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Cognition, Development and Mental Health Research Group

Brain psychopathology biomarkers

This line of research aims to identify brain biomarkers to better understand the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying various forms of psychopathology, establish indices of clinical severity, and optimise the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Research in this area is approached from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, combining specific experimental paradigms with classic psychometric and neuropsychological assessments. Neuroimaging techniques—such as structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and positron emission tomography (PET)—are used alongside advanced analytical strategies (e.g., multivariate pattern analysis) to detect complex patterns integrating these measures, which hold diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance.

Within this line the following aspects are explored:

  • Brain correlates of cognitive control and reward processing in healthy populations.
  • Alterations in these processes in individuals with substance use disorders, gambling disorder, and other craving-related conditions.
  • The impact of brain lesions and pathologies such as migraine or stroke on learning and executive control processes.
  • The search for brain and behavioral biomarkers in digital addictions, particularly social media addiction.
  • The study of executive function development and decision-making in youths with delinquent behavior.

Publications

Segura, E., Vilà-Balló, A., Mallorquí, A., Porto, M. F., Duarte, E., Grau-Sánchez, J.,& Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2024). The presence of anhedonia in individuals with subacute and chronic stroke: An exploratory cohort study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1253028
Citations: 0 (WoS), 0 (Scopus); IF: 4.80 (Q2, JCR), 1.21 (Q2, SJR).

Ikumi, N., Marti-Marca, A., Torre-Suñe, A., Cerda-Company, X., Vilà-Balló, A., Gallardo, V. J., Caronna, E., Alpuente, A., & Pozo-Rosich, P. (2024). Quantifying sensory thresholds along the migraine cycle: An exploratory longitudinal study. Cephalalgia, 44(2), 3331024241230279. https://doi.org/10.1177/03331024241230279
Citations: 3 (WoS), 2 (Scopus); IF: 6.90 (Q1, JCR), 1.38 (D1, SJR); Position: 5/9

Sala-Padro, J., De la Cruz-Puebla, M., Miró, J., Cucurell, D., López-Barroso, D., Vilà-Balló, A., … & Camara, E. (2024). De novo depression following temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, 121, 23-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2024.06.018
Citations: 0 (WoS), 0 (Scopus); IF: 2.70 (Q2, JCR), 0.85 (Q2, SJR).

Marti-Marca, A., Vila-Ballo, A., Cerda-Company, X.,Ikumi, N., Torres-Ferrus, M., Caronna, E., Gallardo, V.J., Alpuente, A., Torralba Cuello, M., Soto-Fáraco, S.,& Pozo-Rosich, P. (2023). Exploring sensory sensitivity, cortical excitability, and habituation in episodic migraine, as a function of age and disease severity, using the pattern-reversal task. Journal of Headache and Pain, 24, 1129-2369. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-023-01618-w
Citations: 4 (WoS), 3 (Scopus); IF: 7.40 (D1, JCR), 1.59 (D1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., De la Cruz-Puebla, M., López-Barroso, D., Miró, J., Sala-Padró, J., Cucurell, D., Falip, M.,& Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2022). Reward-based decision-making in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis pre- and post-surgery. NeuroImage: Clinical, 36, 103251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103251
Citations: 4 (WoS), 3 (Scopus); IF: 4.89 (Q2, JCR), 1.42 (Q1, SJR).

Ikumi, N., Cerda-Compañía, X., Marti-Marca, A., Vilà-Balló, A., Caronna, E., Gallardo, V. J.,& Pozo-Rosich, P. (2022). Avoidance behaviour modulates but does not condition phonophobia in migraine. Cephalalgia, 3331024221111772. https://doi.org/10.1177/03331024221111772
Citations: 2 (WoS), 3 (Scopus); IF: 6.08 (Q1, JCR), 1.81 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., Marti-Marca, A., Torralba Cuello, M., Soto-Faraco, S.,& Pozo-Rosich, P. (2022). The influence of temporal unpredictability on the electrophysiological mechanisms of neural entrainment. Psychophysiology, e14108. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14108
Citations: 1 (WoS), 1 (Scopus); IF: 4.35 (Q1, JCR), 1.46 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., Marti-Marca, A., Torres-Ferrús, M., Alpuente, A., Gallardo, V. J.,& Pozo-Rosich, P. (2021). Neurophysiological correlates of abnormal auditory processing in episodic migraine during the interictal period. Cephalalgia, 41(1), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102420951509
Citations: 5 (WoS), 6 (Scopus); IF: 6.08 (Q1, JCR), 1.81 (Q1, SJR).

