
Sara RomanellaBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | BIDMC
Sara Romanella
Master of Science
About
28
Publications
3,834
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Introduction
Clinical Psychologist, Ph.D. Student.
Neuromodulation, Sleep, Brain Connectivity and Plasticity, Neurophysiology, Cognitive Enhancement, Psychiatric Disorders, Placebo Effect, Alzheimer’s Disease, Neuropsychological Assessment, and Rehabilitation.
Research Methods: Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES),
Publications
Publications (28)
Background and objectives
Choroid plexus (ChP) is emerging as a key brain structure in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders. In this observational study we investigated ChP volume in a large cohort of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) spectrum patients to explore a possible link between ChP volume and other disease-specific bio...
Objective:
The vestibular cortex is a multisensory associative region that, in neuroimaging investigations, is activated by slow-frequency (1-2 Hz) galvanic stimulation of peripheral receptors. We aimed to directly activate the vestibular cortex with biophysically modeled transcranial oscillatory current stimulation (tACS) in the same frequency ra...
Violence is a major problem in our society and therefore research into the neural underpinnings of aggression has grown exponentially. Although in the past decade the biological underpinnings of aggressive behavior have been examined, research on neural oscillations in violent offenders during resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) remains sc...
Over the past few years, the possibility of modulating fast brain oscillatory activity in the gamma (γ) band through transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been discussed in the context of both cognitive enhancement and therapeutic scenarios. However, the effects of tACS targeting regions outside the motor cortex, as well as its sp...
There is growing evidence that placebo effects can meaningfully modulate the brain. However, there has been little consideration of whether these changes may overlap with regions/circuits targeted by depression treatments and what the implications of this overlap would be on measuring efficacy in placebo-controlled clinical trials. In this systemat...
Background and Purpose
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive snoring, repetitive apneas, and nocturnal arousals, that leads to fragmented sleep and intermittent nocturnal hypoxemia. Morphometric and functional brain alterations in cortical and subcortical structures have been documented in these patie...
Studies have shown that impairments in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in forensic patients play a crucial role their violent behavior. Moreover, interventions that aimed to reduce violence risk in those patients are found not to be effective. A promising intervention might be to modulate the vmPFC by transcranial Direct Current Stimulat...
It is likely that when using an artificially augmented hand with six fingers, the natural five plus a robotic one, corticospinal motor synergies controlling grasping actions might be different. However, no direct neurophysiological evidence for this reasonable assumption is available yet. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation of the primary mot...
Background
Studies have shown that impairments in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in forensic patients who also abuse cocaine and alcohol, play a crucial role in violent behavior. Moreover, interventions that aimed to reduce violence risk in those patients are found not to be optimal. A promising intervention might be to modulate the vmP...
Mindfulness is a meditation practice frequently associated with changes in subjective evaluation of cognitive and sensorial experience, as well as with modifications of brain activity and morphometry. Aside from the anatomical localization of functional changes induced by mindfulness practice, little is known about changes in functional and effecti...
Objective
The presence of a cochlear implant is being considered an absolute contraindication for experiments and/or treatments. We aimed to verify TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) compatibility of a new generation of cochlear implants.
Methods
in a series of experiments, we test if MED-EL cochlear implants -compatible with stable fields of...
As NASA prepares for longer space missions aiming for the Moon and Mars, astronauts' health and performance are becoming a central concern due to the threats associated with galactic cosmic radiation, unnatural gravity fields, and life in extreme environments. In space, the human brain undergoes functional and structural changes related to fluid sh...
As we age, sleep patterns undergo severe modifications of their micro and macrostructure, with an overall lighter and more fragmented sleep structure. In general, interventions targeting sleep represent an excellent opportunity not only to maintain life quality in the healthy aging population, but also to enhance cognitive performance and, when pat...
As we age, sleep patterns undergo significant modifications in micro and macrostructure, worsening cognition, and quality of life. These are associated with remarkable brain changes, like deterioration in synaptic plasticity, gray and white matter, and significant modifications in hormone levels. Sleep alterations are also a core component of mild...
Disorder of consciousness (DoC) refers to a group of clinical conditions that may emerge after brain injury, characterized by a varying decrease in the level of consciousness that can last from days to years. An understanding of its neural correlates is crucial for the conceptualization and application of effective therapeutic interventions. Here w...
Background / Purpose:
Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies have shown that a fronto-temporo-occipital network is involved in face processing. However, the actual connectivity and the interactions between the areas remain unclear. We used combined TMS-EEG to explore local cortical excitability and long-range connectivity at rest and durin...
Questions
Question (1)
Hi everyone, I am working on MRIs on a big pool of patients, and I am not satisfied with CSF segmentation with the softwares I currently am using (SimNIBS with headreco and FreeSurfer). What would you recommend for CSF segmentation and analysis?
Thank you so much!
Sara