Clinical Neurobiology and Sleep Medicine

Principal Investigator: Prof. Alessandro Mauro 

Group members:

• Alessandro Mauro (Principal Investigator; PO)
• Lorenzo Priano (PA)
• Federica Scarpina (RtdA)
• Sofia Tagini (RtdA)
• Luca Guglielmo Pradotto (RtdA)

Address and contacts:

• Lorenzo Priano, 0323514392, e-mai: lorenzo.priano@unito.it
• Federica Scarpina, 0323-514003; e-mail: federica.scarpina@unito.it

External website link

• https://www.auxologico.it/neurologia-neuroriabilitazione

Main research activities of the research group

The research laboratory is located at IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Neurology and Neurorehabilitation Unit, San Giuseppe Hospital, Piancavallo (VB). The research areas concern:

• diagnosis and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (i.e.,Parkinson's disease, dementia); analysis of CSF biomarkers of neurodegeneration, oxidative stress biomarkers, CSF cytology.
• diagnosis and pathogenesis of rare diseases of the central nervous system (CADASIL) and peripheral nervous system (familial amyloid polyneuropathies); search for amyloid deposits in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, determination of intraepidermal nerve fiber density.
• development of ICT techniques for the automated analysis of movement in neurological diseases, for diagnostic purposes and for their implementation in telemedicine and telerehabilitation platforms.
• in the field of sleep medicine, studies of macro and microstructure of sleep in neurological diseases, modeling of sleep using advanced mathematical techniques, study of circadian rhythms including orexin and melatonin dosages.
• functional outcome studies in subjects suffering from stroke and multiple sclerosis in relationship with different neurorehabilitation techniques (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, constraint-induced movement therapy).
• psychological assessment and study of cognitive functions using a neuropsychological approach in clinical populations (i.e., neurodegenerative disorders, eating behaviour disorders, obesity).
• the laboratory also collaborates on studies concerning innovative pharmacological nanocarriers capable of improving the pharmacokinetics of drugs that can be used for the therapy of neurological and neuro-oncological diseases.

The research laboratory is equipped with advanced instruments and techniques, including: HPLC and ELISA, confocal microscopy and electron microscopy, automated movement analysis systems, optoelectronic or based on RGB-Depth camera, and wireless sensors.

List of 10 main publications

• Ferraris C, Amprimo G, Masi G, Vismara L, Cremascoli R, Sinagra S, Pettiti G, Mauro A, Priano L. Evaluation of Arm Swing Features and Asymmetry during Gait in Parkinson's Disease Using the Azure Kinect Sensor. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Aug 21;22(16):6282. doi:10.3390/s22166282.
• Cimolin V, Vismara L, Ferraris C, Amprimo G, Pettiti G, Lopez R, Galli M, Cremascoli R, Sinagra S, Mauro A, Priano L. Computation of Gait Parameters in Post Stroke and Parkinson's Disease: A Comparative Study Using RGB-D Sensors and Optoelectronic Systems. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Jan 21;22(3):824. doi: 10.3390/s22030824.

• Priano L, Bigoni M, Albani G, Sellitti L, Giacomotti E, Picconi R, Cremascoli R, Zibetti M, Lopiano L, Mauro A. Sleep microstructure in Parkinson's disease: cycling alternating pattern (CAP) as a sensitive marker of early NREM sleep instability. Sleep Med. 2019 Sep;61:57-62. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.025.
• Priano L, Zara GP, El-Assawy N, Cattaldo S, Muntoni E, Milano E, Serpe L, Musicanti C, Pérot C, Gasco MR, Miscio G, Mauro A. Baclofen-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles: preparation, electrophysiological assessment of efficacy, pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution in rats after intraperitoneal administration. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2011 Sep;79(1):135-41. doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2011.02.009
• Pradotto L, Franchello A, Milesi A, Romagnoli R, Bigoni M, Vigna L, Di Sapio A, Salizzoni M, Mauro A. Amyloid polyneuropathy following domino liver transplantation. Muscle Nerve. 2012 Jun;45(6):918-9. doi:10.1002/mus.23265.
• Iorio A, De Lillo A, De Angelis F, Di Girolamo M, Luigetti M, Sabatelli M, Pradotto L, Mauro A, Mazzeo A, Stancanelli C, Perfetto F, Frusconi S, My F, Manfellotto D, Fuciarelli M, Polimanti R. Non-coding variants contribute to the clinical heterogeneity of TTR amyloidosis. Eur J Hum Genet. 2017. Sep;25(9):1055-1060. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2017.95.
• Tagini S, Bastoni I, Villa V, Mendolicchio L, Castelnuovo G, Mauro A, Scarpina F. Affective touch in anorexia nervosa: Exploring the role of social anhedonia and lifespan experiences. J Affect Disord. 2023 Mar 1;324:607-615. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.137.

• Vaioli G, Tagini S, Scarpina F, Cremascoli R, Priano L, Cornacchia M, Fanari P, Mauro A. Short-Term Benefits of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment on Cognition in the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Retrospective Study. Brain Sci. 2023 Jan 10;13(1):124. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13010124.
• Scarpina F, Magnani FG, Tagini S, Priano L, Mauro A, Sedda A. Mental representation of the body in action in Parkinson's disease. Exp Brain Res. 2019 Oct;237(10):2505-2521. doi: 10.1007/s00221-019-05608-w.
• Scarpina F, Bastoni I, Villa V, Mendolicchio L, Castelnuovo G, Mauro L, Sedda A. Self-perception in anorexia nervosa: When the body becomes an object. Neuropsychologia. 2022 Feb 10;166:108158. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108158