
Institutes
Experimental neurophysiology

The Experimental Neurophysiology Unit has basic and clinical research activities aimed at the development, validation and application of non invasive electrophysiological methods for the functional assessment and neuromodulation of the nervous system, both in humans and in animal models.
Research activity
Development and validation of electrophysiological (advanced EEG analysis, evoked and cognitive potentials) and structural (optical coherence tomography - OCT) markers as surrogate of clinical measures (motor, sensory, cognitive) in human disease and in preclinical models.
Development and validation of therapeutic non invasive neurostimulation techniques (transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation), alone or in combination with other pharmacological and physical/cognitive interventions.
Pisa M, Guerrieri S, Di Maggio G, Medaglini S, Moiola L, Martinelli V, Comi G, Leocani L. No evidence of disease activity is associated with reduced rate of axonal retinal atrophy in MS. Neurology 2017 Dec 12;89(24):2469-2475.
Ferrari L, Huang SC, Magnani G, Ambrosi A, Comi G, Leocani L. Optical Coherence Tomography reveals retinal neuroaxonal thinning in frontotemporal dementia as in Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2017;56(3):1101-1107.
Chieffo R, Straffi L, Inuggi A, Gonzalez-Rosa JJ, Spagnolo F, Coppi E, Nuara A, Houdayer E, Comi G, Leocani L. Motor cortical plasticity to training started in childhood: the example of piano players. PLoS One 2016 Jun 23;11(6):e0157952.
Martinez-Lapiscina EH, Arnow S, Wilson JA, Saidha S, Preiningerova JL, Oberwahrenbrock T, Brandt AU, Pablo LE, Guerrieri S, Gonzalez I, Outteryck O, Mueller AK, Albrecht P, Chan W, Lukas S, Balk LJ, Fraser C, Frederiksen JL, Resto J, Frohman T, Cordano C, Zubizarreta I, Andorra M, Sanchez-Dalmau B, Saiz A, Bermel R, Klistorner A, Petzold A, Schippling S, Costello F, Aktas O, Vermersch P, Oreja-Guevara C, Comi G, Leocani L., Garcia-Martin E, Paul F, Havrdova E, Frohman E, Balcer LJ, Green AJ, Calabresi PA, Villoslada P. Retinal thickness measured with optical coherence tomography and risk of disability worsening in multiple sclerosis: a cohort study. Lancet Neurology 2016 May;15(6):574-84.
Leocani L, Nuara A, Houdayer E, Schiavetti I, Del Carro U, Amadio S, Straffi L, Rossi P, Martinelli V, Vila C, Sormani MP, Comi G. Sativex(®) and clinical-neurophysiological measures of spasticity in progressive multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology 2015 Nov;262(11):2520-7.
Chieffo R, De Prezzo S, Houdayer E, Nuara A, Di Maggio G, Coppi E, Ferrari L, Straffi L, Spagnolo F, Velikova S, Sessa M, Comola M, Zangen A, Comi G, Leocani L. Deep repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with H- coil on lower limb motor function in chronic stroke: a pilot study. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation 2014 Jun;95(6):1141-7.
Di Maggio G, Santangelo R, Guerrieri S, Bianco M, Ferrari L, Medaglini S, Rodegher M, Colombo B, Moiola L, Chieffo R, Del Carro U, Martinelli V, Comi G, Leocani L. Optical coherence tomography and visual evoked potentials: which is more sensitive in multiple sclerosis? Multiple Sclerosis 2014 Sep;20(10):1342-7.
Peruzzotti-Jametti L, Cambiaghi M, Bacigaluppi M, Gallizioli M, Gaude E, Mari S, Sandrone S, Cursi M, Teneud L, Comi G, Musco G, Martino G, Leocani L. Safety and efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in acute experimental ischemic stroke. Stroke 2013 Nov;44(11):3166-74.
Amato N, Riva N, Cursi M, Martins-Silva A, Martinelli V, Comola M, Fazio R, Comi G, Leocani L. Different frontal involvement in ALS and PLS revealed by Stroop event-related potentials and reaction times. Frontiers in aging neuroscience 2013 Dec 12;5:82.
Cambiaghi M, Teneud L, Velikova S, Gonzalez-Rosa JJ, Cursi M, Comi G, Leocani L. Flash visual evoked potentials in mice can be modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroscience 2011 Jun 30;185:161-5.
Raffaella Battisti
Study manager
Valerio Castoldi
PhD student
Anastasia Cecchetti
Study manager
Raffaella Chieffo
Neurologist
Martina Congiu
Psychologist
Raffaele D’Isa
Postdoc fellow
Mario Fichera
Neurology resident
Antonino Giordano
Neurology resident
Simone Guerrieri
Neurology resident
Suchun Huang
PhD student
Silvia Marenna
PhD student
Marco Pisa
Neurology resident
Roberto Santangelo
Neurologist
Stefano Temussi
Biomedical engineer
Chiara Zanetta
Neurology resident