Dr. Donatella Mattia is a Neurologist specialized primarily in epilepsy and related syndromes in adults. At the Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, she also leads the Neurophysiopathology Service with specific expertise in electroencephalography. She leads post-stroke rehabilitation activities using technology based on Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) in the TechnoRoom and coordinates the rehabilitation and training of adult patients in the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technologies within the SARA-t Service.
- 2015-present: Coordinator of the Neurophysiology Service, Assistive Technology Rehabilitation Center, and TecnoRoom at Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS (Rome), employing BCI technology for motor and cognitive rehabilitation.
- 1995-present: Medical Director at Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS (Rome), specializing in neurological rehabilitation.
- 1991-1994: Research Fellow at the Cell Biology Department, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. M. Avoli, funded by the Epilepsy and Related Syndromes Research Foundation (FOREP).
- 1987-1992: Specialization in Neurology at the Department of Neurological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome.
- 1987: Medical Practitioner License and registered with the Rome Order of Physicians and Dentists.
Dr. Mattia's scientific research focuses on three main areas: Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) based on electroencephalographic (EEG) signals and their applications in clinical rehabilitation; high-resolution electroencephalography (EEG) and its applications in clinical rehabilitation; basic electrophysiology in neuronal cellular contexts for both experimental and human models of epilepsy. She is head of the Neuroelectric Imaging and Brain-Computer Interface Laboratory, coordinating translational research activities in BCI technologies both as augmentative communication tools and for environmental control in motor disabilities, as well as for functional recovery in individuals with cerebrovascular injuries.In the field of high-resolution electroencephalography and its clinical applications, Dr. Mattia’s research is dedicated to developing anatomofunctional modeling techniques for non-invasively recorded EEG signals (scalp) to identify cortical sources and subsequently model the flow of functional information between cortical brain areas (cerebral networks) recruited during the processing phenomena underlying motor and cognitive tasks.
- 2020-2023: Scientific Leader for DDSKILLS (Horizon 2020), a project aiming to train professionals in the care of individuals with disabilities and mental health issues.
- 2019-2022: Scientific Partner for the Multidimensional Assessment of Neurological and Immunological Patterns project to test the efficacy of a novel therapy in multiple sclerosis (Ministry of Health).
- 2018-2022: Scientific Leader for DoCMA (Horizon 2020), a project focused on improving the management of patients with consciousness disorders.
- 2013: Achieved the National Academic Qualification as an Associate Professor in Neurology (Sector 06/D6).
- 2008-2011: Scientific Leader for various 7th FP-Framework Programme-funded projects, including SM4All, a smart home project for individuals with disabilities.
- 1990-1997: Conducted epilepsy research at the Montreal Neurological Institute, focusing on experimental and human epilepsy models, defining the role of the GABAergic system in the genesis of neocortical epileptiform activity.
dal 2014 Membro dell’Editorial Board, Journal of Neural Engineering (IOPScience)
dal 2013 Guest Editor, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
2013 Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale a Professore di II Fascia (Settore 06/D6-Neurologia; Settore Scientifico Disciplinare MED/26 - Neurologia)
dal 2008 Guest Editor, International Journal of Bioelectromagnetism
dal 1995 Dirigente Medico, Fondazione Santa Lucia Irccs
1994 – 1997 Dottorato di Ricerca del Corso "Organizzazione e Patologia del Movimento" (VIII Ciclo), Università degli Studi Sapienza di Roma
1991 – 1994 Research Fellow, Cell Biology Department, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal (Canada)
1991 – 1992 Borsa di Studio Biennale della Fondazione per la Ricerca su Epilessia e Sindromi Correlate (FOREP)
1987 – 1992 Specializzazione in Neurologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche, Università degli Studi Sapienza di Roma
1987 Abilitazione all'esercizio della Professione di Medico Chirurgo, Università degli Studi Sapienza di Roma (Ordine dei Medici Chirurghi ed Odontoiatri della Provincia di Roma (n.39502)
1982 – 1987 Diploma di Laurea in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi Sapienza di Roma
- 2019-present: Professor of Integrated Neurology and Neuropsychology (Logopedics) and Neurotechnology in Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy) at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata."
- 2017-present: Member of the BCI Society Board.
- 2014-present: Member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Neural Engineering.
