Research groups

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Paola Palanza

Technical Supervisor:

Dr. Laura Gioiosa

Affiliated Personnel:

• Palanza Paola – Full Professor
• Davide Ponzi – Associate Professor
• Laura Gioiosa – Research Support Technician
• Silvia Paterlini – Research Fellow
• Federica Piccoli – Technologist
• Maria Maddalena Brambilla – PhD Student
• Greta Ramundo – PhD Student
• Daniela Sciarra – Contract Researcher

Main Research Areas

• Environment and Health: Effects of endocrine disruptors on behavior, reproduction, and metabolism.
• Life Milch Project: Mother and Infant Dyads: Lowering the Impact of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Milk for a Healthy Life.
• Gene-Environment Interaction in Neurobehavioral and Metabolic Development.
• Stress and Sex Differences in Vulnerability to Neuropsychiatric and Metabolic Disorders.
• Concordia Project – “TEARplay”: Tear-film Evolution in the Antarctic Region: Bioinstrumental, Biochemical, and Behavioral PLAYers.
• ASI Project – "MARSE-PRE": Biological and Functional Markers for Precision Astronautic Biomedicine.
• Psychobiology of Sex Differences, Social Relationships, and Health.

Techniques in Use

• Hormonal and behavioral analysis in murine models and humans.

Main Equipment

• Instruments for hormonal and behavioral analysis in murine models and humans.

Publications

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Luca Bonini

Technical Supervisor:

Mr. Alfonso Guida

Personale afferente:

• Luca Bonini – Full Professor
• Davide Albertini – Researcher (RTD)
• Marco Lanzillotto – Researcher (RTD)
• Monica Maranesi – Researcher (RTD)
• Cristina ROTUNNO – Postdoctoral Researcher
• Alessia SEPE – Postdoctoral Researcher
• Anna BERTUCCI – PhD Student
• Chiara CAMPANELLO – PhD Student
• Mattia DELGROSSO – PhD Student
• Elena FERRETTI – PhD Student
• Luca GUGLIELMI – PhD Student
• Anna MITOLA – PhD Student
• Matilde RENI – PhD Student
• Matilde RENI – PhD Student
• Cristina SOLINAS – PhD Student
• Rossella SINI – PhD Student
• Riccardo SPANU – PhD Student
• Ebrahim ISMAIEL – PhD Student
• Sara CAVUOTI CABANILLAS - PhD Student
• Alessandro BECCHINI – PhD Student
• Matteo Di Mario – PhD Student
• Federica TILI – Research Fellow

🔗 Lab Website 

Overview

The BoniniLab develops, utilizes, and integrates cutting-edge behavioral and neurophysiological techniques to study the primate brain in an ethologically relevant manner, under the most naturalistic conditions possible. Understanding brain function during natural behavior is essential for obtaining ecologically valid insights into neural circuits and their dysfunctions, which underlie neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

To achieve these objectives, the lab employs advanced multi-neuron recording technologies, including wireless neural recording, while simultaneously tracking freely moving animals in individual and social contexts using multi-camera systems.

Main Research Areas

• Neuroethological study of free motor behavior.
• Neuroethology of peripersonal space representation.
• Neural encoding of self and others' actions during social interaction.
• Characterization of cortico-basal ganglia circuits during manual actions and social interactions.
• Development of semi-chronic recording devices for free-moving primates.
• Neural basis of visual awareness in primates.

Techniques in Use

• Extracellular single-unit, multi-unit, and local field potential (LFP) recordings.
• Wireless extracellular neural recordings.
• Animal behavior monitoring and tracking using multi-camera systems.
• Intracortical electrical microstimulation.
• Microfluidics.

Main Equipment

• SIMI multi-camera system for marker-based and markerless tracking.
• Deuteron neural data logging systems.
• 128/256-channel Open Ephys recording systems.
• Blackrock 96-channel recording system (with tethered and wireless head-stages).
• Plexon Digital 32-channel recording system.
• NeuroEthoRoom – a specialized environment for natural behavior analysis.

