Neurobiology of exercise behavior
• Youth mental health
• Family therapy and systems thinking
 
Formolo’s research investigates the neurobiological mechanisms of affective and cognitive disorders, with a translational focus on non-pharmacological interventions for depression, anxiety, and trauma-related conditions.
PhD in Neuroscience (Neurocircuits) (PolyU, HK)
MPhil in Neuroscience (Molecular neurobiology) (PolyU, HK)
MPhil in Neuroscience (Psychoneurobiology) (UFSC, Brazil)
Specialization in Family Therapy and Systems Thinking (FIS, Brazil)
Bachelor’s in Psychology (UFSC, Brazil)
 
Registered Psychologist, Brazilian Federation of Psychologists
  1. Guo, H.; Ou, Hai.; Yu, J.; Rosa, J. M.; Formolo D. A.; Tong, C.; Yau, S.; Tsang, H. W. H. Adiponectin as a potential mediator of the pro-cognitive effects of physical exercise on Alzheimer's disease. Neural Regeneration Research. 2025. (Impact Factor: 5.9, Q1/Neurosciences, Rank 34/310, 89.2%). DOI: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-00943
  2. Formolo, D. A.; Yu, J.; Lin, K.; Tsang, H. W. H.; Ou, H.; Kranz, G. S.; Yau, S. Y. Leveraging the Glymphatic and Meningeal Lymphatic Systems as Therapeutic Strategies in Alzheimer’s Disease: an Updated Overview of Nonpharmacological Therapies. Molecular Neurodegeneration. 2023. (Impact Factor: 14.9, Q1/Neurosciences, Rank 8/310, 97.6%). DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00618-3 
  3. Lee, T. H. Y.; Devaki, M.; Formolo, D. A.; Rosa, J. M.; Cheng, A. S. K.; Yau, S. Effects of Voluntary Wheel Running Exercise on Chemotherapy-Impaired Cognitive and Motor Performance in Mice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023. (Impact Factor: 4.61, Q1/Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, Rank 45/182, 75.5%). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20075371
  4. Formolo, D. A.; Lee, T. H. Y.; Yu, J.; Lin, K.; Chen, G.; Kranz, G. S.; Yau, S. Increasing Adiponectin Signaling by Sub-Chronic AdipoRon Treatment Elicits Antidepressant- and Anxiolytic-Like Effects Independent of Changes in Hippocampal Plasticity. Biomedicines. 2023. (Impact Factor: 3.9, Q2/Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Rank 104/313, 66.9%). DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020249  
  5. Formolo, D. A.; Cheng, T.; Yu, J.; Kranz, G. S.; Yau, S. Central Adiponectin Signaling – A Metabolic Regulator in Support of Brain Plasticity. Brain Plasticity. 2022. (Impact Factor: not measured). DOI: 10.3233/BPL-220138
  6. Rosa, J,; Formolo, D. A.; Yu, J.; Lee, T. H. Y.; Yau, S. The Role of MicroRNA and Microbiota in Depression and Anxiety. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2022. (Impact Factor: 2.6, Q2/Behavioral Sciences, Rank 15/55, 73.6%). DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.828258 
  7. Yau, S.; Yip, Y. S. L.; Formolo, D. A.; He, S.; Lee, T. H. Y.; Wen, C.; Hryciw, D. H. Chronic consumption of a high linoleic acid diet during pregnancy, lactation and post-weaning period increases depression-like behavior in male, but not female offspring. Behavioural Brain Research. 2022. (Impact Factor: 2.6, Q2/Behavioral Sciences, Rank 15/55, 73.6%). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113538
