Associate Professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology
Dept. of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca
Sci.Ple: What is your background?
I graduated in Experimental Psychology at University of Rome “La Sapienza” back in 1987, where I worked with Spinelli and Mecacci. At that time my supervisors were the first at recording Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) in healthy controls to study spatial frequency sensitivity. After the Degree I won a PhD fellowship from the University of Padua, where I started a collaboration with neurologist Bisiacchi and neurophysiologist Carlo Marzi, from Berlucchi’s lab (a Moruzzi’s pupil), and my research interests moved from Visual Evoked Potentials to Event-Related brain Potentials (ERPs). In 1991 we published the first Italian study on the electro-cortical indexes of visual spatial attention. After my doctoral dissertation (about the role of the left and right hemisphere in selective and sustained attention) I moved to Davis-California to work with Ron Mangun at the Center for Neuroscience directed by Michal Gazzaniga, during my 2 years of post-doctoral training. I learned many of the things I know about ERPs and met several outstanding neuroscientists including Bob Knight, Steven Hillyard, David Woods and Bob Fendrich. I currently work in the field of Cognitive electrophysiology and I lead the cognitive electrophysiology lab at University of Milano Bicocca where I am associate professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology.
Sci.Ple: Among your published papers, which one is your favorite???
This is a difficult question, because all the papers have a different history, and I loved them for different reasons. However, the one I remember with a greater emotion is one of the oldest and less famous paper, but my first important one, coauthored by my mentor and by Michael Gazzaniga on split brain patient J.W.
Proverbio AM, Zani A, Gazzaniga MS & Mangun GR. ERP and RT signs of a rightward bias for spatial orienting in a split-brain patient. NeuroReport, 1994; 5 (18): 2457-2461.
Sci.Ple: Why is it your favorite?
Because the data were very exciting and it was the first time for me as a P.I. of that particular investigation. We discovered not only the presence of a rightward bias for spatial orienting (a sort of neglect for LVF stimuli) but also evidences that the left hemisphere has a stronger attentional vector, as predicted by Marcel Kinsbourne’s theory. Most notably, we found indexes of a subcortical transfer of visual information. Plus I wrote the article by myself. I was extremely proud when it was finally accepted
What was the most challenging part of this paper??? The notion that there might be a subcortical transfer of visual information in the split brain, possibly mediated by the superior colliculus (which has ipsilateral connections) was not particularly favoured at that time, particularly by Michael Gazzaniga. However the data seemed really compelling, and we published the less problematic part of the study, the one dealing with the attentional bias, leaving somewhat in the shadow the problem of the subcortical transfer.
Sci.Ple: What drives you in your day-to-day job?
I remember getting really frustrated and sad, when I was a young researcher, and things were not going well, or for example a paper got rejected. Now things are very different, sometimes this really surprises myself, but I have become really good at overcoming difficulties. The energy comes from inside, I am very benevolent with myself as I know how hard I try. I rarely feel guilty.
Sci.Ple: What is the most exciting part of your job?
Something really unexpected comes up, as a very nice surprise. This happened for example when we discovered that the face fusiform area FFA is right sided only in men, while face coding is bilateral in the female brain.
Sci.Ple: The least exciting??
The least exciting are exams, thesis correcting, Faculty reunions and councils, administrative matters, grant paperworks.
Sci.Ple: Name a scientist whose research inspires you.
Salvatore Aglioti, he is an extremely rigorous and very brilliant Italian Cognitive Neuroscientist.
Sci.Ple: What are the next frontiers in neuroscience?
Honestly I do not know, I think we are still in a transition period. I believe that discipline like cellular neuroscience, molecular physiology, genetics, epigenetics are more than ever contributing to neuroscience discoveries. The other thing is that, progressively, animal experimentation, especially on primates or mammalians, has to be substituted or abandoned.
Sci.Ple: Why science?
I could not possibly be other than a scientist in life. I dreamed about being a scientist since I was a child. My father is a scientist, and my two older brothers are Academics.
Sci.Ple: If not science?
If not science I would have loved being an orchestra conductor. I love very much music since I studied piano, organ and composition at Conservatory Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. I always had a special admiration [and still have] for orchestra directors since they have to master all the different instrumental parts at one time, and have the responsibility of conducting and creating a new and exiting performance. Definitely that.
Sci.Ple: Why?
Why humans are so cruel? I cannot stand human suffering, especially children’s pain. Whenever I hear a child’s cry my brain immediately enters in an alarm state.