Cognitive Development (6)

Antonino Vallesi

Antonino Vallesi is a cognitive neuroscientist. He pursued his master degree in Psychology (cum laude) from University of Padua in 2003 and his PhD in Neuroscience (cum laude) at SISSA, Trieste in 2007.  During his PhD, he visited the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, London (2005). He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Toronto (2007-2009) and an Assistant Professor at SISSA (2009-2012), and then at University of Padua (2012-2014), where he was then promoted as Associate Professor (2014-2022) and is currently full professor in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology.

In 2011 he received the Bertelson Award from the European Society of Cognitive Psychology, and the “Outstanding Young Person” national award for his research activity from Junior Chamber International-Italy.

Aram Megighian

1988 MD degree (University of Padua)
1992 Residency in Neurology (University of Padua)
1996-1997 Research Scientist Dep of Biology (San Diego State University, USA)
1992-2010 Assistant Professor in Physiology
1997- Adjunct Professor Dep of Biology (San Diego State University, USA)
2010- Associate Professor in Physiology (DBS, University of Padua)

Research interest

Nervous system function is dedicated to translate, generate and process informations in a binary code based on neuronal electrical response: action potential.
These binary coded informations are exchanged from one neuron to the other connected by synapses in both simple and complex circuits. Eventually these informations are processed generating behavior, i.e.

Eloisa Valenza

Present position

Full professor in Developmental Cognitive Psychology (M-PSI/04), Padova University School of Psychology

She is author of 67 scientific contributions among articles published on peer-reviewed international (30) and national (21), academic book chapters (14) and monographs (2). Scopus citation: 996, Scopus h-index: 14.

Major research interest

Her research interests focus on cognitive development in infancy, with specific reference to the early effect of attentional, perceptual and postural abilities on high level cognition (e.g., language acquisition). A clear understanding of early cognitive abilities and motor functioning is critical for identifying precocious predictors of atypical development that originate in infancy but continue throughout childhood.

Giovanni Mento

Giovanni Mento is Research Assistant Professor (RTD-B) in Developmental Neuropsychology and  EEG recording and Analysis at the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua. He received his master degree in Psychology (2005) and his PhD in Psychobiology (2009) at the University of Padua.  During his PhD, He visited the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at the INSERM-CEA ‘Cognitive Neuroimaging unit’ CEA/SAC/DSV/DRM/NeuroSpin, Saclay (Paris). He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua (2009-2016).

His research interests are in the field of Cognitive Neurosciences, Developmental Cognitive Neurosciences and Developmental Neuropsychology. His main research topic is the investigation of the brain predictive and anticipatory activity in a developmental neuroconstructivist perspective, with a special interest about how top-down and bottom-up temporal expectancy interplay to shape multiple cognitive domains, including attention, motor preparation, working memory and inhibitory control.

Mario Bonato

Mario Bonato (Master Degree in Experimental Psychology, PhD in Cognitive Science) is a neuropsychologist. He has specific clinical expertise in post-stroke cognitive assessment. Among young researchers, dr Bonato is considered a leading expert in the assessment of visuo-spatial disorders. He devised a very sensitive computer-based dual-task method for the diagnosis of hemispatial neglect following unilateral brain damage. This approach mimics everyday demands and might become the gold standard for the diagnosis of hemispatial neglect in the chronic phase (Bonato, 2015).

He published mostly as leading author (first and corresponding), several scientific articles, in the most widely read and better-ranked peer-reviewed international journals for neuropsychology and experimental psychology.

Teresa Farroni

Present position

Teresa Farroni is Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at University of Padua (Italy) with over twenty years of research experience. She is teaching Developmental Psychology (undergraduate courses) and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (master course) both in Italian and in English.

Scientific production

More than 50 peer-reviewed papers (all in ISI journals); ore than 100 reviews for more than 20 different ISI journals (including Nature, Neuron, PNAS etc.), project proposals (ERC, Cost Actions, etc.), and official reviewer for ANVUR – National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems; reviewer for the following international journals: Nature Neuroscience, Scientific Report (Nature), Proceeding of National Academy of Sciences, Cognition, Developmental Science, Neuropsychologia, Neuron, Brain Research, Psychological Bulletin, Child Development, Cortex, European Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, PlosOne, European Journal of Developmental Psychology, Visual Cognition, Emotion Review, Biological Psychology, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Psychological Science.