The influence of bilingualism on the assessment and treatment of an Italian–English speaker with the logopenic variant of PPA Roberta Tomasoni, Gaia C. Santi, Serena Tagliente, Chiara Griseta, Simona Aresta, et al. Alzheimer S and Dementia Diagnosis Assessment and Disease Monitoring, 2026 INTRODUCTION The impact of bilingualism on speech‐language assessment and therapy in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) remains underexplored, despite its suggested influence on disease presentation. METHODS A bilingual Italian (L1)—English (L2) individual with logopenic‐variant PPA completed a bilingual assessment as well as dual‐language lexical retrieval therapy (LRT). His bilingual experience was characterized in detail, and therapy outcomes were evaluated within and across languages. RESULTS Pre‐morbidly, the patient was a relatively balanced bilingual individual with stronger L1 literacy. Following disease onset, L2 showed faster decline, whereas L1 remained stable. Age at acquisition, dominance, and language use were among the main factors contributing to his language maintenance and decline. Therapy yielded relatively equivalent item‐specific gains in both languages (L1 d 2 = 5.0; L2 d 2 = 5.6), asymmetric crosslinguistic transfer to L2 > L1, and modest functional improvements. DISCUSSION Findings support the relevance of in‐depth bilingual assessment and therapy to guarantee successful treatment in PPA, unveiling the relevance of bilingual experience in shaping treatment outcomes.
Neural correlates of prospective memory in Parkinson’s disease: a high-density EEG study Paola Santacesaria, Stefano Vicentin, Giorgia Cona Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2026 Introduction Prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember and execute intended actions in the future, is a critical component of daily functioning and independent living, particularly in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although PM deficits in PD have been widely documented, their underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods This study addresses this gap by being the first to investigate the neurophysiological signatures of PM in a sample of 28 PD patients without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 34 matched healthy controls using high-density electroencephalography (hd-EEG). Participants completed naturalistic event-based and time-based PM tasks while monitoring virtual cooking activities embedded in a movie presented on a smart TV, with concurrent neurophysiological recording. Results Behavioral performance did not differ between groups in either PM task, likely reflecting preserved global cognition in the PD sample; however, EEG analyses revealed marked oscillatory differences. During time-based PM tasks, PD patients exhibited increased theta, alpha, and beta power, suggesting greater engagement of internal attention monitoring and proactive control mechanisms. Conversely, during event-based PM tasks, PD patients showed reduced power in these frequency bands, consistent with a shift toward externally driven attention to monitor the occurrence of the PM event. Discussion This pattern of findings can be interpreted within the framework of the Attention to Delayed Intention (AtoDI) model. Overall, the present study demonstrates that electrophysiological measures can detect subtle neural alterations in the absence of overt behavioral impairments and can reveal compensatory mechanisms adopted by PD patients to cope with PM demands.
Decoding the neural dynamics of everyday prospective remembering: a hidden Markov model approach Stefano Vicentin, Davide Buzzi Reschini, Paola Santacesaria, Lisa Toffoli, Sara Zago, et al. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2026 Introduction Prospective memory (PM)—the ability to form, maintain, and execute delayed intentions—is essential for everyday functioning. Traditionally, PM paradigms relied on repetitive tasks and focused on transient post-stimulus activity, overlooking the sustained neural processes supporting intention maintenance. Methods High-density EEG data were recorded during a naturalistic PM paradigm simulating everyday activities (preparing a meal while watching TV), comprising three conditions: naturalistic viewing, event-based PM, and time-based PM. Using individual MRI and hidden Markov modeling (HMM), brain activity was studied at the source level and splitted into an optimal number of states. Results The HMM analysis identified 6 brain states. Among them, State 3 was characterized by activations over regions of the dorsal attention network (DAN) and was more prominent during the timebased PM task, consistently with the DAN role in sustained attention and time monitoring. State 6, involving core regions of the default mode network (DMN), showed longer inter-activation intervals, suggesting a role in transient and sporadic processes (intention retrieval). Crucially, efficient time checks positively correlated with time spent in these two brain states, linking them to PM accuracy. Discussion These findings suggest complementary roles of DAN and DMN regions in prospective remembering—continuous monitoring versus retrieval—and demonstrate how combining HMM with naturalistic paradigms offers new insights into the neural dynamics underlying real-world intention maintenance.
