Research topics

My research line is mainly devoted to the study of human planning within the executive functions. Beside the planning process, my experience has grown paying attention to wide aspects of three lines: cognitive functions, methodological topics, and teaching experiences.

Visuo-spatial planning:

I developed the MAPS test, a computer-based version of the Travelling Salesperson Problem, that has been used to investigate visuo-spatial planning. The issue has been addressed by several points of view: the neuropsychological evaluation and rehabilitation of frontal injured people, the neural correlates of strategies creation, a neural network simulation of the perceptual selection of heuristics, and by several techniques: transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging. The main achievements consisted in proving that:
- planning is not limited to a stage before the execution, but will continue also in later stages of the plan realization;
- visuo-spatial tasks based on the TSP may involve planning much better than other planning task such as the Tower of London, and can be used in the neuropsychological assessment;
- planning is subserved by a fronto-parietal network at several levels: the first plan is performed in the parietal lobes, while the PFC is involved in the monitoring, switching and the modification of the ongoing plan.

Memory:

Memory is among the main higher mental processes, and can be addressed by several points of view. Among them, I chose 2 for different reasons. The first one has a relationship with the executive functions: the role of frontal cortices on working memory and prospective memory (i.e.: memory for intentions), studied with TMS; the study has been funded by the Italian MIUR, awarded to the unit of Pavia, coordinated by Prof. Paola Palladino. The second one is based on a personal passion for songs: psychologist involved in the study of music always use materials such as classic music or controlled series of notes. However, these materials are completely different from those commonly heard when one turns on the radio. Thus, I decided to study the retrieval of pop songs' attributes evaluating the impact of different kinds of long term memory processes (in collaboration with Laura Pieroni of the Faculty of Psychology 1, University of Rome "La Sapienza").

fMRI data analysis:

I am participating in the creation of a new method of fMRI-data analysis, based on the Independent Component Analysis and the Granger Causality Test. The method was ideated by A. Londei and developed with A. D'Ausilio and the research group in Rome. This new method does not need the big amount of a priori knowledge necessary for modelling, and can indicate causal relationships between brain regions, thus making it a promising tool for the extraction of functional circuits. The method has been applied to a simple passive word listening task, and extracted the fronto-parietal network hypothesized by the recent models of word perception.

Other interests:

Due to my expertize in the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation technique, I am involved in several researches related to many (really different) cognitive processes:
- the role of motor areas in the Interhemispheric Transfer Time (a collaboration between Profs. Bisiacchi and Vecchi, respectively of the psychological departments of Padua and Pavia),
- the involvement of motion areas in number comparison and calculation (with Elena Salillas, in collaboration with Profs. Semenza and Vecchi, respectively of the psychological departments of Trieste and Pavia),
- tactile perception of motion (in collaboration with the group directed by Prof. Pietrini, in Pisa, and the group directed by Prof. Miniussi, in Brescia).
- the fronto-parietal network involved in the navigation into a 3D environment (with Chiara Saracini, PhD student at the Faculty of Psychology 1, University "La Sapienza" of Rome).

Grants

Personal grants:

Post-Doc research grant on "A study with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation rTMS of the Simon effect and the SNARC effect" at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padua (February 2008).
Post-Doc research grant on "Research methodologies of the metabolic-functional activities of the cerebral cortex with respect to the elaboration of visuo-spatial and tactile stimuli in human subjects", at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Medical School, University of Pisa, Italy (July 2005 - June 2007).
Contract for a research project on human planning (prot. 2005/541) at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
European Erasmus Grant for the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany (October 2002 - June 2003).
Ph.D. course in Cognitive Psychology, XVII Cycle at ECONA, Faculty of Psychology 1, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy (November 2001 - October 2004).
Contract for a research project on neuropsychological assessment of executive functions (prot. 2001/677) at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
Annual grant ESU (Ente per il Diritto allo Studio), University of Padua, in the Academic Years 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99.

Participations in Research projects:

MIUR national grant 2006 with the research: "Remembering intentions: cognitive, socio-motivational and neurocognitive aspects in a life-span perspective" coordinated by Prof. A. Brandimonte.
MIUR national grant 2005 with the research: "Plasticity of categorical boundaries" coordinated by Prof. W. Gerbino.
MIUR national grant 2003 with the research: "Learning disabilities: behavioural and cognitive evaluation and rehabilitation" coordinated by Prof. G. Lancioni.
MIUR national grant 2003 with the research: "Interpolation in vision, in action, and in representational space" coordinated by Prof. W. Gerbino.

Demis Basso

Research