Downloadable CV

PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH Como, Italy, February 2, 1959.  CURRENT POSITION  Full Professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology, Psychology Department, University of Milan-Bicocca since 2001.
OTHER ACADEMICAL APPOINTMENTS Vice-Director of the Milan Center for Neuroscience. Scientific Director, fMRI research unit, IRCCS Galeazzi, Milan, Italy, Coordinator of the BreraBicocca project (since 2015). European Workshop on Cognitive Neuropsychology - Steering Committee Member and Organizer (since 2008). 

EDUCATION AND CAREER  1986 Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan (MD).  1990 Specialisation in Neurology, University of Milan. 1988-1991 Research Fellow, IRCCS San Raffaele, Centro Ciclotrone/PET, Milano, Italia  1991-1994 Clinical Scientist, MRC-Cyclotron Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. 1995-feb. 2000 Clinical Scientist, Centro Ciclotrone/PET, IRCCS San Raffaele, Milano, Italy. 2000-2001 Associate Professor in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca. 

GRANTS and GRANT reviewing boards. Italian coordinator for the BIOMED II European Grant "Brain Imaging on Developmental Dyslexia" (1995-1998). PRIN-MIUR grants 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007. 2011,  2017* (*as National Coordinator).  Ricerca corrente (Health Ministry) IRCCS Galeazzi (since 2011). Ricerca Finalizzata Health Ministry (2015-2018). University of Milano-Bicocca: Infrastrutture di Interesse Strategico (2016): Laboratorio di risonanza magnetica con scanner MRI operante a 3 TESLA. Panel member of the ERC STG for LS5 - Neuroscience (2012-2018).

MAIN SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Overall relevance of my research in cognitive neuroscience

In the early 90s I pioneered the combination of behavioural techniques, inspired by cognitive models, and measures of brain physiology based on functional imaging techniques (PET and fMRI). The 120 papers derived from this work and their bibliometric indexes are a direct reflection of this continuing commitment to cognitive neuroscience. In the process of this research, I trained several undergraduates, PhD students and post-docs; some are now successful scientists and university professors.

Among my main scientific achievements, the first definition of the functional anatomy of the phonological loop and its subcomponents (published in Nature); the identification of the vestibular pathways and their role in the modulation of conscious perception in right brain damage patients (published in Nature); the identification of neural pathways of cardiac pain and the pathological lack of it (published in The Lancet and Annals of Internal Medicine); the definition of cultural effects in reading behavior and physiology (published in Nature Neuroscience); the identification of shared dysfunctional cognitive and anatomical patterns in dyslexia across cultures (published in Science); the definition of neuroanatomical correlates of of dysfunctional motor awareness in anosognosia for hemiplegia (published in Science); the characterization of the physiology of intentional actions (published in PNAS), of shared actions (published in Cerebral Cortex) and of the sense of agency (published in Science Advances).

Translational value of my research

I have also paid attention to the implementation of the experimental imaging techniques in clinical settings in the area of pre-surgical brain mapping, differential diagnosis of dyslexia, early diagnosis of dementia, and to the development of biomarkers of clinical response to therapies in neurological disorders. A further active area of active research has been ageing with particular reference to self-awareness or to motor representations of gait and prevention of falls.

Where I come from and where I have been: an illustrated scientific biography.

Below a few facts and anecdotes about my formative years. The more recent years are covered by looking at the big picture rather than to the fine details. 

I was born in Como from Sardinian parents whose main message has always been: study hard, good things may happen. I followed their advise, with a few liberties here and there.

My high-school education was at the Liceo Classico Alessandro Volta in COMO.

Early years

I then studied MEDICINE AND SURGERY at the University of Milan where I became student of Edoardo Bisiach and Anna Basso.  Anna Basso and Marcella Laiacona supervised my thesis on aphasia at the Neurology Department of the Policlinico di Milano. 

During my specialization in NEUROLOGY I joined Ferruccio Fazio's PET lab where, under the supervision of Daniela Perani, I contributed to some of the first neuropsychological anatomo-correlation studies based on PET. My thesis for specialization in NEUROLOGY was on the brain correlates of neuropsychological deficits in multiple sclerosis. 

London

In November 1991 I flew to London where I met my two mentors, Chris Frith and Richard Frackowiak with whom I worked for three years at the MRC Cyclotron Unit of the Hammersmith Hospital. This was an incredible experience in a Lab that was truly top in the world: I had the chance to work also with Paul Grasby, Karl Friston, Chris Bench, Dick Passigham, John Harrison, Simon Baron-Cohen, MArgareth Snowling, John Morton, Paolo Camici, Stuart Rosen, Richard Wise, Ray Dolan, David Gaddian, Alan Connelly and, most importantly, my wife Gabriella Bottini. Terry Jones, the head physicist,  was a source of inspiration, Unforgettable to be in the same MindBrain room also with Cathy Price, Paul Fletcher, David Silbersweig and Emily Stern. During these years I also started my long-lasting collaboration with Uta Frith who made an expert of dyslexia out of me.

Back to Milan. From 1995 I am back in Milan. In the process of coming back, I had helped my colleagues at the San Raffaele in getting started with PET activation studies: I imagined a technique that made it possible to use the CTI-PET scanner to cover the most of the brain in spite of its very limited field of view and I thought people how to use SPM classic, when the software was not yet released to users outside the MRC Cyclotron Unit. In 1995 the world had just changed: the Internet became much more user friendly and fMRI scanners became more easily available through manufacturers. The San Raffale Institute  has always been at the forefront in getting the latest technologies. So, besides the "routine" use of now a state-of the heart PET scanner for major international collaborations -see below-, thanks to my previous experience in London and to Ferruccio Fazio, we were the first in Italy the use of the then new EchoPlanar Technology for fMRI activation studies. The first study is illustrated below. 