Effectiveness of a home-based computerized cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized cross-over study Serena Tagliente, Brigida Minafra, Simona Aresta, Paola Santacesaria, Andrea Buccoliero, et al. Frontiers in Psychology, 2024 IntroductionCognitive symptoms are common in Parkinson's Disease (PD), and digital interventions like telerehabilitation other an accessible way to manage these symptoms. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Home-Based Computerized Cognitive Training (HB-CCT) program in individuals with PD using a pilot randomized cross-over design.MethodsTwenty-five participants (mean age 69.32 ± 7.21 years, mean MDS-UPDRS III 33.76 ± 14.25) with PD and mild cognitive impairment were enrolled. They underwent neuropsychological assessments at three time points (5-week intervals): Baseline, after the HB-CCTi, and after Standard Care. The HB-CCT consisted of the Neurotablet® platform that was used to target cognitive domains such as Attention, Memory, Perception, Executive Functioning and Language. All participants completed both the Neurotablet intervention and Standard Care blocks in a randomized order. After a Shapiro-Wilk test, non-parametric repeated measures analyses of variance (Friedman's test) and post-hoc comparisons corrected with the Benjamini-Hochberg approach were performed to compare the effects on primary and secondary cognitive outcomes over experimental intervention and Standard Care.ResultsThe results from the Friedman analysis revealed significant improvements in Word List Immediate Recall, Digit Span Forward and Complex Figure Recall (all p < 0.001) following the HB-CCT, compared to the Baseline. Additionally, Naming performance showed significant improvement after the HB-CCT (p = 0.02). Significant differences were also observed when comparing the HB-CCT with Standard Care, with improved performance in TMT-A (p = 0.02), Phonemic Fluency (p < 0.01), and Digit Span Forward (p < 0.01).DiscussionThese findings suggest that HB-CCT via Neurotablet can effectively enhance specific cognitive abilities in PD, supporting the role of digital, home-based interventions as feasible strategies to mitigate cognitive decline.
The influence of bilingualism on the assessment and treatment of an Italian–English speaker with the logopenic variant of PPA R Tomasoni, GC Santi, S Tagliente, C Griseta, S Aresta, A Benzini, ... Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring 18 (2 … , 2026 2026.0
Neural correlates of prospective memory in Parkinson’s disease: a high-density EEG study P Santacesaria, S Vicentin, G Cona Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 18, 1683562 , 2026 2026.0 Citations: 1
“Not That I’ve Become Exceptional, But I’m Able to Make Myself Understood Better”: Impact of Speech and Language Therapy on Everyday Communication in People with Primary … C Palmirotta, GC Santi, S Aresta, R Tomasoni, A Benzini, G Leccese, ... Neurology and Therapy, 1-15 , 2026 2026.0
Natural Language Processing differentiates between Italian individuals with Nonfluent/Agrammatic from Logopenic variants of PPA P Battista, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Benzini, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ... Alzheimer's & Dementia 21, e105208 , 2025 2025.0
Unveiling the neural correlates of prospective memory: An ecological EEG study P Santacesaria, S Vicentin, S Zago, G Arcara, G Cona Biological Psychology, 109083 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 3
Transcranial alternating current stimulation selectively modulates aperiodic EEG component: Unveiling alternative mechanisms of modulation F Masina, E Napoli, P Santacesaria, A Giustiniani, S Zago, M Marino, ... Clinical Neurophysiology, 2110929 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 8
Digital phenotyping of Parkinson’s disease via natural language processing S Aresta, P Battista, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, G Lagravinese, ... npj Parkinson's Disease 11 (1), 182 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 11
Natural language processing distinguishes Italian individuals with nonfluent/agrammatic from logopenic variants of PPA P Battista, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Benzini, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ... EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY 32 , 2025 2025.0
Future-oriented cognition: identifying cognitive and neural mechanisms in healthy and pathological populations P Santacesaria Università degli studi di Padova , 2025 2025.0
Effectiveness of a home-based computerized cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized cross-over study S Tagliente, B Minafra, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Buccoliero, ... Frontiers in Psychology 15, 1531688 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 9
Decoding the neural dynamics of everyday prospective remembering: a hidden Markov model approach S Vicentin, DB Reschini, P Santacesaria, L Toffoli, S Zago, G Arcara, ... Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 19, 1686657 , 2025 2025.0
Selective tACS modulation of aperiodic EEG components: unveiling alternative mechanisms of neural modulation F Masina, E Napoli, P Santacesaria, A Giustiniani, G Cona, D Mapelli, ... Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in … , 2025 2025.0
Envisioning the future: An ALE meta-analysis on neural correlates of future thinking, prospective memory and delay discounting G Cona, P Santacesaria, C Scarpazza Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 153, 105355 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 33
Vision recovery with perceptual learning and non-invasive brain stimulation: Experimental set-ups and recent results, a review of the literature L Battaglini, M Di Ponzio, A Ghiani, F Mena, P Santacesaria, C Casco Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience 40 (3), 137-168 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 24
Roberta Tomasoni 1 Gaia C. Santi 1 Serena Tagliente 1 Chiara Griseta S Aresta, A Benzini, P Santacesaria, C Palmirotta, ML Mandelli, S Grasso, ...
