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Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari"

Visual Disorders

We study perception, attention and visuo-spatial representation in healthy individuals, brain-damaged patients and individuals with Head: Caterina Bertini

Areas: Cognitive neuroscience

Research lines of the group documented by publications in the period 2019-2023 

 We study the cognitive mechanisms and neural correlates of perception, attention and visuo-spatial representation and the human visual system. Our research is focused on tactile and visual processing, multisensory integration and sensory processing with and without awareness in healthy individuals and clinical populations of brain-damaged patients with visual field defects or visuo-spatial deficits and individuals with neuro-developmental disorders. Moreover, we investigate the neural basis underpinning recovery and rehabilitation of the visual field defects and visuo-spatial deficits in brain-damaged patients. We exploit behavioural and neuropsychological methods, eye-movements analysis, electroencephalography, and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Head

Caterina Bertini, Associate Professor

Members

Caterina Bertini

Associate Professor

Michela Candini

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

Loredana Catinari

PhD Student

Silvia Gambino

Adjunct professor

Research fellow

Gianluca Marsicano

PhD Student

Vincenzo Romei

Full Professor

ERC Sectors:  

SH4 The Human Mind and Its Complexity: Cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, education 

  • SH4_3 Neuropsychology  
  • SH4_4 Cognitive and experimental psychology: perception, action, and higher cognitive processes  

LS5 Neurosciences and Neural Disorders: Neurobiology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, neuroimaging, systems neuroscience, neurological and psychiatric disorders  

  • LS5_4 Sensory systems (e.g. visual system, auditory system) 
  • LS5_7 Cognition (e.g. learning, memory, emotions, speech)

 Scientific Disciplinary Sector: M-PSI/02 

Selected publications of the group indexed in Scopus/WOS in the period 2019-2023

  1. Gallina, J., Marsicano, G., Romei, V., & Bertini, C. (2023). Electrophysiological and Behavioral Effects of Alpha-Band Sensory Entrainment: Neural Mechanisms and Clinical Applications. Biomedicines, 11(5), 1399. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11051399
  2. Gallina, J., Zanon, M., Mikulan, E., Pietrelli, M., Gambino, S., Ibáñez, A., & Bertini, C. (2022). Alterations in resting-state functional connectivity after brain posterior lesions reflect the functionality of the visual system in hemianopic patients. Brain structure & function, 227(9), 2939–2956. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02502-0
  3. Gallina, J., Pietrelli, M., Zanon, M., & Bertini, C. (2021). Hemispheric differences in altered reactivity of brain oscillations at rest after posterior lesions. Brain structure & function, 10.1007/s00429-021-02279-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02279-8
  4. Grasso PA, Pietrelli M, Zanon M, Làdavas E, Bertini C (2020) Alpha oscillations reveal implicit visual processing of motion in hemianopia. Cortex. 122: 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.08.009
  5. Pietrelli M, Zanon M, Làdavas E, Grasso PA, Romei V, Bertini C (2019) Posterior brain lesions selectively alter alpha oscillatory activity and predict visual performance in hemianopic patients. Cortex.121:347-361. DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.008
  6. Bertini C, Cecere R, Làdavas E (2019) Unseen fearful faces facilitate visual discrimination in the intact field. Neuropsychologia. 128:58-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.029

 

Funding for the period 2019-2023  

National Projects  

Grant from Ministero Università e ricerca - PRIN 2022: Neurocognitive mechanisms of emotion-based interpersonal distance regulation in healthy participants and individuals with Autism: a machine learning approach (local PI: Caterina Bertini).  

  

  

Active National and International Collaborations documented by publications/ funding/ scientific agreements for the period 2019-2023  

International collaborations  

  • Patrick Haggard (University College of London)  
  • Agustin Ibanez (Global Brain Institute)  
  • Bradley Postle (University of Wisconsin)  
  • Andrea Serino (University Hospital of Lausanne)  
  • David Melcher (New York University Abu Dhabi)  

National collaborations  

  •  Luca Ronconi (University San Raffaele)  
  • Silvia Savazzi (University of Verona)  
  • Marco Tamietto (University of Torino)  
  • Luigino Tosatto (Department of Neuroscience, Bufalini Hospital, AUSL Romagna)  
  • Alessandro Grecucci (University of Trento)  
  • Paolo Grasso (University of Firenze)  

Unibo collaborations  

  • Annalisa Bosco – Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences  
  • Patrizia Fattori - – Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences  
  • Elisa Magosso - Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi"  

  

Editorial activities in the period 2019-2023  

  • Editorial Board Member of Nature Scientific Report (Caterina Bertini, Vincenzo Romei)  
  • Reviewing Editor for Frontiers in Psychology (Caterina Bertini)  
  • Academic Editor in Biomedicines (Vincenzo Romei)  
  • Associate Editor for Frontiers in Cognitive Neuroscience (Vincenzo Romei)  
  • Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychology (Vincenzo Romei)  
  • Associate Editor for Frontiers in Neuroimaging (Vincenzo Romei)