Joana Almeida Palha

Thyroid hormones
Thyroid
Iodine
Pregnancy
Choroid plexus
Blood-brain barrier
Iron
Iodine supplementation
Endocrinology

“Joana Palha is full professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine, University of Minho (Braga, Portugal). PhD in Biomedical Sciences in 1995 (University of Porto, Portugal, research project at Columbia University, New York, USA), MSc in Public Health in 2016 (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden), BSc in Biochemistry (University of Porto, Portugal). Published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Principal investigator of several research projects has supervised 15 PhD students (14 completed). Serves/has served in several national and international organizations (National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, International Brain Research Organization, COST, Society for Neurosciences USA, Portuguese Society for Neurosciences, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, BIAL Foundation), evaluates for several journals and funding agencies (European Commission, Disease Foundations, European Agencies), and is regularly member of scientific committees/chair of conferences/congresses. She started her career in 1992 on thyroid hormones, studying one of the first knock-out mouse models. She led pioneer studies that revealed an endocrine function of the blood brain barriers, particularly the choroid plexus, in brain homeostasis. She has been coordinating translational and clinical research, with focus on the endocrine axis. Her studies in humans have recently contributed to the change in the national policy on iodine supplementation to the Portuguese population, with specific guidelines for women in reproductive age and pregnant women.
Ciência ID:5A14-DF57-CB60
ORCID iD:0000-0002-8866-368X
Researcher ID: C-2745-2009
Scopus ID: 6701728129”

Scientific Highlights

“Lopes-Pereira M, Quialheiro A, Costa P, Roque S, Correia Santos N, Correia-Neves M, Goios A, Carvalho I, Korevaar TIM, Vilarinho L, Palha JA. Iodine supplementation: compliance and association with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Eur Thyroid J. 2022 Jan 1;11(1):e210035. doi: 10.1530/ETJ-21-0035. PMID: 34981750.
Tahira A, Marques F, Lisboa B, Feltrin A, Barbosa A, de Oliveira KC, de Bragança Pereira CA, Leite R, Grinberg L, Suemoto C, de Lucena Ferretti-Rebustini RE, Pasqualucci CA, Jacob-Filho W, Brentani H, Palha JA. Are the 50’s, the transition decade, in choroid plexus aging? Geroscience. 2021 Feb;43(1):225-237. doi: 10.1007/s11357-021-00329-x. Epub 2021 Feb 12. PMID: 33576945; PMCID: PMC8050122.
Lopes-Pereira M, Roque S, Costa P, Quialheiro A, Santos NC, Goios A, Vilarinho L, Correia-Neves M, Palha JA. Impact of iodine supplementation during preconception, pregnancy and lactation on maternal thyroid homeostasis and offspring psychomotor development: protocol of the IodineMinho prospective study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020 Nov 13;20(1):693. doi: 10.1186/s12884-020-03376-y. PMID: 33187482; PMCID: PMC7664061.
Marques F, Sousa JC, Brito MA, Pahnke J, Santos C, Correia-Neves M, Palha JA. The choroid plexus in health and in disease: dialogues into and out of the brain. Neurobiol Dis. 2017 Nov;107:32-40. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.08.011. Epub 2016 Aug 18. PMID: 27546055.
Costeira MJ, Oliveira P, Santos NC, Ares S, Saenz-Rico B, de Escobar GM, Palha JA. Psychomotor development of children from an iodine-deficient region. J Pediatr. 2011 Sep;159(3):447-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2011.02.034. Epub 2011 Apr 14. PMID: 21492867.
Costeira MJ, Oliveira P, Ares S, Roque S, de Escobar GM, Palha JA. Parameters of thyroid function throughout and after pregnancy in an iodine-deficient population. Thyroid. 2010 Sep;20(9):995-1001. doi: 10.1089/thy.2009.0356. PMID: 20629555.
Costeira MJ, Oliveira P, Ares S, de Escobar GM, Palha JA. Iodine status of pregnant women and their progeny in the Minho Region of Portugal. Thyroid. 2009 Feb;19(2):157-63. doi: 10.1089/thy.2008.0249. PMID: 18976166.
Marques F, Falcao AM, Sousa JC, Coppola G, Geschwind D, Sousa N, Correia-Neves M, Palha JA. Altered iron metabolism is part of the choroid plexus response to peripheral inflammation. Endocrinology. 2009 Jun;150(6):2822-8. doi: 10.1210/en.2008-1610. Epub 2009 Feb 12. PMID: 19213835.”

Projects

Joana Almeida Palha

Iodine and maternal and child’s health

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of PREVENTABLE brain damage in infants, impairing the achievement of their full intellectual capabilities. Iodine is needed for the synthesis of thyroid hormones (TH)…