Publications

• Lanzarini F, Maranesi M, Rondoni EH, Albertini D, Ferretti E, Lanzilotto M, Micera S, Mazzoni A, Bonini L. Neuroethology of natural actions in freely moving monkeys. Science, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq6510 

• Lanzilotto M, Dal Monte O, Diano M, Panormita M, Battaglia S, Celeghin A, Bonini L, Tamietto M. Learning to fear novel stimuli by observing others in the social affordance framework. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106006 

• Maranesi M, Lanzilotto M, Arcuri E, Bonini L. Mixed selectivity in monkey anterior intraparietal area during visual and motor processes. Progress in Neurobiology, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102611

• Bonini L, Rotunno C, Arcuri E, Gallese V. Mirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications. TICS, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.003   

Multimedia

Director:

Prof. Michela Fagiolini

Affiliated Personnel:

• Prof. Pietro Avanzini – Senior Research Scientist
• Prof. Fausto Caruana – Senior Research Scientist
• Prof. Maddalena Fabbri Destro – Research Scientist
• Prof. Maria Del Vecchio – Research Scientist

🔗 CNR Website

Overview

The Institute of Neuroscience in Parma is a research center of the National Research Council (CNR) dedicated to the study of cognitive and social neuroscience. The team consists of neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, and psychologists collaborating to investigate the involvement of the motor system in cognitive functions. One of the institute’s primary research focuses is the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) in humans.

Main Research Areas

Since the discovery of mirror neurons in the 1990s, numerous research fields have emerged, exploring the role of neural circuits in understanding actions, intentions, and emotions (the Mirror Mechanism).

• Mirror Neuron System in Humans
• Motor Learning
• Neurorehabilitation and the Mirror System
• Enhancement of Motor Skills in Sports
• Emotions and Facial Expressions
• Conscious Perception
• Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Neuroarchitecture

🔗 More details: Mirror Neurons

Techniques in Use

Non-Invasive Neurophysiology:

• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Invasive Neurophysiology:

• Intracranial Recording and Electrical Stimulation (stereo-EEG in collaboration with the Claudio Munari Center, Niguarda, Milan)

Behavioral Techniques:

• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Eye-Tracking
• Kinematics

Main Equipment

• EEG: EGI 128-channels, BrainProducts 64-channels
• TMS: Magstim Rapid2, Magstim BiStim, Nexstim NBS5
• VR: HTC Vive Pro Eye, HTC Vive, 14 Oculus Quest 2
• Cinematica: Xsens Motion Capture System

Publications

• Del Vecchio M, Avanzini P, Gerbella M, Costa S, Zauli FM, d’Orio P, Focacci E, Sartori I, Caruana F (2024). Anatomo-functional basis of emotional and motor resonance elicited by facial expressions. Brain. Sep 3;147(9):3018-3031
• Presti P, Galasso GM, Ruzzon D, Avanzini P, Caruana F, Rizzolatti G, Vecchiato G (2023). Architectural experience influences the processing of others’ body expressions. PNAS, 120(41), e2302215120.
• Nuara A, Bazzini MC, Cardellicchio P, Scalona E, De Marco D, Rizzolatti G, Fabbri-Destro M, Avanzini P (2022). The value of corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition in predicting motor skill improvement driven by action observation. Neuroimage, 1:266:119825.
• Rizzolatti G, Fabbri-Destro M, Nuara A, Gatti R, Avanzini P (2021). The role of mirror mechanism in the recovery, maintenance, and acquisition of motor abilities. Neurosci Biobehav Rev, 127:404-423.
• De Marco D, Scalona E, Bazzini MC, Nuara A, Taglione E, Lopomo NF, Rizzolatti G, Fabbri-Destro M, Avanzini P (2021). Observation of others' actions during limb immobilization prevents the subsequent decay of motor performance. PNAS, 118(47): e2025979118.
• Del Vecchio M, Fossataro C, Zauli F, Sartori I, Pigorini A, d’Orio P, Aberrategui B, Russo S, Mikulan E, Caruana F, Rizzolatti G, Garbarini F, Avanzini P (2021). Tonic somatosensory responses and deficits of tactile awareness converge in the parietal operculum. Brain, 144(12):3779-3787.
• Caruana F, Gerbella M, Avanzini P, Gozzo F, Pelliccia V, Mai R, Abdollahi RO, Cardinale F, Sartori I, Lo Russo G, Rizzolatti G (2018). Motor and Emotional Behaviors Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Cortex. Brain, 141(10):3035-3051.

