Nicoletta Berardi

Biography

Class Professor, SSD M-PSI / 02 - Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Florence. My main field of research has been and is still cortical plasticity, with particular reference to the plasticity of the visual cortex, both during development and in the adult. In this field, begun in the late 1979, I discovered the existence of rapid perceptive perception in humans, which still constitutes a classic point of reference in the field. Starting in 1989, I started studying, using electrophysiological and behavioral techniques, the molecular bases of cortical plasticity using the visual cortex of the rat as a model. The most important findings are the discovery of the role of neurotrophins in visual cortical plasticity and the definition of molecular factors underlying the critical periods of the visual cortex. In particular, I contributed to the discovery that a group of molecules of the extracellular matrix has a non-permissive role for adult plasticity, opening up important perspectives also in the field of brain repair. More recently, I have begun to deal with factors that mediate the formation and consolidation of visual memory traces by using behavioral and electrophysiological techniques. My most recent activity was mainly devoted to the study of the role played by the wealth of the environment in the development and plasticity of the nervous system and in the field of brain repair using electrophysiological, behavioral and anatomical techniques. In the field of development I have shown for the first time that non-visual factors, including contact and massage, can co-operate with the development of visual cortex in rodents and humans. From these studies has also emerged a completely new role for IGF-1, which is increasingly becoming a crucial molecule for neural development also in humans and with remarkable application potentials. In the field of brain repair, I have completed and are undertaking studies to develop non-invasive therapies based on intranasal administration of neurotrophins and environmental enrichment to slow down the progression of anatomic and cognitive deficits in murine models of Alzheimer's disease, studies on the effect of physical and cognitive activity on aging in humans and studies on the perceptive effect and physical exercise on brain plasticity in the animal and man. Research topics currently pursued Psychobiology of Development. Critical periods in development. Cortical plasticity in development and in the adult, with particular attention to visual cortical plasticity. Mechanisms of neural plasticity at the base of learning and memory processes. Study of the effects of exposure to an enriched environment during development and the adult on visual development, learning and memory processes and on brain-protective phenomena. Study of the effects of exercise and perceptual learning on visual cortical plasticity. Teaching Activity: Professor of Fundamental Physiological Anatomy of Psychic Activity (Bachelor Degree in Psychological Sciences and Techniques). Lecturer in Psychobiology of Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders Master's Degree in Psychology, LM-51 (until 2014) Lecturer in Psychobiology of Resilience and Vulnerability, Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and Health and Neuropsychology, LM-51 Lecturer in Psychobiology of Behavior, Master Degree Course in Lifecycle Psychology and Lectures, LM-51 (from 2014) From 2003 to 2008 I was President of the Degree Course in Science and Techniques of General Psychology and Experimental Psychology Faculty of the University of Florence. From March 2013 to March 2016 I was President of the School of Psychology at the University of Florence. I am a member of the following companies: Italian Society of Neuroscience, of which I have been a member of the Board of Directors from 2006 to 2009. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) European Brain and Behavioral Society Society for Neuroscience Italian Psychology Association

Research Interest

Psychobiology of Development. Critical periods in development. Cortical plasticity in development and in the adult, with particular attention to visual cortical plasticity. Mechanisms of neural plasticity at the base of learning and memory processes. Study of the effects of exposure to an enriched environment during development and the adult on visual development, learning and memory processes and on brain-protective phenomena. Study of the effects of exercise and perceptual learning on visual cortical plasticity.