Феурра Маттео
Институт когнитивных нейронаук
Профессиональные интересы
Должности
- Доцент — Институт когнитивных нейронаук
Био
- · Начал работать в НИУ ВШЭ в 2014 году.
- · Научно-педагогический стаж: 11 лет.
Образование
- 2009 · PhD: Флорентийский университет, специальность 19.00.02 «Психофизиология», 19.00.00 «Психологические науки», 03.03.06 «Нейробиология»
- 2004 · Специалитет: Университет Флоренции, специальность «Психология», квалификация «Специалист»
- — · 2004 Laurea in Psicologia Sperimentale (пятигодичная комбинированная программа бакалавриат-магистратура по специальности Экспериментальная Психология), Флорентийский университет. 2009 PhD в Экспериментальной Психологии, Факультет Психологии, Флорентийский университет. Научные руководители: Prof. Nicoletta Berardi and Maria Pia Viggiano.
Опыт работы
- · 2014: с года НИУ ВШЭ
Гранты и проекты
- — · на соискание учёной степени кандидата наук
Конференции (5)
Показать все
- · 2016: Third annual conference Communication, Computation, and Cognitive Processes (СССР3) (Moscow). Доклад: The BDNF val66met polymorphism affects the level of processing effect of memory: A deep and shallow rTMS study
- · 2016: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MEMORY (ICOM6) (Budapest). Доклад: Frequency-specific insight into short-term memory capacity
- · 2016: SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE (Chicago). Доклад: State-dependent impact of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation of the motor mirror system
- · 2015: 1st Moscow Conference with International Participation “TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION: FROM CURRENT STATE-OF-ART TO FUTURE HORIZONS” (Moscow). Доклад: STATE-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF TRANSCRANIAL ALTERNATING CURRENT STIMULATION OF THE MOTOR SYSTEM
- · 2015: Summer Neurolinguistic School "Language and Brain Pathology". Доклад: Neuromodulation Treatment in Aphasia
Идентификаторы исследователя
- ORCID:
0000-0003-0934-6764 - ResearcherID:
K-1524-2019 - Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0xvTt84AAAAJ&hl=it
- Scopus AuthorID:
15047818300
Публикации (69)
Frequency specific modulation of human somatosensory cortex.
2011 · ARTICLE · en
Oscillatory neuronal activities are commonly observed in response to sensory stimulation. However, their functional roles are still the subject of debate. One-way to probe the roles of oscillatory neural activities is to deliver alternating current to the cortex at biologically relevant frequencies and examine whether such stimulation influences perception and cognition. In this study, we tested whether transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) could elicit tactile sensations in humans in a frequency-dependent manner. We tested the effectiveness of tACS over SI at frequency bands ranging from 2 to 70 Hz. Our results show that stimulation in alpha (10-14 Hz) and high gamma (52-70 Hz) frequency range produces a tactile sensation in the contralateral hand. A weaker effect was also observed for beta (16-20 Hz) stimulation. These findings highlight the frequency dependency of effective tACS over SI with the effective frequencies corresponding to those observed in previous electroencephalography/magnetoencephalography studies of tactile perception. Our present study suggests that tACS could be used as a powerful online stimulation technique to reveal the causal roles of oscillatory brain activities.
Frequency-dependent tuning of the human motor system induced by transcranial oscillatory potentials.
2011 · ARTICLE · en
Different corticothalamic brain modules intrinsically oscillate at a "natural frequency" in a topographically organized manner. In "quiescent" human sensorimotor regions, the main detectable oscillatory activity peaks at approximately 20 Hz, and partly contributes to determine the state of corticospinal excitability. Here, we showed that the transcranial application of an imperceptible, short-lasting (90 s) electric field oscillating at a physiological range increases corticospinal excitability online, with well defined frequency dependence and regional specificity. Indeed, the size of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by navigated single-pulse TMS over the motor cortex significantly increased only during the local application of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 20 Hz (beta range). Other tACS frequencies (5, 10, and 40 Hz) applied on the motor cortex did not impact MEPs' size. Moreover, tACS applied on a control site (parietal cortex) and on a peripheral site (ulnar nerve) also failed to modulate MEPs. These results help clarifying the functional significance of the 20 Hz idling beta rhythm of sensorimotor regions and suggest potential clinical applications of this approach.
