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Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari"

NeatLAB: Neuroscience of Emotions and Actions investigated with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

We study the cerebral foundations of human behavior in emotional contexts, neuroplasticity, and brain connectivity through electrophysiological techniques and neurostimulation.

Areas: Cognitive neuroscience

Research lines 2020-2024 

  • Exploration of human behavior and underlying cognitive and affective processes through behavioral, psychophysiological, and neurostimulation methods, combined with electrophysiological and functional imaging techniques. 
  • Study of brain plasticity, connectivity, and oscillatory brain activity, and their relevance to behavior

Head of the Research Unit:

Sara Borgomaneri

UNIBO Members

Nicolò Arlati

Research fellow

Simone Battaglia

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

Sara Borgomaneri

Associate Professor

Giuseppe Ippolito

PhD Student

Laura Lenzi

Research fellow

Claudio Nazzi

PhD Student

Lorenzo Però

PhD Student

Thomas Charles Joseph Quettier

Research fellow

ERC Sectors

SH4_2 Personality and social cognition; emotion 

SH4_4 Neuropsychology 

SH4_5 Attention, perception, action, consciousness 

SH4_6 Learning, memory; cognition in ageing 

LS5_5 Neural bases of cognitive processes (e.g. memory, learning, attention) 

LS5_8 Psychiatric disorders (e.g. affective and anxiety disorders, autism, psychotic disorders) 

Scientific Disciplinary Sector: PSIC-01/B

Selected publications 2020-2024

  1. Borgomaneri S., Zanon M., Di Luzio P., Cataneo A., Arcara G., Romei V., Tamietto M., Avenanti A. (2023). Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions from facial stimuli. Nature Communications. 14, 5720. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41058-3. 16.6 Impact Factor Q1 
  2. Battaglia S., Cardellicchio P., Di Fazio C., Nazzi C., Fracasso A., Borgomaneri S. (2022). The influence of vicarious fear-learning in ‘infecting’ reactive action inhibition. 16: 946263. doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.946263. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 3.617 Impact Factor Q2  
  3. Quettier T., Gambarota F., Tsuchiya N., Sessa P. (2021). Blocking facial mimicry during binocular rivalry modulates visual awareness of faces with a neutral expression. Scientific Reports. 4.996 Impact Factor Q1 
  4. Borgomaneri S., Battaglia S., Sciamanna G., Tortora F., Laricchiuta D. (2021). Memories are not written in stones: re-writing fear memories by means of non-invasive brain stimulation and optogenetic manipulations. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 127, 334-352. doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.036 9.052 Impact Factor Q1 
  5. Borgomaneri S., Battaglia S., Avenanti A., di Pellegrino G. (2021). Don’t Hurt Me No More: State-dependent Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the treatment of specific phobia. Journal of Affective Disorders. 286:78-79. doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.076 6.533 Impact Factor Q1 
  6. Borgomaneri S., Battaglia S., Garofalo S., Tortora F., Avenanti A., di Pellegrino G (2020). State-dependent TMS over prefrontal cortex disrupts fear memory reconsolidation and prevents the return of fear. Current Biology. 30:3672-3679.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.091. 10.834 Impact Factor Q1  

 

Fundings 2020-2024 

International Projects 

  • Bial Foundation Grant Programme 2022/2023 (PI), Portogallo (60k€). 

 

National Projects 

  • Bando Giovani Ricercatori 2018-2023, Ministero della Salute. Ruolo: Ricercatore collaboratore, a capo dell'Unità esterna (450k). 
  • Prin 2022 (212.5k€). 
  • PRIN PNRR (224.678€) 

  

Active National and International Collaborations 2020-2024 

International collaborations 

 

  • Davare, M, King's College London
  • de Vega M & Vitale F, Universidad de la Laguna (Spain) 
  • Fracasso A, University of Glasgow (UK) 
  • Kalénine S & Decroix J, Université de Lille (France) 

  •  Chiappini, E IfADo - Leibniz Institute for Working Environment and Human Factors (Germany) 

  • Fullana, M Hospital Clinic, Barcelona & Universitat Autònoma, Barcelona (Spain) 

 

National collaborations 

  • Arcara G, IRCCS San Camillo 
  • Barbieri R, Policlinico di Milano 
  • Candidi M, Sapienza Università di Roma 
  • D’Ausilio A, Università di Ferrara 
  • Laricchiuta D & Sciamanna G, IRCSS Santa Lucia Roma 
  • Sessa P, Università di Padova 
  • Scarpazza C, Università di Padova 
  • Tamietto, Università di Torino 
  • Zanon M, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) 

 

Unibo collaborations 

  • di Pellegrino G, & Romei V, Dipartimento PSI, SSD PSIC-01/B
  • Garofalo S, Dipartimento PSI, SSD PSIC-01/C
  • Breviglieri R, Bosco A, Fattori P, Galletti C Dipartimento DIBINEM, SSD BIOS-06/A
  • Diciotti S, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Energia Elettrica e dell'Informazione "Guglielmo Marconi", SSD IBIO-01/A 
  • Tessari A, Dipartimento PSI, SSD PSIC-01/B

 

Editorial activities 2020-2024 

Sara Borgomaneri 

  • Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, reviewing editor 
  • Brain Sciences, associate editor 
  • Frontiers in Psychology, guest associate editor 

Simone Battaglia 

  • Biomedicines (Topical Advisory Panel Member and Guest Editor) 
  • Plos One (Academic Editor) 
  • Brain Sciences (Guest Editor) 
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (Review Editor) 
  • Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (Review Editor) 

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