  8. Melo, H. M.; Guarnieri, R.; Vascouto, H. D.; Formolo, D. A.; de Carvalho, C. R.; Souza, D. S.; Campos, W. K.; Dionisio, S.; Wolf, P.; Lin, K.; Walz, R. Ictal fear is associated with anxiety symptoms and interictal dysphoric disorder in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2021. (Impact Factor: 2.3, Q2/Behavioral Sciences, Rank 26/55, 53.6%). DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107548
  9. Formolo, D. A.; Lee, T.H.; Yau, S. Increasing adiponergic system activity as a potential treatment for depressive disorders. Molecular Neurobiology. 2019. (Impact Factor: 4.6, Q1/Neurosciences, Rank 66/310, 78.9%). DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01644-3 
  10. Yau S.; Lee T.H.; Formolo D.A.; Lee W.L.; Li L.C.; Siu P.M.; Chan C.C.H. Effects of maternal voluntary wheel running during pregnancy on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, temporal order memory, and depression-like behavior in adult female and male offspring. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2019. (Impact Factor: 3.2, Q2/Neurosciences, Rank 128/310, 58.9%). DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00470
  11. Formolo D. A.; Gaspar J. M.; Melo H. M.; Eichwald T.; Zepeda R.J.; Latini A.; Okun M.S.; Walz R. Deep Brain Stimulation for obesity: a review and future directions. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2019. (Impact Factor: 3.2, Q2/Neurosciences, Rank 128/310, 58.9%). DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00323
  12. Leal, R.; Lopes, M.; Formolo, D.A.; de Carvalho, C. R.; Hoeller, A. A.; Latini, A.; Sousa D.; Wolf, P.; Prediger, R.; Bortolotto, Z.; Linhares, M.; Lin, K.; Walz, R. Amygdala levels of the GluA1 subunit of glutamate receptors and its phosphorylation state at serine 845 in the anterior hippocampus are biomarkers of ictal fear but not anxiety. Molecular Psychiatry. 2018. (Impact Factor: 9.6, Q1/Neurosciences, Rank 14/310, 93.5%). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0084-7
  13. Hoeller, A. A.; Carvalho, C. R. De; Franco, P. L. C.; Formolo, D. A.; Imthon, A.; Santos, H. Dos; Eidt, I.; Souza, G.; Constantino, L. C.; Ferreira, C.; Prediger, R.; Leal, R. B.; Walz, R. Behavioral and neurochemical consequences of pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling in young and middle-aged rats. Pharmaceuticals. v.10, p.1-13, 2017. (Impact Factor: 4.3, Q1/Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Rank 69/354, 80.6%). DOI: 10.3390/ph10030075
  14. De Oliveira Thais, M. E. R.; Cavallazzi, G.; Formolo, D. A.; De Castro, L. D.; Schmoeller, R.; Guarnieri, R.; Schwarzbold, M. L.; Diaz, A. P.; Hohl, A.; Prediger, R. D. S.; Mader, M. J.; Linhares, M. N.; Staniloiu, A.; Markowitsch, H. J.; Walz, R. Limited predictive power of hospitalization variables for long-term cognitive prognosis in adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuropsychology. v.8., p.125-139. 2014. (Impact Factor: 2.0, Q2/Psychology, Rank 44/92, 52.7%). DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12000 
  15. Diaz, A. P.; Scalco, M. Z.; Schwarzbold, M. L.; Formolo, D. A.; Stoppe Junior, A. Cognitive performance of long-term institutionalized elderly patients with schizophrenia: A case-control study. Dementia & Neuropsychologia. v.5, p.99-103, 2011. (Impact Factor: not measured). DOI: 10.1590/S1980-57642011DN05020007
Book Chapters
 