- 2013: Guest Editor for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.
- 2008-present: Guest Editor for the International Journal of Bioelectromagnetism.
- 2010: Organizer of the 2nd TOBI Workshop at Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS (Rome) and Co-Organizer of the BCI and Neuroplasticity Workshop at the 5th World Meeting on Brain-Computer Interfaces (Asilomar, USA).
- 2019: MERCK Neurology Award.
- 2016: Research Prize from the Fürst Donnersmarck Foundation (Berlin, Germany).
- 1994: Awarded Seminar at the Epilepsy Research Branch, National Institutes of Health (USA).
Patents
- 2014: Co-author of a patent for a method to detect cortical hemisphere function via EEG signals (Italian Patent No. 1412376).
Quattrociocchi, I., Riccio, A., D'Ippolito, M., Aloisi, M., Colamarino, E., Pichiorri, F., Cincotti, F., Formisano, R., & Mattia, D. (2024). EEG-derived markers to improve prognostic evaluation of Disorders of Consciousness. *IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.* [Link](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel8/6221020/6363502/10638198.pdf)
Frennert, S., Pozzi, M., Persson, J., D'Ippolito, M., Mattia, D., Díez-Rodríguez, E., Oliviero, A., & Fernández-Canosa, S. (2024). Towards a Hierarchical User Requirement Structure for Upper Limb Assistive Robotics. *ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction.* [Link](https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3698242)
Ranieri, A., Pichiorri, F., Colamarino, E., de Seta, V., Mattia, D., & Toppi, J. (2023). Parallel Factorization to Implement Group Analysis in Brain Networks Estimation. *Sensors, 23*(3), 1693. [Link](https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/23/3/1693/pdf)
Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J., de Seta, V., Colamarino, E., Masciullo, M., Tamburella, F., Lorusso, M., Cincotti, F., & Mattia, D. (2023). Exploring high-density corticomuscular networks after stroke to enable a hybrid Brain-Computer Interface for hand motor rehabilitation. *Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 20*(1), 5. [Link](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12984-023-01127-6)
Quattrociocchi, I., Mattia, D., Riccio, A., D'Ippolito, M., Aloisi, M., Formisano, R., & Toppi, J. (2023). EEG-based quantitative measures to support the clinical diagnosis of disorders of consciousness. *Eighth National Congress of Bioengineering–Proceedings.* [Link](https://iris.uniroma1.it/retrieve/5693779c-4488-469f-aa15-33a82646de8f/Q...)
Colamarino, E., Lorusso, M., Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J., Tamburella, F., Serratore, G., Riccio, A., Tomaiuolo, F., Bigioni, A., Giove, F., Scivoletto, G., Cincotti, F., & Mattia, D. (2023). *BMC Neurology.* [Link](https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12883-023-03442...)
Galiotta, V., Quattrociocchi, I., D'Ippolito, M., Schettini, F., Aricò, P., Sdoia, S., Formisano, R., Cincotti, F., & Mattia, D. (2022). EEG-based brain-computer interfaces for people with disorders of consciousness: features and applications. A systematic review. *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16*, 1040816. [Link](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.1040816/full)
de Seta, V., Toppi, J., Colamarino, E., Molle, R., Castellani, F., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., & Pichiorri, F. (2022). Cortico-muscular coupling to control a hybrid brain-computer interface for upper limb motor rehabilitation: a pseudo-online study on stroke patients. *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16*, 1016862. [Link](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.1016862/full)
Mongiardini, E., Colamarino, E., Toppi, J., de Seta, V., Pichiorri, F., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2022). Low Frequency Brain Oscillations for Brain-Computer Interface applications: from the sources to the scalp domain. *IEEE International Conference on Metrology for Extended Reality.*
Colamarino, E., de Seta, V., Toppi, J., Pichiorri, F., Conforti, I., Mileti, I., Palermo, E., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2022). Distinctive physiological muscle synergy patterns define the Box and Block Task execution as revealed by electromyographic features. *44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering.* [Link](https://iris.uniroma1.it/bitstream/11573/1654012/2/Colamarino_postprint_...)