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Paola Maria Valsecchi

Affiliated Personnel:

• Paola Maria Valsecchi – Full Professor
• Chiara Canori – PhD Student
• Giulia Pedretti – PhD Student
• Tiziano Travain – Research Technician

Overview

Scientific research on dogs has revealed that man’s best friend possesses remarkable communication, social, and cognitive abilities, comparable to those of cetaceans and primates. Our research group actively contributes to the field of canine ethology, which has been expanding globally.

Our studies are based on established ethological protocols as well as innovative research methodologies. We work with privately owned dogs, who participate in tests alongside their owners. For this reason, we seek volunteers with motivated dogs that have at least a basic level of training.

Main Research Areas

Techniques in Use

Main Equipment

Publications

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Andrea Sgoifo

Affiliated Personnel:

• Andrea Sgoifo – Full Professor
• Luca Carnevali – Researcher (RTDb)
• Margherita Barbetti – PhD Student
• Sara Gambetta – PhD Student
• Sebastiano Ravenda – PhD Student

🔗 University Page Link

Main Research Areas

The laboratory's research focuses on the psychobiological substrates of comorbidity between depression/anxiety and autonomic/cardiovascular dysfunction.

Research Activities

Rodent Studies

• Epigenetic and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of cardiovascular dysfunction in male and female rats exposed to social stress paradigms.
• Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) as a treatment for stress-induced behavioral and cardiovascular alterations.

Human Studies

• Gut microbiota and stress: Investigating the relationship between the gut microbiota and physiological/behavioral markers of chronic stress and/or anxiety/depression.
• IoT systems for stress monitoring in drivers: Developing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for real-time psychophysiological stress assessment in motorists.
• Psychosocial stress and coronary syndromes: Exploring the role of psychosocial stress as an etiopathogenic mechanism in acute coronary syndromes.
• Epigenetic markers of stress in virtual reality environments: Evaluating stress-related epigenetic markers in immersive VR settings.
• Psychophysiological stress profile in LGB individuals: Investigating the potential link between discrimination and cardiovascular risk.

Publications

• Carnevali L., Barbetti M., Statello R., Williams DP., Thayer JF., Sgoifo A. (2023). Sex differences in heart rate and heart rate variability in rats: Implications for translational research. Front. Physiol., 14:1170320. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1170320
• Carnevali L., Bignami E., Gambetta S., Barbetti M., Procopio M., Freyrie A., Carbognani P., Ampollini L., Sgoifo A. (2023). Cardiac autonomic and cortisol stress responses to real operations in surgeons: relationship with individual psychobiological characteristics and experience. Biopsychosoc Med., 17:5. doi:10.1186/s13030-023-00266-5
• Barbetti M., Vilella R., Dallabona C., Gerra MC., Bocchi L., Ielpo D., Andolina D., Sgoifo A., Savi M., Carnevali L. (2022). Decline of cardiomyocyte contractile performance and bioenergetic function in socially stressed male rats. Heliyon, 8: e11466. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11466
• Makovac E., Carnevali L., Medina S., Sgoifo A., Petrocchi N., Ottaviani C. (2022). Safe in my heart: resting heart rate variability longitudinally predicts emotion regulation, worry, and sense of safeness during COVID-19 lockdown. Stress, 25:9-13. doi:10.1080/10253890.2021.1999408
• Davoli L., Mattioli V., Gambetta S., Belli L., Carnevali L., Martalo M., Sgoifo A., Raheli R., Ferrari G. (2021). Non-invasive psycho-physiological driver monitoring through IoT-oriented systems. In The Internet of Medical Things: Enabling technologies and emerging applications (pp.19-33). doi:10.1049/PBHE034E_ch2
• Carnevali L., Cerritelli F., Guolo F., Sgoifo A. (2021). Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Cardiovascular Autonomic Parameters in Rugby Players: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther, 44:319-329. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2020.09.002
• Carnevali L., Statello R., Vacondio F., Ferlenghi F., Spadoni G., Rivara S., Mor M., Sgoifo A. (2020). Antidepressant-like effects of pharmacological inhibition of FAAH activity in socially isolated female rats. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol., 32: 77-87. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.12.119

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Giuseppe Luppino

Affiliated Personnel:

• Giuseppe Luppino – Full Professor
• Elena Borra – Associate Professor
• Marianna Rizzo – Postdoc
• Gemma Ballestrazzi – PhD student