European project on Dyslexia. In 1995 we put together a research team and achieved a big European grant to continue our studies on dyslexia on a cross-cultural basis. The other main partners were Uta and Chris Frith (UK), Jean Francois Demonet (France). The ensuing studies were published in Nature Neuroscience and in Science.

At Bicocca University  I continued to pursue my cognitive neuroscience research interests using fMRI, establishing formal collaborations with the Niguarda Hospital and in the last 10 years with the IRCCS Galeazzi, where I am  Scientific Director of the local fMRI lab. 

In these 20 years I supervised 9 PhD students, some of which have continued as successful scientists or even  University Professors. Since 2000, we published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, with a few exploits, like one other Science paper, and  publications in in Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Cortex, Current Biology, Neurology, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences USA and Science Advances.

fMRI at the Niguarda Hospital

Having changed my affiliation in 2000, I never stopped performing experiments. Thanks to Giuseppe Scialfa, Maurizio Sberna and Gabriella Bottini, we have been able to study brain damaged patients with selective disorders of spatial exploration or motor awareness. Our 2005 Science paper with Anna Berti, Gabriella Bottini and Giuseppe Vallar, was derived from this collaboration. The Niguarda Hospital is also the place where I was able to further pursue my interest in dyslexia and in normal and pathological aging, also thanks to my past PhD students, Laura Danelli and the now professor, Manuela Berlingeri. The collaboration with the Niguarda Hospital continues to these days, even though in a less intense manner, yet with some brilliant results.

Recent adventures

During the last decade I tried as much as possible not to fall imprisoned into a routine.
These are my main initiatives that keep me on my toes.

Science

 The fMRI lab at the Galeazzi

In the last 15 years or so, my research interests have swung towards the cognitive neuroscience of motor function, awareness and brain bases of motor rehabilitation. Ten years ago opportunity knocked to do some systematic research on these topics: Giuseppe Banfi, scientific director of  the Galeazzi Institute, was instrumental in this as he took interest in what we were doing to expand the repertoire of studies of his Orthopedic Institute. We tried to take full advantage of this opportunity and designed a research program from scratch. The results of this work are in the list of publications below. I am very fond of my work at the Galeazzi and the people there, the medical, technical and administration Staff. I'd like to thank Mauro Porta who allowed us to study his patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, Maurilio Bruno and Nicola Ursino for our studies on cognitive motor rehabilitation, and Luca Sconfienza. The Galeazzi people treated us more than well and I cannot wait to start again our experiments there once the SARS-COV2 pandemic gives us a break.

Milan Centre for Neuroscience - NeuroMi

This project is also very dear to me. The idea of a multi-departmental Neuroscience Centre was originally conceived with the Rector Cristina Messa, before her election. The reasoning behind this was that a critical mass is needed to compete with other European Institutions, something that became clear to me during the years when I served as a panel member of the ERC LS5 -neuroscience- Starting Grants Program. There is so much neuroscience going on in Milan but this is not appreciated as it should be and a Milan Centre for Neuroscience should serve for the purpose, to enhance cross-discipline interactions around the mission of basic and clinical neuroscience, including cognitive neuroscience. Carlo Ferrarese, from the Department of Medicine, was also sympathetic to the project and it was just fitting the fact that he, as the Chief Neurologist of our University, would become the first Director of the Centre, comprising members from other five departments (Biotechnology, Biostatistics, Economy, Information Technology, and Physics). Members from the CNR and from Pavia University and a host of other neurology departments are also present. The Psychology Department has given a huge contribution to the success of NeuroMi as it can be easily found from the publication records having NeuroMi among the Institutions. After a very successful inauguration of the Centre, the first international meeting was called "Images of the  Mind" while several other successful annual international conferences followed.

The next goal for the Centre is to go even further beyond the boundaries of our University and federate other neuroscience research centers of the Milan area into a single entity that is capable of generating higher education as much as multidisciplinary research.

The 3T fMRI lab at the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza

I never lacked the opportunity of doing all the imaging experiments that I needed to do, thanks to my collaborations with the Niguarda Hospital and Galeazzi Institute. Yet, I felt the responsibility of doing something and allow my colleagues of the Psychology Department to have systematic access to an MRI scanner for doing fMRI research on the most disparate topics in neuroscience without thematic constraints but creativity. Nothing is more true than the old say, .... "one thing leads to another" and indeed the creation of NeuroMi made it possible to think to the acquisition of a 3T MRI scanner, a piece of equipment that a single University Department would hardly acquire, leave alone a Psychology Department not based in a hospital. Again, joining forces with Carlo Ferrarese, and the many colleagues from our two departments, has proved crucially important as, together, we won a 900K grant as initial capital to build the 3T fMRI lab. The then Rector, Cristina Messa "inspired" us to pursue the goal. Now, also thanks to the contribution of the Technomed Foundation, the ASST Monza and the San Gerardo Hospital, we have a 3T MRI scanner that will be available for research 50% of the schedule. A crucial role in this was the immense effort of GianPaolo Basso and Sergio Todde who sorted out most of the complex practicalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on us for the moment as we have not been able to scan much. However, for the future, we expect to turn the sky in our only limit. Promised. 

Arts

BreraBicocca

In 2015 with Mario Arlati and Stefano Pizzi, from the Academy of Brera, we "decided" that it was time to turn the buildings of the University into Art Exhibitions. Again, it was Rector Cristina Messa who encouraged this idea giving us the possibility to have an annual picture -exhibition to display the artworks from the students of the Academy. The BreraBicocca Prize was launched for the Academy students and some established older artists: Renata Boero, Grazia Varisco, and Giangiacomo Spadari were the first senior artists to receive the BreraBicocca Prize.

Le mostre di BreraBicocca