Automated Multimodal Acoustic and Linguistic Analysis for Detection and Cognitive Characterization in Parkinson’s Disease S Aresta, F Pierotti, A Benzini, GC Santi, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ...
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Envisioning the future: An ALE meta-analysis on neural correlates of future thinking, prospective memory and delay discounting G Cona, P Santacesaria, C Scarpazza Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 153, 105355 , 2023 2023.0 Citations: 33
Vision recovery with perceptual learning and non-invasive brain stimulation: Experimental set-ups and recent results, a review of the literature L Battaglini, M Di Ponzio, A Ghiani, F Mena, P Santacesaria, C Casco Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience 40 (3), 137-168 , 2022 2022.0 Citations: 24
Digital phenotyping of Parkinson’s disease via natural language processing S Aresta, P Battista, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, G Lagravinese, ... npj Parkinson's Disease 11 (1), 182 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 11
Effectiveness of a home-based computerized cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized cross-over study S Tagliente, B Minafra, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Buccoliero, ... Frontiers in Psychology 15, 1531688 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 9
Transcranial alternating current stimulation selectively modulates aperiodic EEG component: Unveiling alternative mechanisms of modulation F Masina, E Napoli, P Santacesaria, A Giustiniani, S Zago, M Marino, ... Clinical Neurophysiology, 2110929 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 8
Unveiling the neural correlates of prospective memory: An ecological EEG study P Santacesaria, S Vicentin, S Zago, G Arcara, G Cona Biological Psychology, 109083 , 2025 2025.0 Citations: 3
Neural correlates of prospective memory in Parkinson’s disease: a high-density EEG study P Santacesaria, S Vicentin, G Cona Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 18, 1683562 , 2026 2026.0 Citations: 1
The influence of bilingualism on the assessment and treatment of an Italian–English speaker with the logopenic variant of PPA R Tomasoni, GC Santi, S Tagliente, C Griseta, S Aresta, A Benzini, ... Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring 18 (2 … , 2026 2026.0
“Not That I’ve Become Exceptional, But I’m Able to Make Myself Understood Better”: Impact of Speech and Language Therapy on Everyday Communication in People with Primary … C Palmirotta, GC Santi, S Aresta, R Tomasoni, A Benzini, G Leccese, ... Neurology and Therapy, 1-15 , 2026 2026.0
Natural Language Processing differentiates between Italian individuals with Nonfluent/Agrammatic from Logopenic variants of PPA P Battista, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Benzini, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ... Alzheimer's & Dementia 21, e105208 , 2025 2025.0
Natural language processing distinguishes Italian individuals with nonfluent/agrammatic from logopenic variants of PPA P Battista, S Aresta, P Santacesaria, A Benzini, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ... EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY 32 , 2025 2025.0
Future-oriented cognition: identifying cognitive and neural mechanisms in healthy and pathological populations P Santacesaria Università degli studi di Padova , 2025 2025.0
Decoding the neural dynamics of everyday prospective remembering: a hidden Markov model approach S Vicentin, DB Reschini, P Santacesaria, L Toffoli, S Zago, G Arcara, ... Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 19, 1686657 , 2025 2025.0
Selective tACS modulation of aperiodic EEG components: unveiling alternative mechanisms of neural modulation F Masina, E Napoli, P Santacesaria, A Giustiniani, G Cona, D Mapelli, ... Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in … , 2025 2025.0
Roberta Tomasoni 1 Gaia C. Santi 1 Serena Tagliente 1 Chiara Griseta S Aresta, A Benzini, P Santacesaria, C Palmirotta, ML Mandelli, S Grasso, ...
Automated Multimodal Acoustic and Linguistic Analysis for Detection and Cognitive Characterization in Parkinson’s Disease S Aresta, F Pierotti, A Benzini, GC Santi, C Palmirotta, S Tagliente, ...