Mongiardini, E., Colamarino, E., Toppi, J., de Seta, V., Pichiorri, F., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2022). Low Frequency Brain Oscillations during the execution and imagination of simple hand movements for Brain-Computer Interface applications. *44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering.*
de Seta, V., Colamarino, E., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., Mongiardini, E., & Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J. (2022). Cortico-Muscular Coupling Allows to Discriminate Different Types of Hand Movements. *44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering.*
Colamarino, E., Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2022). Automatic Selection of Control Features for Electroencephalography-Based Brain–Computer Interface Assisted Motor Rehabilitation: The GUIDER Algorithm. *Brain Topography, 35*(2), 182-190.
Estraneo, A., Lamberti, G., Noé, E., Bagnato, S., Edlow, B.L., Chatelle, C., Lejeune, N., Veeramuthu, V., Bartolo, M., & Mattia, D. (2022). Risk factors for 2‐year mortality in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness: An international multicentre study. *European Journal of Neurology, 29*(2), 390-399. [Link](https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/267788/1/Euro%20J%20of%20Neurology...)
Colamarino, E., de Seta, V., Masciullo, M., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., & Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J. (2021). Corticomuscular and intermuscular coupling in simple hand movements to enable a hybrid brain–computer interface. *International Journal of Neural Systems, 31*(11), 2150052. [Link](https://iris.uniroma1.it/bitstream/11573/1579183/1/Colamarino_postprint_...)
Colamarino, E., Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J., de Seta, V., Masciullo, M., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2021). Inter-muscular coherence features to classify upper limb simple tasks. *10th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering (NER), 57-60.* [Link](https://iris.uniroma1.it/bitstream/11573/1553687/3/Colamarino_postprint_...)
de Seta, V., Toppi, J., Pichiorri, F., Masciullo, M., Colamarino, E., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2021). Towards a hybrid EEG-EMG feature for the classification of upper limb movements: comparison of different processing pipelines. *10th International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering (NER).* [Link](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Valeria_De_Seta/publication/3520972...)
Tamburella, F., Moreno, J. C., Iosa, M., Pisotta, I., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., Pons, J. L., & Molinari, M. (2017). Boosting the traditional physiotherapist approach for stroke spasticity using a sensorized ankle foot orthosis: A pilot study. *Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 24*(6), 447-456.
Petti, M., Astolfi, L., Masciullo, M., Clausi, S., Pichiorri, F., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., & Molinari, M. (2017). Transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation: Effects on brain resting state oscillatory and network activity. *2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society*.
Puxeddu, M. G., Petti, M., Pichiorri, F., Cincotti, F., Mattia, D., & Astolfi, L. (2017). Community detection: Comparison among clustering algorithms and application to EEG-based brain networks. *2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society*.
Caschera, S., Petti, M., Mattia, D., & Astolfi, L. (2017). EEG source estimation accuracy in presence of simulated cortical lesions. *2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society*.
Antonacci, Y., Toppi, J., Caschera, S., Anzolin, A., Mattia, D., & Astolfi, L. (2017). Estimating brain connectivity when few data points are available: Perspectives and limitations. *2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society*.
Anzolin, A., Mattia, D., Toppi, J., Pichiorri, F., Riccio, A., & Astolfi, L. (2017). Brain connectivity networks at the basis of human attention components: An EEG study. *2017 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society*.
Scherer, R., Rupp, R., Ruffini, G., Robinson, D. K. R., Ramsey, N. F., Nijholt, A., Müller-Putz, G., McFarland, D. J., Mattia, D., & ... (2017). Workshops of the sixth international brain–computer interface meeting: Brain–computer interfaces past, present, and future. *Brain-Computer Interfaces, 4*(1-2), 3-36. Disponibile su https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2326263X.2016.1275488
Pichiorri, F., Mrachacz-Kersting, N., Molinari, M., Kleih, S., Kübler, A., & Mattia, D. (2017). Brain-computer interface based motor and cognitive rehabilitation after stroke–state of the art, opportunity, and barriers: Summary of the BCI Meeting 2016 in Asilomar. *Brain-Computer Interfaces, 4*(1-2), 53-59.
De Vico Fallani, F., Clausi, S., Leggio, M., Chavez, M., Valencia, M., Maglione, A. G., Babiloni, F., Cincotti, F., & Mattia, D. (2017). Interhemispheric connectivity characterizes cortical reorganization in motor-related networks after cerebellar lesions. *The Cerebellum, 16*, 358-375.