Main Research Areas

• Cortical and cortico-subcortical neural circuits for voluntary movement control
• Anatomical and neurochemical organization of large-scale functional networks

Techniques in Use

• Histological techniques
• Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization
• Neural tracers
• Correlation with imaging data (dMRI e rs-fMRI)

Main Equipment

• Histological processing equipment
• Microscopes and stereomicroscopes
• Slice scanner
• Neuroanvigation system

Publications

• Borra, E., Ballestrazzi, G., Biancheri, D., Caminiti, R., & Luppino, G. (2024). Involvement of the claustrum in the cortico-basal ganglia circuitry: connectional study in the non-human primate. Brain Structure and Function, 229(5), 1143-1164. DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02784-6 

• Borra, E., Biancheri, D., Rizzo, M., Leonardi, F., & Luppino, G. (2022). Crossed corticostriatal projections in the macaque brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 42(37), 7060-7076. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0071-22.2022 

• Caminiti, R., Girard, G., Battaglia-Mayer, A., Borra, E., Schito, A., Innocenti, G. M., & Luppino, G. (2021). The complex hodological architecture of the macaque dorsal intraparietal areas as emerging from neural tracers and dw-mri tractography. eneuro, 8(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0102-21.2021 

• Howells, H., Simone, L., Borra, E., Fornia, L., Cerri, G., & Luppino, G. (2020). Reproducing macaque lateral grasping and oculomotor networks using resting state functional connectivity and diffusion tractography. Brain Structure and Function, 225(8), 2533-2551. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-020-02142-2 

• Borra, E., Gerbella, M., Rozzi, S., & Luppino, G. (2017). The macaque lateral grasping network: a neural substrate for generating purposeful hand actions. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 75, 65-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.017 

• Borra, E., Gerbella, M., Rozzi, S., Tonelli, S., & Luppino, G. (2014). Projections to the superior colliculus from inferior parietal, ventral premotor, and ventrolateral prefrontal areas involved in controlling goal-directed hand actions in the macaque. Cerebral Cortex, 24(4), 1054-1065. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhs392 

• Gerbella, M., Belmalih, A., Borra, E., Rozzi, S., & Luppino, G. (2011). Cortical connections of the anterior (F5a) subdivision of the macaque ventral premotor area F5. Brain Structure and Function, 216, 43-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-010-0293-6 

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisors:

• Prof. Leonardo Fogassi (Laboratory I)
• Prof. Stefano Rozzi (Laboratory II)

Personale afferente:

• Leonardo Fogassi – Full Professor
• Stefano Rozzi – Associate Professor
• Marzio Gerbella – Associate Professor
• Alfonso Gravante – PhD Student
• Claudio Basile – PhD Student

Main Research Areas

The research focuses on characterizing the involvement of brain areas such as the lateral prefrontal cortex and subcortical centers like the basal ganglia in:

• Visuomotor learning
• Behavioral control based on social and non-social contextual information

Techniques in Use

• Electrophysiological recording of multiunit and single-neuron activity using chronic multi-electrode implants.
• Operant conditioning training of non-human primates.
• Eye movement recording.

Main Equipment

• Primate chair and operant conditioning apparatus.
• Electrophysiological recording setup, including:
  
  • Open-Ephys and AlphaLab hardware-software systems for neural activity and behavioral event acquisition.
  • LabVIEW and MonkeyLogic software for behavioral task control.
  • Data analysis software, including:
    
    • Mountainsort for automatic waveform sorting.
    • NeuroExplorer for neural data preprocessing and visualization.
    • MATLAB and Python for advanced data analysis.

Publications

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisors:

• Prof. Leonardo Fogassi
• Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti

Affiliated Personnel:

• Antonino Errante – Researcher (RTD)
• Giuseppe Di Cesare – Researcher (RTD)
• Alessandro Piras – Researcher (RTD)
• Settimio Ziccarelli – PhD Student

📧 Contatti: parmamri@gmail.com
📞 Telefono: 0521 903963

Main Research Areas

• Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation
• Action Encoding (observation, imagination, execution, visuomotor representations, mirror neurons)
• Parieto-Frontal Circuits in the human and primate brain
• Role of Subcortical Structures in action observation/execution
• Action Observation Therapy (AOT) in children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Neuroimaging Techniques Used

