Expert in clinical and experimental neuropsychology and in cognitive behavioral clinical psychology collaborate with the Experimental Neuropsychophysiology Lab of Santa Lucia Foundation from 2010. She is engaged in the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (transcranial magnetic stimulation - TMS and transcranial direct current stimulation - tDCS) in combination with electroencephalography (EEG), clinical evaluations (psychological questionnaires) and experimental behavioral tests. Her experimental interest was focused on the study of executive functions in patients suffering from psychiatric pathologies. Recenty, her scientific activity pays particular attention to the study of the physiology and pathological alterations of eating behavior. Specifically, the topics concern the study of the higher functions of the fronto-cerebellar networks, cognitive inhibitory control and functional connectivity across brain areas.
She is author of 20 original papers in indexed international journals. Total citations: 615 (Scopus). Hirsch index (H index): 14 (Scopus).
She has received as principal investigator (PI) grants from the Italian Ministry of Health and from University of Rome "La Sapienza" for over 500,000 Euro. Recently, she obtained the national scientific qualification as a second level professor in Psychology General, Psychobiology and Psychometry (11/E1).
2021 National Scientific Qualification as second level professor in General Psychology, Psychobiology and Psychometry (11/E1).
2019 Member of the Editorial Board Frontiers in Psychology Journal
2015 Specialization as Clinical Psychologist in Cognitive - Behavioural Psychotherapy at the Walden Institute, Rome
2013 Young Researcher Award for the best scientific contribution, assigned by the Italian Society of Psychophysiology (SIPF) on the occasion of the XXI Congress.
2013 PhD in Psychobiology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Sapienza - University of Rome.
2011 Qualification to practice as a Psychologist, Sapienza - University of Rome.
2010 Master’s Degree in Diagnosis and Rehabilitation of Cognitive Disorders, Faculty of Psychology, Sapienza - University of Rome.
2008 Bachelor's Degree in Psychological Sciences and Techniques for the Analysis of Normal and Pathological Cognitive Processes, Sapienza - University of Rome.
Koch G, Esposito R, Motta C, Casula EP, Di Lorenzo F, Bonnì S, Cinnera AM, Ponzo V, Maiella M, Picazio S, Assogna M, Sallustio F, Caltagirone C,Pellicciari MC. Improving visuo-motor learning with cerebellar theta burststimulation: Behavioral and neurophysiological evidence. Neuroimage. 2020Mar;208:116424. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116424
Picazio S, Foti F, Oliveri M, Koch G, Petrosini L, Ferlazzo F, Sdoia S. Outwith the Old and in with the New: the Contribution of Prefrontal and CerebellarAreas to Backward Inhibition. Cerebellum. 2020 Jun;19(3):426-436. doi:10.1007/s12311-020-01115-9.
Bonnì S, Motta C, Pellicciari MC, Casula EP, Cinnera AM, Maiella M, Picazio S, Tramontano M, Sallustio F, Koch G. Intermittent Cerebellar Theta BurstStimulation Improves Visuo-motor Learning in Stroke Patients: a Pilot Study. Cerebellum. 2020 Oct;19(5):739-743. doi: 10.1007/s12311-020-01146-2.
Di Lorenzo F, Bonnì S, Picazio S, Motta C, Caltagirone C, Martorana A, Koch G. Effects of Cerebellar Theta Burst Stimulation on Contralateral Motor Cortex Excitability in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Brain Topogr. 2020Sep;33(5):613-617. doi: 10.1007/s10548-020-00781-
Koch G, Motta C, Bonnì S, Pellicciari MC, Picazio S, Casula EP, Maiella M, Di Lorenzo F, Ponzo V, Ferrari C, Scaricamazza E, Caltagirone C, Martorana A. Effect of Rotigotine vs Placebo on Cognitive Functions Among Patients With Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020Jul 1;3(7):e2010372. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.10372. Erratum in: JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2019190.
Koch G, Bonnì S, Casula EP, Iosa M, Paolucci S, Pellicciari MC, Cinnera AM, Ponzo V, Maiella M, Picazio S, Sallustio F, Caltagirone C. Effect of Cerebellar Stimulation on Gait and Balance Recovery in Patients With Hemiparetic Stroke: ARandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Feb 1;76(2):170-178. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.3639.
