CURRICULUM

Degree in Medicine cum laude, specialization in Neurology cum laude, PhD in Psychobiology (curriculum Neuropsychology), 1986-87 grant from the DAAD, Neurology Department, Albert-Ludwig Universitat di Freiburg i.B., 1989-1991 Research Assistant  at the MRC, Cambridge, 1991-1993 Consultant, Neurorehabilitation, Seregno Hospital; 1994-1998 Neurological Consultant, San Paolo Hospital; 1998-2001 Associate Professor of Neuropsychology, University of Palermo; dal 2001  Full Professor, University of Milano-Bicocca, 2002-2008 Head of the Psychology Department; 2007-2012 Head of the PhD Course  in Experimental Psychology, Linguistics, and Cognitive Neuroscience;  2010-2013 Head of the PhD School in Psychology.

http://www.psicologia.unimib.it/03_persone/scheda_personale.php?personId=77

 RESEARCH THEMES

• Olfactory memory in neurodegenerative diseases and in sensory-deprivation
• Language development in cochlear implants
• Emotion recognition in different diseases (HD, schizophrenia, insular lesions)
• Face and voice recognition in patients with temporal lesions
• Neural correlates of memory systems and Mental Time Travel

 RESEARCH PROJECT

Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies yielded controversial results concerning the specific role of the insula in recognizing the facial expression. To verify whether the insula has a selective role in facial disgust processing, emotion recognition can be studied in patients during intraoperative stimulation of the insula in awake surgery performed for removal of a glioma close to this structure. Emotion recognition, both implicit and explicit, can be examined in Huntington’s disease and schizophrenia. In both cases a deficit of emotion recognition is crucial for behavioural disorders. Thresholds for recognition of specific emotions can be measured. A voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) will be performed to verify whether segregated areas can account for test scores.

 MOST RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS

1. What is the role of the uncinate fasciculus? Surgical removal and proper name retrieval. Papagno C, Miracapillo C, Casarotti A, Romero Lauro LJ, Castellano A, Falini A, Casaceli G, Fava E, Bello L. Brain. 2011 Feb;134(Pt 2):405-14. doi: 10.1093/brain/awq283. Epub 2010 Oct 18..
2. Phonology without semantics? Good enough for verbal short-term memory. Evidence from a patient with semantic dementia. Papagno C, Vernice M, Cecchetto C. Cortex. 2013 Mar;49(3):626-36. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.04.015. Epub 2012 May 9. PMID: 22664140
3. Long-term proper name anomia after removal of the uncinate fasciculus. Papagno C, Casarotti A, Comi A, Pisoni A, Lucchelli F, Bizzi A, Riva M, Bello L. Brain Struct Funct. 2014 Oct 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 25348267
4. Guess who? Investigating the proper name processing network by means of tDCS. Pisoni A, Vernice M, Iasevoli L, Cattaneo Z, Papagno C. Neuropsychologia. 2015 Jan;66:267-78. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.11.025. Epub 2014 Nov 26. PMID: 25670534
5. Deaf, blind or deaf-blind: Is touch enhanced? Papagno C, Cecchetto C, Pisoni A, Bolognini N. Exp Brain Res. 2015 Nov 16. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 26573575

 FOREIGN COLLABORATIONS

• Institute for Response-Genetics, University Hospital, Zurich (prof. HH Stassen)
• Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Londra