Cortico-Cortical Connectivity between Right Parietal and Bilateral Primary Motor Cortices during Imagined and Observed Actions: A Combined TMS/tDCS Study
2011 · ARTICLE · en
Previous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies showed functional connections between the parietal cortex (PC) and the primary motor cortex (M1) during tasks of different reaching-to-grasp movements. Here, we tested whether the same network is involved in cognitive processes such as imagined or observed actions. Single pulse TMS of the right and left M1 during rest and during a motor imagery and an action observation task (i.e., an index-thumb pinch grip in both cases) was used to measure corticospinal excitability changes before and after conditioning of the right PC by 10 min of cathodal, anodal, or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Corticospinal excitability was indexed by the size of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from the contralateral first dorsal interosseous (FDI; target) and abductor digiti minimi muscle (control) muscles. Results showed selective ipsilateral effects on the M1 excitability, exclusively for motor imagery processes: anodal tDCS enhanced the MEPs' size from the FDI muscle, whereas cathodal tDCS decreased it. Only cathodal tDCS impacted corticospinal facilitation induced by action observation. Sham stimulation was always uneffective. These results suggest that motor imagery, differently from action observation, is sustained by a strictly ipsilateral parieto-motor cortex circuits. Results might have implication for neuromodulatory rehabilitative purposes.
The role of the right temporoparietal junction in intersensory conflict: detection or resolution?
2010 · ARTICLE · en
The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a polysensory cortical area that plays a key role in perception and awareness. Neuroimaging evidence shows activation of rTPJ in intersensory and sensorimotor conflict situations, but it remains unclear whether this activity reflects detection or resolution of such conflicts. To address this question, we manipulated the relationship between touch and vision using the so-called mirror-box illusion. Participants' hands lay on either side of a mirror, which occluded their left hand and reflected their right hand, but created the illusion that they were looking directly at their left hand. The experimenter simultaneously touched either the middle (D3) or the ring finger (D4) of each hand. Participants judged, which finger was touched on their occluded left hand. The visual stimulus corresponding to the touch on the right hand was therefore either congruent (same finger as touch) or incongruent (different finger from touch) with the task-relevant touch on the left hand. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered to the rTPJ immediately after touch. Accuracy in localizing the left touch was worse for D4 than for D3, particularly when visual stimulation was incongruent. However, following TMS, accuracy improved selectively for D4 in incongruent trials, suggesting that the effects of the conflicting visual information were reduced. These findings suggest a role of rTPJ in detecting, rather than resolving, intersensory conflict.
Involvement of the parietal cortex in perceptual learning (Eureka effect): an interference approach using rTMS.
2010 · ARTICLE · en
The neural mechanisms underlying perceptual learning are still under investigation. Eureka effect is a form of rapid, long-lasting perceptual learning by which a degraded image, which appears meaningless when first seen, becomes recognizable after a single exposure to its undegraded version. We used online interference by focal 10-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to evaluate whether the parietal cortex (PC) is involved in Eureka effect, as suggested by neuroimaging data. RTMS of the PC did not affect recognition of degraded pictures when displayed 2s after the presentation of their undegraded version (learning phase). However, rTMS delivered over either right or left intraparietal sulcus simultaneously to the undegraded image presentation, disrupted identification of the degraded version of the same pictures when displayed 30 min after the learning phase. In contrast, recognition of degraded images was unaffected by rTMS over the vertex or by sham rTMS, or when rTMS of either PC was delivered 2s after the presentation of the undegraded image. Findings strongly support the hypothesis that both PC at the level of the intraparietal sulcus play a pivotal role in the Eureka effect particularly in consolidation processes, and contribute to elucidate the neural network underlying rapid perceptual learning
The role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in episodic encoding of faces: An interference study by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
2010 · ARTICLE · en
Despite extensive research on face recognition, only a few studies have examined the integration of perceptual features with semantic, biographical, and episodic information. In order to address this issue, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to target the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the left occipital face area (OFA) during a face recognition task. rTMS was delivered during the encoding of "context" faces (i.e., linked to an occupation, e.g., "lawyer") and "no-context" faces (i.e., linked to a nonword pattern, e.g., "xxxx"). Subjects were then asked to perform a recognition memory task. Accuracy at retrieval showed a mild decrease after left OFA stimulation, whereas rTMS over the left IFG drastically compromised memory performance selectively for no-context faces. On the other hand, absence of rTMS interference on context faces might be due either to the fact that pairing an occupation to a face makes the memory trace stronger, therefore less susceptible to rTMS interference, or to a different functional specificity of the left IFG subregions.
Event-related rTMS at encoding affects differently deep and shallow memory traces.
