11.2022 - 02.2026

Plastic potentials of the social brain

This research line investigates the mechanisms of brain plasticity during the observation and imitation of goal-directed actions in healthy individuals and patients with neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative disorders . 

This project is related to the study mainly through magnetic resonance imaging techniques of the cortical areas, basal ganglia and cerebellum involved in the mediation of social cognition and their plastic modifications during motor learning through observation and imitation. We have adopted a multilevel integrated approach that includes neuropsychological evaluation of social processes and multimodal neuroimaging in healthy human subjects and patients with different brain lesions that occurred during developmental age (cerebral paralysis) and adulthood (stroke).

From a translational medicine perspective, the outcomes of this research can guide rehabilitative interventions based on motor learning through imitation. Potential applications include functional recovery programs for children with cerebral palsy or other neurodevelopmental disorders, rehabilitation pathways for upper limb recovery in adults after stroke, and strategies designed to slow down neurodegeneration and preserve cognitive functions in patients with dementia.

Spoke 1 : Neurodevelopment, Cognition and Social Interaction