1. Formolo, D. A.; Melo, H. M.; Diaz, A. P.; Walz, R. Terapias biológicas invasivas. In: Quevedo, J.; Izquierdo, I. (Orgs). Neurobiologia dos transtornos psiquiátricos. Artmed: Sao Paulo, 2019. (ISBN-13: ‎ 978-8582715864)  
2. Lee, T. H.*; Formolo, D. A.*; Kong, T.; Wing-Yan Lau, S.; Sze-Lok Ho, C.;, Leung, R. Y. H.; Hung, F. H.; Yau, S. Y. Potential exerkines for physical exercise-elicited pro-cognitive effects: Insight from clinical and animal research. In: Yau, S. Y.; So, K. F. (Orgs). Exercise on Brain Health. International Review of Neurobiology, vol. 147, p. 2-395. 2019. (Impact Factor: 3.2). DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.06.002
*Co-first authors

  1. Formolo, D. A.; Cheng, Tong; Yau, S.Y. (Oral presentation). Adiponectin elicits rapid antidepressant effects in chronically stressed mice in association with increased glutamatergic activity in the mPFC. In: 35th CINP World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology. Tokyo, Japan. 2024.
  2. Cheng, T., Formolo, D. A.; Zonghao, Ma; Yau, S.Y. (Poster). The neural mechanism underlying the antidepressant effects elicited by a single bout of physical exercise. In: 35th CINP World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology. Tokyo, Japan. P. 202, 2024. 
  3. Yau, S.; Formolo, D. A.; Lee, T. H. (Poster). Activating adiponergic signaling by AdipoRon treatment elicits rapid antidepressant effect independent to changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. In: Society for Neuroscience – SfN. San Diego, US. 2022. 
  4. Formolo, D. A.; Lee, T. H.; Yau, S. (Oral presentation). The vHipp-mPFC pathway in the modulation of antidepressant response. In: 33rd CINP Hybrid World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology. Virtual and Taipei, Taiwan. P. 198, 2022.
  5. Yau, S .; Lee, T. H.; Formolo, D. A. (Oral presentation). Adiponectin as a rapid-acting antidepressant: an investigation of its mechanisms of action. In: 33rd CINP Hybrid World Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology. Virtual and Taipei, Taiwan. P. 199, 2022.
  6. Formolo, D. A., Osório, C. M., Thais, M. E., Vascouto, H. D., Franco, P. L. C., Hoeller, A. A., De Carvalho, C. R., Mariot, E., Ronsoni, M. F., Remor, A. P., Lopes, M. W. Leal, R. B. Marcelo, N. L., Lin, K., Latini, A. S., Walz, R. (Best poster award). Cognitive performance and mitochondrial respiration chain enzymatic activities in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients. In: Reunião Anual da Federação de Sociedades de Biologia Experimental - FeSBE, 2016, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
  7. Franco, P. L. C.; Carvalho, C. R.; Imthon, A. K.; Santos, H. R.; Eidt, I.; Formolo, D. A.; Soares, F. M. S.; Constantino, L. C.; Walz, R.; Hoeller, A. A. (Poster) Cognitive and emotional performance of aged pentylenetetrazol-kindled rats. In: Reunião Anual da Federação de Sociedades de Biologia Experimental - FeSBE, 2016, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.  
  8. Drabowski, N.; Walz, R.; Pavei, J.; Paim, G.; Trofino, A.; Formolo, D. A. (Poster) Modulation of cortical electrical activity by deep brain stimulation of amygdala in rats. In: 1st IFAC Conference on Cyber-Physical & Human-Systems – CPHS, Florianopolis, Brazil.   
  9. Thais, M.; Schwarzbold, M. L.; Cavallazzi, G. G.; Formolo, D. A.; Hohl, A.; Schmoeller, R.; Diaz, A.P.; Guarnieri, R.; Linhares, M. N.; Mader, M.; Walz, R. (Poster). A prospective study on the role of variables of the acute phase of trauma in the long-term cognitive outcome of severe traumatic brain injury. In: 9th Annual AACN Conference and Workshops, 2011, Washington, DC. Clin Neuropsychol, v.25, p.516-607, 2011.
  10. Thais, M.; Cavallazzi, G. G.; Formolo, D. A.; Castro, L. D. C.; Schmoeller, R.; Guarnieri, R.; Schwarzbold, M. L.; Diaz, A.P.; Hohl, A.; Prediger, S. D. R.; Mader, M. J.; Linhares, M. N.; Markowitsch, H. J.; Walz, R. (Best poster award) Long-term cognitive prognosis of patients with severe traumatic brain injury: a prospective study. In: lI Reunião Anual do Instituto Brasileiro de Neuropsicologia e Comportamento, 2011, Recife, Brazil.  

COUN440 Family Therapy
CP511 Clinical Seminar: Couple and Family Counselling 
PSY100 Introductory Psychology 
PSY103 Statistics for Social Sciences 
PSY501 Basic Research Methods and Statistics 
PSY406 Specific Issues in Neuroscience
PSY401 Research Thesis I/PSY411 Honours Research Project I
 
Monday 10 AM to 12 PM, or by appointment.