Torres-Ferrus, M., Pareto, D., Gallardo, V. J., Cuberas-Borrós, G., Alpuente, A., Caronna, E., Vilà-Balló, A., et al.,& Pozo-Rosich, P. (2021). Cortical metabolic and structural differences in patients with chronic migraine: An exploratory 18FDG-PET and MRI study. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 22(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-021-01289-5
Citations: 15 (WoS), 16 (Scopus); IF: 8.59 (D1, JCR), 1.92 (Q1, SJR).

Salmi, J., Vilà-Balló, A., Rostan, C., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Lehtonen, M., & Laine, M. (2019). Working memory updating training modulates a cascade of event-related potentials depending on task load.Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 166, 107085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107085
Citations: 15 (WoS), 11 (Scopus); IF: 2.88 (Q1, JCR), 1.05 (Q2, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A.,Salmi, J., Soveri, A., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Lehtonen, M.,& Laine, M. (2018). Neural signatures for active maintenance and interference during working memory updating.Biological Psychology, 132, 233-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.007
Citations: 29 (WoS), 28 (Scopus); IF: 2.63 (Q2, JCR), 1.02 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., Mas-Herrero, E., Ripollés, P.,et al.(2017). Unraveling the role of the hippocampus in reversal learning. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37(28), 6686-6697. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3212-16.2017
Citations: 57 (WoS), 51 (Scopus); IF: 6.07 (Q1, JCR), 2.69 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., François, C., Cucurell, D., Miró, J., Falip, M., Juncadella, M.,& Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2017). Auditory target and novelty processing in patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis: A CSD study. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1612. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01531-8
Citations: 5 (WoS), 5 (Scopus); IF: 4.12 (Q1, JCR), 1.01 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., Cunillera, T., Rostan, C., Hdez-Lafuente, P., Fuentemilla, L., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2015). Neurophysiological correlates of cognitive flexibility and feedback processing in violent juvenile offenders.Brain Research, 1610, 98-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2015.03.040
Citations: 25 (WoS), 22 (Scopus); IF: 2.56 (Q3, JCR), 0.95 (Q2, SJR).

Vega, D., Vilà-Balló, A., Soto, À., Amengual, J., Ribas, J., Torrubia, R., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., & Marco-Pallarés, J. (2015). Preserved error-monitoring in borderline personality disorder patients with and without non-suicidal self-injury behaviors. PLOS ONE, 10(12), e0143994. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0143994
Citations: 15 (WoS), 14 (Scopus); IF: 3.06 (Q1, JCR), 0.85 (Q1, SJR).

Vilà-Balló, A., Hdez-Lafuente, P., Rostan, C., Cunillera, T.,& Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2014). Neurophysiological correlates of error monitoring and inhibitory processing in juvenile violent offenders.Biological Psychology, 102, 141-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.07.021
Citations: 39 (WoS), 36 (Scopus); IF: 3.40 (Q1, JCR), 1.02 (Q1, SJR).

Miró, J., Ripollés, P., López-Barroso, D., Vilà-Balló, A., Juncadella, M., de Diego-Balaguer, R., Marco-Pallares, J., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., & Falip, M. (2014). Atypical language organization in temporal lobe epilepsy revealed by a passive semantic paradigm. BMC Neurology, 14(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2377-14-98
Citations: 13 (WoS), 12 (Scopus); IF: 2.04 (Q3, JCR), 0.77 (Q1, SJR).

Fuentemilla, L., Miró, J., Ripollés, P., Vilà-Balló, A., et al.,& Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2013). Hippocampus-dependent strengthening of targeted memories via reactivation during sleep in humans. Current Biology, 23(18), 1769-1775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.07.006
Citations: 72 (WoS), 67 (Scopus); IF: 9.92 (D1, JCR), 2.91 (Q1, SJR).

 

 

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