Phd in PHD PROGRAM IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE

email: marialuisa.martelli@uniroma1.it
phone: +39 06 49917514

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
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NAME: Martelli, Marialuisa
POSITION TITLE: Associate Professor, full-time with tenure
EDUCATION/TRAINING
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE
(if applicable) Completion Date
MM/YYYY FIELD OF STUDY
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome MA 07/1996 Experimental psychology
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy PHD 11/2001 Visual Neuroscience
Research and Rehabilitation Centre, IRCCS Santa Lucia, Rome Fellow 1997 Post-graduate training in neuropsychology
University of Virginia, Michael Kubovy’s laboratory Fellow 1998 Post-graduate training on visual perception
New York University, Denis Pelli’s laboratory, New York City, NY Postdoctoral Fellow 2004 Visual Psychophysics
A. Personal Statement
I’m trained in neuropsychology and visual psychophysics. In my lab we investigate the cognitive mechanisms involved in expert automatized tasks. We record behavioural measures, such as reaction times and thresholds, during objects and words recognition tasks, while measuring eye movement’s parameters. Based on the psychophysical evidences, we try to understand the core of the deficits in diverse populations. The underling research interest focuses on the possibility to account for the population variability drawing from to the current available models. In this vein I’ve been working with elderly individuals, vascular brain damaged patients, patients with traumatic brain injury, as well as with developmental populations with learning disabilities. The core junction is the understanding of the processing slowness. I believe the novelty in the approach is the combination of across-fields knowledge. We are filling the gaps and in doing so we have explained some important conditions, such as neglect dyslexia, with findings that point to focussed rehabilitation protocols.
B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment
1994 - 1995 Research assistant in Neuropsychology, University of Rome, Psychology Department, Rome
1997 - 1998 Research Scholarship CUN, UVA, Graduate School of Arts and Science, Cognitive Department, Auditory and Visual Perception Laboratory, Specialization with Dr. Michael Kubovy
1999 - 2000 Instructor in Research techniques, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome
2000 - 2001 Doctoral Scholarship University of Rome to complete a specialization with Dr. Denis Pelli, New York University
2000 - 2004 Research Scientist, New York University, New York, NY
2001 - 2003 TA in Psychology, New York University, New York, NY
2003 - 2004 Research Contract, Spatial Orientation, Aeronautica Militare Pratica di Mare, Sezione Disorientamento Spaziale
2004 - 2005 Research Scientist, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome
2004 - 2006 Teaching contract, Perception, New York University Florence, Florence
2004 - 2007 Teaching Position, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Psychophysics, Rome
2005 - Adjunct Professor, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome
2009 - 2015 Tenure full time Research Scholar, Università degli studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome
2010 - 2011 International consultant, The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
2012 - International consultant, The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
2014 - International consultant , Qatar Foundation , WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education)
2015 - Tenure full time Associate Professor, Università degli studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
Honors
2002 Outstanding contribution in training young scientists, INTEL
C. Contribution to Science
1. Object recognition: Basic visual mechanisms involved in objects and faces recognition: studies involve brain imaging and eye movements’ recordings.
a. Sand, K., Robotham, R. J., Martelli, M., & Starrfelt, R. (2018). Visual crowding in pure alexia and acquired prosopagnosia. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 1-10.
b. Albonico, A., Martelli, M., Bricolo, E., Frasson, E., & Daini, R. (2018). Focusing and orienting spatial attention differently modulate crowding in central and peripheral vision. Journal of Vision, 18(3):4, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1167/18.3.4.
c. Strappini F, Galati G, Martelli M, Di Pace E, Pitzalis S (2017) Perceptual integration and attention in human extrastriate cortex Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 14848.
d. Zeri F, Calcatelli P, Funaro E, Martelli M, Naroo SA (2017) How accurate is an LCD screen version of the Pelli-Robson test? Int Ophthalmol. 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10792-017-0609-0.
e. Strappini, F., Pelli, D. G., Di Pace, E., & Martelli, M. (2017). Agnosic vision is like peripheral vision, which is limited by crowding. Cortex, 89, 135-155.
f. Albonico, A., Malaspina, M., Bricolo, E., Martelli, M., & Daini, R. Temporal dissociation between the focal and orientation components of spatial attention in central and peripheral vision. Acta Psychologica 2016, 171, 85-92. PubMed PMID: 27743522
g. Pelli DG, Waugh SJ, Martelli M et al. (2016) A clinical test for visual crowding. F1000Research 2016, 5:81.