Picazio S, Ponzo V, Caltagirone C, Brusa L, Koch G. Dysfunctional inhibitory control in Parkinson's disease patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesias. J Neurol. 2018 Sep;265(9):2088-2096. doi: 10.1007/s00415-018-8945-1
Koch G, Bonnì S, Pellicciari MC, Casula EP, Mancini M, Esposito R, Ponzo V, Picazio S, Di Lorenzo F, Serra L, Motta C, Maiella M, Marra C, Cercignani M, Martorana A, Caltagirone C, Bozzali M. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of theprecuneus enhances memory and neural activity in prodromal Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage. 2018 Apr 1;169:302-311. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.048
Di Lorenzo F, Ponzo V, Motta C, Bonnì S, Picazio S, Caltagirone C, Bozzali M, Martorana A, Koch G. Impaired Spike Timing Dependent Cortico-Cortical Plasticity in Alzheimer's Disease Patients. J Alzheimers Dis.2018;66(3):983-991. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180503.
Motta C, Di Lorenzo F, Ponzo V, Pellicciari MC, Bonnì S, Picazio S, Mercuri NB, Caltagirone C, Martorana A, Koch G. Transcranial magnetic stimulation predicts cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2018 Dec;89(12):1237-1242. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-317879.
Casula EP, Pellicciari MC, Picazio S,Caltagirone C, Koch G. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity in the human dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroimage. 2016 Dec;143:204-213. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.060.
Picazio S, Ponzo V, Koch G. Cerebellar Control on Prefrontal-MotorConnectivity During Movement Inhibition. Cerebellum. 2016 Dec;15(6):680-687. doi: 10.1007/s12311-015-0731-3.
Ponzo V, Picazio S, Benussi A, Di Lorenzo F, Brusa L, Caltagirone C, Koch G. Altered inhibitory interaction among inferior frontal and motor cortex in l-dopa-induced dyskinesias. Mov Disord. 2016 May;31(5):755-9. doi: 10.1002/mds.26520
Picazio S, Koch G. Is motor inhibition mediated by cerebello-cortical interactions? Cerebellum. 2015 Feb;14(1):47-9. doi: 10.1007/s12311-014-0609-9.
Picazio S, Granata C, Caltagirone C, Petrosini L, Oliveri M. Shaping pseudoneglect with transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation and music listening. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015 Mar 26;9:158. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00158.
Cerasa A, Koch G, Donzuso G, Mangone G, Morelli M, Brusa L, Stampanoni Bassi M, Ponzo V, Picazio S, Passamonti L, Salsone M, Augimeri A, Caltagirone C, Quattrone A. A network centred on the inferior frontal cortex is critically involved in levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Brain. 2015 Feb;138(Pt 2):414-27. doi:10.1093/brain/awu329.
Picazio S, Veniero D, Ponzo V, Caltagirone C, Gross J, Thut G, Koch G. Prefrontal control over motor cortex cycles at beta frequency during movement inhibition. Curr Biol. 2014 Dec 15;24(24):2940-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.10.043.
Brusa L, Ponzo V, Mastropasqua C, Picazio S, Bonnì S, Di Lorenzo F, Iani C, Stefani A, Stanzione P, Caltagirone C, Bozzali M, Koch G. Theta burst stimulation modulates cerebellar-cortical connectivity in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. Brain Stimul. 2014 Jan-Feb;7(1):29-35. doi:10.1016/j.brs.2013.07.003.
Picazio S, Oliveri M, Koch G, Caltagirone C, Petrosini L. Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) on left cerebellar hemisphere affects mental rotation tasks during music listening. PLoS One. 2013 May 28;8(5):e64640. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064640
Picazio S, Oliveri M, Koch G, Caltagirone C, Petrosini L. Cerebellar contribution to mental rotation: a cTBS study. Cerebellum. 2013 Dec;12(6):856-61. doi: 10.1007/s12311-013-0494-7.