The lab employs advanced fMRI analysis techniques, including:

• Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) and Multivoxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) using machine learning
• Studies on healthy individuals and patients with neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and cerebral palsy
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) with deterministic and probabilistic tractography
• Voxel-based Morphometry (VMB) and Voxel-based Lesion-Symptom Mapping (VLSM)
• Action Observation Treatment (AOT) to study neuroplasticity and improve upper limb motor control in patients with motor impairments

Main Equipment

• General Electric Signa Premier (3T) MRI Scanner for high-resolution brain imaging
• 48-channel coil and multi-slice acquisition for artifact reduction and improved signal-to-noise ratio
• Visual stimulus presentation systems and eye-tracking devices compatible with MRI
• Infrared cameras (MRC high-speed) for kinematic motion analysis during scans

Publications

• Errante, A., Gerbella, M., Mingolla, G. P., & Fogassi, L. (2023). Activation of Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia and Thalamus During Observation and Execution of Mouth, Hand, and Foot Actions. Brain Topography, 1-24.
• Errante, A., Rossi Sebastiano, A., Ziccarelli, S., Bruno, V., Rozzi, S., Pia, L., & Garbarini, F. (2022). Structural connectivity associated with the sense of body ownership: a diffusion tensor imaging and disconnection study in patients with bodily awareness disorder. Brain Communications, 4(1), fcac032.
• Lombardi, G., Gerbella, M., Marchi, M., Sciutti, A., Rizzolatti, G., & Di Cesare, G. (2023). Investigating form and content of emotional and non-emotional laughing. Cerebral Cortex, 33(7), 4164-4172.
• Di Cesare, G., Gerbella, M., & Rizzolatti, G. (2020). The neural bases of vitality forms. National Science Review, 7(1), 202-213.

Multimedia

Scientific Supervisor:

• Prof. Vittorio Gallese

Affiliated Personnel:

• Vittorio Gallese – Full Professor
• Maria Alessandra Umiltà – Associate Professor
• Martina Ardizzi – Researcher (RTDa)
• Francesca Ferroni – Research Fellow
• Anna Kolesnikov – Research Grant Holder
• Nunzio Langiulli – Research Fellow
• Edoardo Arcuri – PhD Student
• Giulia D'Adamo – PhD Student
• Francesca Rastelli – PhD Student

Main Research Areas

The laboratory investigates the mechanisms of human social cognition, focusing on:

• Neurobiological and embodied bases of intersubjectivity and empathy
• Neurobiological and embodied bases of emotions
• Neurobiological and embodied bases of language comprehension
• Neurobiological and embodied bases of psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, PTSD, eating disorders)
• Neurobiological and embodied bases of aesthetic experience in visual arts, communication, and cinema

Techniques in Use

• Behavioral paradigms
• Eye-tracking for recording eye movements
• Electrocardiography (ECG) for cardiac activity
• Electromyography (EMG) for muscle activity
• Electroencephalography (EEG) for brain activity
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Main Equipment

• High-density EEG system (128 channels – Electric Geodesic Sensor Net)
• fMRI scanner (GE 750 3T)
• Eye-tracking system (Tobii Pro System X3-120 Hz)
• EMG and ECG systems (Powerlab and OctalBioAmp8/30, ADInstruments, UK)

Publications

Multimedia

Affiliated Personnel:

• Prof. Marzio Gerbella, Professore Associato
• Prof. Simone Luciano, Professore Associato
• Prof. Fausto Caruana, Senior Research Scientist
• Beatrice De Negri, Dottoranda
• Federica Groppi, Dottoranda
• Lisa Boschi, Dottoranda.

Main Research Areas

The lab investigates anatomical, functional, and effective connectivity in the human and non-human primate brain, focusing on:

• Regulation of emotional behaviors
• Organization of complex motor behaviors
• Higher-order sensory processing

Techniques in Use

• Tractography for structural connectivity analysis
• Functional connectivity analysis via resting-state fMRI
• Effective connectivity assessment using cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs)
• Electrophysiological studies involving microstimulation and neural recordings
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
• Comparative anatomical connectivity analysis using non-human primate tracer-based databases

Main Software Used

• SPM – Preprocessing of structural and functional MRI data
• FSL & DSI Studio – Structural connectivity analysis
• CONN – Resting-state functional connectivity analysis
• Caret & F-tract – Effective connectivity analysis