h. Bricolo E, Salvi C, Martelli M, Arduino LS, Daini R. The effects of crowding on eye movement patterns in reading. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2015 Sep;160:23-34. PubMed PMID: 26143298.
i. Lucertini M, De Angelis C, Martelli M, Zolesi V, Tomao E. Subjective visual vertical in erect/supine subjects and under microgravity: effects of lower body negative pressure. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2011 Jul;268(7):1067-75. PubMed PMID: 21293964.
2. Reading: Models of reading acquisition across languages; studies involve psychophysical modeling and eye movement studies of reading.
a. Facchin, A., Maffioletti, S., Martelli, M., & Daini, R. (2019). Different trajectories in the development of visual acuity with different levels of crowding: The Milan Eye Chart (MEC). Vision research, 156, 10-16.
b. Primativo S, Spinelli D, Zoccolotti P, De Luca M, Martelli M. Perceptual and Cognitive Factors Imposing "Speed Limits" on Reading Rate: A Study with the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0153786. PubMed PMID: 27088226; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4835101.
c. Marinelli CV, Horne JK, McGeown SP, Zoccolotti P, Martelli M. Does the mean adequately represent reading performance? Evidence from a cross-linguistic study. Front Psychol. 2014;5:903. PubMed PMID: 25191289; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4137238.
d. Marinelli, Chiara Valeria; Martelli, Marialuisa; Praphamontripong, Prachayani; Zoccolotti, Pierluigi; Abadzi, Helen. 2013. Visual and Linguistic Factors in Literacy Acquisition : Instructional Implications for Beginning Readers in Low-income Countries. Global Partnership for Education (GPE) working paper series on learning;no. 2. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/16244
3. Developmental dyslexia: Perceptual integration as a factor in determining slow reading in developmental dyslexia: studies involve mathematical modeling of psychophysical measures.
a. Martelli M, De Luca M, Lami L, Pizzoli C, Pontillo M, Spinelli D, Zoccolotti P. Bridging the gap between different measures of the reading speed deficit in developmental dyslexia. Exp Brain Res. 2014 Jan;232(1):237-52. PubMed PMID: 24132528.
b. Martelli M, Burani C, Zoccolotti P. Visual perceptual limitations on letter position uncertainty in reading. Behav Brain Sci. 2012 Oct;35(5):294-5. PubMed PMID: 22929297.
4. Acquired dyslexia: The role of eye movements and perceptual limitation in vascular patients with an acquired reading deficit.
a. Daini R, Albonico A, Malaspina M, Martelli M, Primativo S, Arduino LS. Dissociation in Optokinetic Stimulation Sensitivity between Omission and Substitution Reading Errors in Neglect Dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci. 2013;7:581. PubMed PMID: 24062678; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3775017.
b. Martelli M, Arduino LS, Daini R. Two different mechanisms for omission and substitution errors in neglect dyslexia. Neurocase. 2011;17(2):122-32. PubMed PMID: 20812140.
c. Primativo S, Arduino LS, Daini R, De Luca M, Toneatto C, Martelli M. Impaired oculo-motor behaviour affects both reading and scene perception in neglect patients. Neuropsychologia. 2015 Apr;70:90-106. PubMed PMID: 25698638.
d. Primativo S, Arduino LS, De Luca M, Daini R, Martelli M. Neglect dyslexia: a matter of "good looking". Neuropsychologia. 2013 Sep;51(11):2109-19. PubMed PMID: 23850599.
5. Perceptual and motor components in decision-making: Modeling the slowing of information processing in Alzheimer and TBI patients by psychophysical measures.
a. Cappa A, Ciccarelli N, Baldonero E, Martelli M, Silveri MC. Posterior AD-type pathology: cognitive subtypes emerging from a cluster analysis. Behav Neurol. 2014;2014:259358. PubMed PMID: 24994944; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4068066.
b. Puopolo C, Martelli M, Zoccolotti P. Role of sensory modality and motor planning in the slowing of patients with traumatic brain injury: a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Dec;37(10 Pt 2):2638-48. PubMed PMID: 24025160.
c. Martelli, M., Barban, F., Zoccolotti, P., and Silveri, M.C. Slowing of information processing may depend upon execution (not cognitive) components in Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive and Behavioural Neurology 2012, 25, 175–185. PubMed PMID: 23277138
D. Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance

2012-2013
Project ‘Ateneo Federato’
Marialuisa Martelli (PI)
Project title "Cognitive and motor slowing in traumatic brain damaged patients." C26A13LRHS.

2014
Qatar Foundation
WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education)
Marialuisa Martelli (PI)
Project title “customized research review on creativity for policy advice”.

2013-2014
Bank Foundation ‘Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze’
Marialuisa Martelli (PI)
Project title “Reading acquisition deficits: a research-intervention on learning disabilities’ (n. 2013.0892)

2015
C26H15CZX4, Project ‘Ateneo Federato’
Marialuisa Martelli (PI)
Project title "Testing different treatments for developmental dyslexia: an eye movement study".

2015
Project ‘Atene’
Marialuisa Martelli (PI)
ElectroEncephaloGraphic correlates of body and action visual perception, their functional role and modulation through non-invasive brain stimulation

2017-2020
NIH
Denis Pelli (PI)
Project Title: Studying crowding as a window into object recognition and development and health of visual cortex