Ricerc@Sapienza

My  research activity is focused on cognitive motor functions of the primate’s brain.

The investigations are based on the correlation of single- and multi-unit activity with behaviour executed during neural recording. This behavioural neurophysiology approach is often combined with neuroanatomy in a unique methodological approach aimed at elucidating not only the physiological aspects, but also the neural circuits involved in a specific task. One of the goal of this research is also to provide a neurophysiological explanation of the emergence of  neurological deficits observed in patients after lesions of specific cortical areas, as suggested by the neuropsychological literature.

A particular attention has been devoted to the functional role of frontal and parietal cortex of primate brain on the control of arm movements to visual targets, in particular on the neural mechanisms underlying eye-hand coordination in posterior parietal cortex and on the role of the parieto-frontal network on the online control of hand trajectory, when unexpected changes in external environment occurs.

Current research activity is devoted to investigating  the neural bases of social motor interactions among subjects that cooperate in joint-action tasks, to achieve a common goal.