Guger, C., Coyle, D., Mattia, D., De Lucia, M., Hochberg, L., Edlow, B. L., Peters, B., Eddy, B., Nam, C. S., Noirhomme, Q., & ... (2017). Trends in BCI research I: Brain-computer interfaces for assessment of patients with locked-in syndrome or disorders of consciousness. *Brain-Computer Interface Research: A State-of-the-Art Summary, 6*, 105-125. Disponibile su https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/217673/1/978-3-319-64373-1_11.pdf
Bianchi, L., Pellas, F., Veser, S., Lesenfants, D., Real, R. G. L., Herbert, C., Guger, C., Kotchoubey, B., & Mattia, D. (2016). Cognitive processing in non-communicative patients: What can event-related potentials tell us? *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10*, 569. Disponibile su https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00569/full
Petti, M., Pichiorri, F., Toppi, J., Cincotti, F., Salinari, S., Babiloni, F., Mattia, D., & Astolfi, L. (2014). *Individual cortical connectivity changes after stroke: A resampling approach to enable statistical assessment at single-subject level*. 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014.
Borghini, G., Astolfi, L., Vecchiato, G., Mattia, D., & Babiloni, F. (2014). *Measuring neurophysiological signals in aircraft pilots and car drivers for the assessment of mental workload, fatigue and drowsiness*. *Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 44*, 58–75. [Link](https://www.academia.edu/download/45621447/Measuring_neurophysiological_...).
Schettini, F., Aloise, F., Aricò, P., Salinari, S., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2014). *Self-calibration algorithm in an asynchronous P300-based brain–computer interface*. *Journal of Neural Engineering, 11*(3), 035004. [Link](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pietro-Arico/publication/262456743_...).
Aricò, P., Aloise, F., Schettini, F., Salinari, S., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2014). *Influence of P300 latency jitter on event-related potential-based brain–computer interface performance*. *Journal of Neural Engineering, 11*(3), 035008.
- Vecchiato, G., Toppi, J., Maglione, A. G., Olejarczyk, E., Astolfi, L., Mattia, D., Colosimo, A., & Babiloni, F. (2014). *Neuroelectrical correlates of trustworthiness and dominance judgments related to the observation of political candidates*. *Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine, 2014*(1), 434296. [Link](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1155/2014/434296).
Brunner, C., Blankertz, B., Cincotti, F., Kübler, A., Mattia, D., Miralles, F., Nijholt, A., Otal, B., Salomon, P., & Müller-Putz, G. R. (2014). *BNCI horizon 2020–towards a roadmap for brain/neural computer interaction*. *Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Design and Development Approaches, 2014*. [Link](https://research.utwente.nl/files/5314323/hcii_2014-1.pdf).
Riccio, A., Simione, L., Schettini, F., Pizzimenti, A., Inghilleri, M., Belardinelli, M. O., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2013). *Attention and P300-based BCI performance in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis*. *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7*, 732. [Link](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00732/full).
Schreuder, M., Riccio, A., Risetti, M., Dähne, S., Ramsay, A., Williamson, J., Mattia, D., & Tangermann, M. (2013). *User-centered design in brain–computer interfaces—A case study*. *Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 59*(2), 71–80. [Link](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0933365713001188).
Aloise, F., Aricò, P., Schettini, F., Salinari, S., Mattia, D., & Cincotti, F. (2013). *Asynchronous gaze-independent event-related potential-based brain–computer interface*. *Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 59*(2), 61–69. [Link](https://www.academia.edu/download/46910844/Asynchronous_gaze-independent...).
Chavez, M., De Vico Fallani, F., Valencia, M., Artieda, J., Mattia, D., Latora, V., & Babiloni, F. (2013). *Node accessibility in cortical networks during motor tasks*. *Neuroinformatics, 11*, 355–366. [Link](https://www.aramislab.fr/files/papers/PROOF_neuroinformatics.pdf).
Toppi, J., Babiloni, F., Vecchiato, G., De Vico Fallani, F., Mattia, D., Salinari, S., Milde, T., Leistritz, L., Witte, H., & Astolfi, L. (2012). *Towards the time-varying estimation of complex brain connectivity networks by means of a General Linear Kalman Filter approach*. 2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2012.