Juliet Richetto is a postdoctoral fellow at the  University  of Zurich (Pharmacology and Toxicology Group, Vetsuisse Faculty).

Dr. Richetto’s main research interests are centered upon the question of how early-life environmental adversities, such as prenatal infection, can influence brain development and shape the risk of long-term brain abnormalities, particularly with respect to the molecular mechanisms that could translate such prenatal insults into long-lasting brain pathology. One of Dr. Richetto's current research lines explores the relationship between immune-related abnormalities in prenatal life and genome-wide DNA methylation differences that translate into gene expression dysregulation in cortical and subcortical brain regions. More specifically, she investigates these processes in a mouse model of maternal gestational infection, which is an established environmental risk factor of schizophrenia and autism. Dr. Richetto’s research combines behavioral and cognitive tests, neuroanatomical investigations and the use of various molecular techniques to explore the epigenetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of pathological traits induced by prenatal infection.