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Renzo Lanfranco

Postdoctoral researcher

Email:
renzo.lanfranco@ki.se
Organisation:

About me

I am a postdoctoral research fellow in cognitive neuroscience at the Brain, Body, and Self Laboratory (Group Ehrsson), in the department of neuroscience. My line of research in the lab explores the relationship between conscious awareness, body ownership, and multisensory integration using behavioural, psychophysical, and neuroimaging techniques.

Research description

My general research interest revolves around understanding the function of consciousness in cognition. Our senses are constantly bombarded with information from the outside world and from within our own bodies. Some pieces of information gain access to awareness whereas others are processed unconsciously. What do we need this conscious access for? How do neural mechanisms promote sensory information into conscious awareness? More specifically, I study the computational and neural mechanisms of complex perceptual processes. One complex perceptual process I am interested in is face processing, that is, the perceptual processes that allow us to detect and recognise faces and their different attributes such as emotional expressions, gender, and eye-gaze movements, all attributes that are key for social interaction. Another complex perceptual process I am interested in is the feeling of body ownership, that is, the perceptual processes that allow us to detect internal bodily signals, recognise them as our own body's, and experience the feeling that such a body belongs to us. To study these psychological phenomena, I use psychophysics, computational modelling, psychophysiology, electroencephalography, and machine learning techniques. In addition, I am interested in the neurocognitive underpinnings of hypnosis and in the contribution of hypnosis research to the understanding of consciousness, metacognition, and perception. Finally, I am interested in the clinical applications of consciousness and perception research to understanding neuropsychiatric disorders that involve difficulties in face and social perception (e.g., autism) and in body ownership and bodily awareness (e.g., schizophrenia and eating disorders).

 

Publications

In Preparation:

  • Lanfranco RC., Sousa FdS., Wessel PM., Rivera-Rei A., Bekinschtein T., Lucero B., Canales-Johnson A., Huepe D. "Delta-band connectivity predicts executive functioning in socially vulnerable individuals."
  • Lanfranco RC., Chancel M., Ehrsson HH. "Dissecting the rubber hand illusion: Texture congruence between observed and felt touch modulates body ownership through perceptual bias."
  • Lanfranco RC., Chancel M., Ehrsson HH. "Multisensory predictions introduce perceptual biases in the rubber hand illusion."
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Rabagliati H., Cleeremans A., Carmel D. "Decoding emotion processing of unmasked briefly presented facial expressions."

Submitted/Under review:

  • Tsikandilakis M., Bali P., Lanfranco RC., Kausel L., Yu Z., Boncompte G., Alshammari A., Li R., Milbank A., Burdett M., Mevel P-A., Madan C., Derrfuss J. (Under Review) "Learning emotional dialects: A British population study of cross-cultural communication." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hzskd
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Rabagliati H., Cleeremans A.*, Carmel D*. (Under Review) "Minimal exposures reveal visual processing priorities." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.06.462913
  • Lanfranco RC., Martínez-Aguayo JC., Arancibia M. (Under Review) "Assessing malingering and personality styles in dissociative identity disorder: A case report and literature review." Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/av62s

Journal Articles:

2023

2022

  • Lanfranco RC., Stein T., Rabagliati H., Carmel D. (2022) "Gaze direction and face orientation modulate perceptual sensitivity to faces under interocular suppression." Scientific Reports: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11717-4
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Lucero B., Vargas E., Noreika V. (2022) "Towards a view from within: The contribution of Francisco Varela to the study of consciousness." Adaptive Behavior: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10597123221080193

2021

  • Tsikandilakis M., Kausel L.*, Boncompte G.*, Yu Z.*, Oxner M.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Bali P., Putasi U., Peirce J., López V., Mun Wai Tong E., William H., Carmel D., Chapman P. (2021) "There is no (where a) face like home: Recognition and appraisal responses to masked facial dialects of emotion in four different world cultures." Perception: https://doi.org/10.1177/03010066211055983
  • Lanfranco RC., Rivera-Rei A., Huepe D., Ibáñez A., Canales-Johnson A. (2021) "Beyond imagination: Hypnotic visual hallucination induces greater lateralised brain activity than visual imagery." NeuroImage: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118282
  • Canales-Johnson A.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Morales, JP., Martínez-Pernia D., Valdés J., Ezquerro-Nassar A., Rivera-Rei A., Ibáñez A., Chennu S., Bekinschtein T., Huepe D., Noreika V. (2021) "In Your Phase: Neural Phase Synchronisation underlies visual imagery of faces." Scientific Reports: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81336-y

2019 and older

  • Tsikandilakis M., Kausel L.*, Boncompte G.*, Yu Z.*, Oxner M.*, Lanfranco RC.*, Bali P., Putasi U., Peirce J., López V., Mun Wai Tong E., William H., Carmel D., Chapman P. (2019) "There is no Face like home: Ratings for cultural familiarity to own and other facial dialects of emotion with and without conscious awareness in a British sample." Perception: https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006619867865
  • Martínez-Aguayo JC., Lanfranco RC., Arancibia M. Sepúlveda E., Madrid E. (2018) "Trypophobia: what do we know so far? A case report and comprehensive review of the literature." Frontiers in Psychiatry: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00015
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A., Huepe D. (2014) "Hypnoanalgesia and the study of pain experience: from Cajal to modern neuroscience." Frontiers in Psychology: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01126
  • Lanfranco RC., Canales-Johnson A. (2014) "Facial mimicry in borderline personality disorder: on empathy and beyond." Revista Médica de Chile: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872014000900018
  • Lips W., Mascayano F., Lanfranco RC. (2014) "Diagnostic indicators of dissociative amnesia: a case report." Psychiatria Danubina: http://www.psychiatria-danubina.com/UserDocsImages/pdf/dnb_vol26_no1/dn…
  • Canales-Johnson A., Lanfranco R., Vargas E., Ibánez A. (2012) "Neurobiology of hypnosis and its contribution to the understanding of cognition and consciousness." Annals of Psychology: https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.28.3.124931
  • Lanfranco R., Manríquez-Navarro P., Avello L., Canales-Johnson A. (2012) "Early evaluation of Alzheimer's disease: biomarkers and neuropsychological tests." Revista Médica de Chile: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872012000900014

Book Chapters:

  • Lanfranco R. (2017) ["Neuropsychological assessment of psychiatric disorders."] In: Ivanovic-Zuvic F., Correa E., Florenzano R. (Eds.) Texto de Psiquiatría. Ediciones: Sociedad de Neurología, Psiquiatría y Neurocirugía. Santiago, Chile.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Cognitive Neuroscience) - University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom (2020)
  • Other degrees/titles: MSc in Neuroscience; BSc (Hons) in Psychology; Professional Title of Psychologist (MPsych); PG Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.