My research explores sensorimotor integration: the brain’s capacity to integrate sensory input with motor processes, movements and actions. This is what permits all animals to interact with elements of the surrounding environment, such as objects, salient events or other (collaborating) individuals.

My interests span from the neurophysiology of the sensory and motor systems, particularly their interplay, to the emergence of the cognitive processes that support inter-personal coordination and collaboration. I study these topics through electrophysiology and brain stimulation methods, usually in combination with behavioural measures. 

The following points summarise my past research activity:

(1) I have identified a cortico-muscular mechanism – also called “cortico-muscular resonance” – that rapidly couples the cortex with body muscles in response to salient environmental events [read articles #1, #2, #3, #4 and perspective #5]. Recently, I have extended this line of research to non-human primates [read article #6].

(2) I was the first scientist to conduct and report a multibrain stimulation experiment. This consists of simultaneous alternating currents applied transcranially over two human brains in order to manipulate the capacity to efficiently transfer information between one another [read articles #1, #2, and perspective #3]. This line of work is complemented by other (so called “hyperscanning”) studies measuring inter-neural synchrony from interacting individuals, both in the context of structured (read articles #4, #5) and notably even spontaneous social interactions (read article #6). 

(3) I have contributed to the understanding of the neurophysiological and cognitive processes that govern inter-personal interactions, such as imitation and joint action. To this aim, I am one of the scientists who introduced the use of musical tasks as ecological yet experimentally controlled models [read articles #1, #2, #3, #4, reviews #5, #6, and perspective #7]. Currently, I am leading two EU-funded projects examining the neural mechanisms that underpin musical interactions in musicians, dancers, non-musically trained adults and infants, and recently also individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (read article #8).

(4) My interest in music also touches on other theoretically relevant issues, such as its mysterious origins [read articles #1, #2] and its fascinating analogies with other forms of verbal and non-verbal communication [read articles #3, #4, #5]. Recently, I extended this line of research by measuring how the brain of non-human primates responds to naturalistic music [read article #6]. 

I originally graduated in Philosophy (BA), and later in Neuroscience (MSc and PhD). I have studied and worked in very diverse research institutes and academic departments, with focuses on physiology, computation, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy (see here). In my view, understanding the human brain and cognition requires a multidisciplinary approach.