Welcome to the Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity laboratory [CPP-Group]!
Evolution has provided us several specialized sensory systems in order to capture distinct forms of energies, opening different windows through which we can experience the world around us. The presence of these different sensory systems offers many benefits such as enhanced discrimination and accelerated reaction to events. This arises because the brain is able to construct a unified and more robust percept through the integration of the information acquired by the different senses. Moreover, the presence of these different sensory systems paves the way for considerable flexibility by allowing a system to supplement another following sensory deprivation.
Our researches mainly focus on these two main aspects of our "multisensory" nature:
- multisensory integration (in neurotypical and neurological conditions)
- crossmodal plasticity in sensory-deprived individuals (blind or deaf)
By using a plurality of methods (psychophysic, EEG/MEG, stereotactic-EEG, TMS, fMRI), we aim to rely on the respective advantages of each of them to converge toward a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying crossmodal perception and plasticity.
The lab is part of the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) and is located in Mattarello, in the charming region of Trentino (North Italy), close to beautiful mountains (eg the dolomites) and lakes (eg lake Garda), which provides a wonderful natural backdrop to professional activities. The lab also has strong connections with the Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition (CERNEC; University of Montreal) where some students are located.