Scientific Supervisor:

• Prof. Vera Ferrari

Affiliated Personnel:

• Vera Ferrari - Associate Professor
• Francesca Canturi - PhD Student

Main Research Areas

• The lab investigates the role of experience and learning in regulating emotional distractor interference during goal-directed cognitive tasks, focusing on:

• Emotional memory: Qualitative and quantitative aspects of pleasant and unpleasant memories
• Mechanisms of emotional regulation in aging

Techniques in Use

The lab studies motivated attention, learning, and memory through:

• Presentation of visual and auditory stimuli with emotional variations
• EEG recordings for event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain oscillations (theta, alpha, beta, gamma)
• Eye movement tracking (saccades, fixations)
• Online data collection and behavioral analysis (self-report and cognitive performance)

Main Equipment

• 64-channel EEG system
• Tobii Eye Tracker 4C for eye movement tracking

Publications

• Ferrari, V. et al. (2017) – Repetition and ERPs during emotional scene processing: A selective review. Int. J. Psychophysiology, 111, 170-177.

• Ferrari, V. et al. (2020) – The interplay between attention and long‐term memory in affective habituation. Psychophysiology, 57(6), e13572.

• Micucci, A. et al. (2020) – Contextual modulation of emotional distraction: Attentional capture and motivational significance. J. Cogn. Neurosci., 32(4), 621-633.

• Ferrari, V., Canturi, F., & Codispoti, M. (2022) – Stimulus novelty and emotionality interact in the processing of visual distractors. Biol. Psychol., 167, 108238.

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Maria Alessandra Umiltà

Affiliated Personnel:

• Martina Ardizzi – Researcher (RTT)
• Francesca Ferroni – Research Fellow
• Giulia D'Adamo – Research Fellow
• Maria Paola Somma – PhD Student

Main Research Areas

The Food Cognition Lab investigates the implicit physiological mechanisms that influence sustainable food choices, adopting an innovative and multidisciplinary research approach. The lab's experimental protocols analyze the relationship between physiological processes and eating behaviors.

Techniques in Use

• Eye-tracking for analyzing visual attention during food selection
• Electromyography (EMG) for measuring muscle activity related to food-related actions
• Electroencephalography (EEG) for assessing brain activity linked to decision-making
• Virtual Reality (VR) to simulate realistic food choice environments
• Motion Kinematics to study motor behaviors associated with food interactions

Main Equipment

• High-density EEG: 128 canali (Electric Geodesic)
• Eye-tracking: Tobii Pro System X3-120 Hz
• EMG: Powerlab e OctalBioAmp8/30 (ADInstruments, UK)
• VR: HTC Vive
• Cinematica: Vicon Motion Capture System

Publications

📖 D'Adamo G, Andreani G, Ardizzi M, Ferroni F, De Marco D, Asioli D, Sogari G, Umiltà MA. The physiological mechanisms underlying consumer preferences towards organic food. Appetite. 2025 Mar 1;207:107865. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.107865. PMID: 39864267

Scientific Supervisor:

Prof. Pier Francesco Ferrari

Technical Supervisor:

Affiliated Personnel:

• Pier Francesco Ferrari – Associate Professor
• Mauro Belluardo – Postdoctoral Researcher
• Sara Costa – PhD Student

Overview

Our research group focuses on two main areas of study:

1. Neural mechanisms regulating social behavior and cognitive processes related to emotions in both human and non-human primates. One research line is specifically dedicated to the role of the motor system in emotion decoding in patients affected by congenital facial paralysis (Moebius Syndrome).

2. The influence of early mother-infant experiences on brain development, with a particular focus on potential risks associated with relational and neurocognitive disorders.

Main Research Areas

• Neuroethological study of free social behavior
• Neural encoding of self and others’ actions during social interaction
• Development of semi-chronic recording devices for free-moving primates
• Emotion encoding in patients with congenital and acquired facial paralysis
• Effects of early experiences on brain development during adolescence and adulthood

Techniques in Use

• Extracellular recording of single neurons, multiunit activity, and local field potentials
• Wireless extracellular recordings
• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• Behavioral analysis of non-human primates

Main Equipment

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
• Deuteron Neural Data Logging Systems
• 128-Channel Open Ephys Recording Systems
• Electroencephalography (EEG) Systems