Giuseppe di Pellegrino, M.D., Ph.D.
Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus
Full Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari,” University of Bologna
GSD: 11/PSIC-01; SSD; PSIC-01/B
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7080-4758
Current Position
Full Professor, Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (2011–Present)
Conducting research on neurocognitive mechanisms of reinforcement learning and decision-making in healthy and neurological populations.
Education
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of Parma (1995)
Specialization in Neurology, University of Modena, Cum Laude (1990)
Medical degree, University of Modena, Cum Laude (1985)
High School Diploma, Liceo Scientifico “G. Marconi,” Foggia, (full marks: 60/60) (1978)
Academic Career
Full Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna (2011–Present)
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna (2005–2011)
Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK (2001–2002)
Associate Professor, Institute of Psychology, University of Urbino (1998–2005)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna (1995–1998)
Teaching Experience
Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, 1st Cycle Degree in Psychological Sciences and Techniques
Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2nd Cycle Degree in Neuroscience and Cognitive Rehabilitation
Cognition and Neuroscience, 2nd Cycle Degree in Artificial Intelligence
All courses offered under the Department of Psychology, University of Bologna.
Administrative Responsibilities
Vice-Director, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna (2016–2021)
Director, Organisational Unit Cesena, Department of Psychology (2016–2021)
Coordinator, 2nd Cycle Degree Program in Neuroscience and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (2013–2015)
Member, Academic Board, Ph.D. Program in Psychology (2010–2021, 2024)
Evaluator, European and Italian Research Grants (ERC, NWO, and others) (2010–Present)
Member, University Research Evaluation Committee (VRA), University of Bologna (2014–2021)
Working Group Member, TECO-D Test - Psychology Domain (2018–2020)
Research and Scientific Activities
My research spans the domains of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between emotion and cognition.
I have explored how emotional learning shapes decision-making and reinforcement learning processes. My work delves into the neural mechanisms underlying how individuals evaluate options, process rewards and punishments, and adapt their behaviors in dynamic environments, with a focus on both healthy populations and those with neurological impairments.
I am also deeply interested in the neural processes governing selective attention and the representation of peri-personal space, revealing how the brain prioritizes and responds to stimuli in our immediate surroundings. A foundational moment in my academic career was being the first author of the 1992 paper on mirror neurons—a discovery that has profoundly influenced our understanding of action recognition in both humans and non-human primates.
Research Projects and Grants
Decision-making through the lens of the motor system (PRIN 2022, 2023–2025)
MoDeM Project Coordinator, FLAG-ERA JTC 2019 (2019–2022)
Neural basis of economic decision-making in social contexts (PRIN 2008, 2008–2010)
Cognitive mechanisms of social interaction (PRIN 2005, 2005–2007)
Interaction between saccadic eye movement preparation and space representation (PRIN 2000, 2000–2002)
Awards and other academic activities
Leverhulme Visiting Professor, School of Psychology, Bangor University, UK (2016)
Institutional Roles
Editorial Activities
Academic Editor: PLoS One, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Editorial Board: Frontiers in Cognition
Ad Hoc Referee: Brain, Nature Neuroscience, Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Scientific publications
Bibliometric indexes
(Scopus, November 2024)
Articles = 127
Total citations = 8557
H-index =43
(Google Scholar, November 2024)
Total citations: 15706
H-index: 57
Selected papers
- di Pellegrino G, Fadiga L, Fogassi L, Gallese V, Rizzolatti G. Understanding motor events: a neurophysiological study. Experimental Brain Research 91, 176-180, 1922.
- di Pellegrino G, Wise SP. Visuospatial versus visuomotor activity in the premotor and prefrontal cortex of a primate. Journal of Neuroscience 13, 1227-1243, 1993
- di Pellegrino G, Ladavas E, Farné A. Seeing where your hands are, Nature 388, 730-730, 1997
- Sellitto M, Ciaramelli E, di Pellegrino G. Myopic discounting of future rewards after medial orbitofrontal damage in humans. Journal of Neuroscience 30, 16429-16436, 2010
- Garofalo S, di Pellegrino G. Individual differences in the influence of task-irrelevant Pavlovian cues on human behavior Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 9, 163, 2015
- Betti S, Badioli M, Dalbagno D, Garofalo S, di Pellegrino G, Starita F. Topographically selective motor inhibition under threat of pain. Pain 165, 2851-2862, 2024