2010 · ARTICLE · en
The "level of processing" effect is a classical finding of the experimental psychology of memory. Actually, the depth of information processing at encoding predicts the accuracy of the subsequent episodic memory performance. When the incoming stimuli are analyzed in terms of their meaning (semantic, or deep, encoding), the memory performance is superior with respect to the case in which the same stimuli are analyzed in terms of their perceptual features (shallow encoding). As suggested by previous neuroimaging studies and by some preliminary findings with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the left prefrontal cortex may play a role in semantic processing requiring the allocation of working memory resources. However, it still remains unclear whether deep and shallow encoding share or not the same cortical networks, as well as how these networks contribute to the "level of processing" effect. To investigate the brain areas casually involved in this phenomenon, we applied event-related repetitive TMS (rTMS) during deep (semantic) and shallow (perceptual) encoding of words. Retrieval was subsequently tested without rTMS interference. RTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) abolished the beneficial effect of deep encoding on memory performance, both in terms of accuracy (decrease) and reaction times (increase). Neither accuracy nor reaction times were instead affected by rTMS to the right DLPFC or to an additional control site excluded by the memory process (vertex). The fact that online measures of semantic processing at encoding were unaffected suggests that the detrimental effect on memory performance for semantically encoded items took place in the subsequent consolidation phase. These results highlight the specific causal role of the left DLPFC among the wide left-lateralized cortical network engaged by long-term memory, suggesting that it probably represents a crucial node responsible for the improved memory performance induced by semantic processing.
Disruption of the prefrontal cortex function by rTMS produces a category-specific enhancement of the reaction times during visual object identification.
2008 · ARTICLE · en
Object identification is enabled through a distributed neural network but the relative contribution of the single components of this network is largely unknown. In the present study, we used online interference by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to investigate the role of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in identifying semantically different stimuli presented as to make the decision process easy or difficult, according to the amount of sensory information available. Nineteen healthy volunteers performed an object identification task. Stimuli belonging to living and non-living categories were presented at different levels of spatial filtering following a coarse-to-fine order that gradually integrated spatial information. Six-pulse trains of 10-Hz rTMS were delivered at an intensity of 90% resting motor threshold simultaneously to the picture presentation. rTMS of either the left or right DLPFC produced a significant lengthening in the identification process of spatially filtered living stimuli, as shown by the increase in the reaction time, but not of non-filtered living stimuli or of non-living objects. rTMS over the vertex did not interfere with the identification task. These data indicate that DLPFC role in the network underlying object recognition is more crucial when this neural process is challenged by the level of sensory information available to the observer. Specificity of this effect for living objects is discussed taking into account the crucial role of DLPFC in recruitment of cognitive resources for accomplishing perceptual decision-making.
"Did you see him in the newspaper?" Electrophysiological correlates of context and valence in face processing.
2006 · ARTICLE · en
Face recognition emerges from an interaction between bottom-up and top-down processing. Specifically, it relies on complex associations between the visual representation of a given face and previously stored knowledge about that face (e.g. biographical details). In the present experiment, the time-course of the interaction between bottom-up and top-down processing was investigated using event-related potentials (ERPs) and manipulating realistic, ecological contextual information. In the study phase, half of the faces (context faces) were framed in a newspaper page entitled with an action committed by the person depicted; these actions could have a positive or a negative value, so in this way emotional valence could be manipulated. The other half was presented on a neutral background (no-context faces). In the test phase, previously presented faces and new ones were presented on neutral backgrounds and an old/new discrimination was requested. The N170 component was modulated by both context (presence/absence at encoding) and valence (positive/negative). A reduction in amplitude was found for context faces as opposed to no-context faces. The same pattern was observed for negative faces compared to positive ones. Moreover, later activations associated with context and valence were differentially distributed over the scalp: context effects were prominent in left frontal areas, traditionally linked to person-specific information retrieval, whereas valence effects were broadly distributed over the scalp. In relation to recent neuroimaging findings on the neural basis of top-down modulations, present findings indicate that the information flow from higher-order areas might have modulated the N170 component and mediated the retrieval of semantic information pertaining to the study episode
Курсы (3)
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Cognitive Neuroscience · 5 раза
2025/2026, 2024/2025, 2023/2024, 2022/2023, 2021/2022 · Курс обязательный / Магистратура / Маго-лего · Анг
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Multimodal Neuroimaging Part 2 · 3 раза
2025/2026, 2024/2025, 2023/2024 · Магистратура / Маго-лего · Анг
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Advanced Neuroimaging · 2 раза
2022/2023, 2021/2022 · Магистратура / Маго-лего · Анг