The protein was named after the Italian village Nicastro, reflecting the fact that Alzheimer's disease was described in 1963 after studying descendants of an extended family originating in the village of Nicastro that had Familial Alzheimer's Disease (FAD).
After the high school studies in Nicastro and Monteleone, two centers rich with humanistic culture, he studied Jurisprudence at the University of Naples, but he interrupted his studies and he did not obtain a degree.