Assist. Prof. Dr. Marco Calabria, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain
Dr. Marco Calabria is an Associate Professor of Neuropsychology at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, since 2019. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychobiology from the University of Padua, Italy. His research focuses on bilingualism, cognitive decline, and neuropsychology. He has held postdoctoral positions at Pompeu Fabra University and IRCCS Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-FBF, Italy. Dr. Calabria has led numerous funded projects on bilingualism’s role in aging and cognitive well-being. He is proficient in Italian, English, Spanish, Catalan, and French. 📚🎓 His work has earned multiple grants, contributing significantly to cognitive science and neuropsychology.
Publication Profile
Orcid
Work Experience 🧠
Dr. Marco Calabria is an Associate Professor of Neuropsychology at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, since December 2019. He has an extensive background in neuropsychology, with prior roles as a Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow at Pompeu Fabra University (2014-2019) and postdoctoral positions focusing on speech production and bilingualism under Prof. Albert Costa. His earlier career includes research in neuropsychology and neurophysiology of aging and dementia at IRCCS Centro S. Giovanni di Dio-FBF, Italy. Dr. Calabria’s work significantly contributes to the study of bilingualism and cognitive aging. 📚🔬
Teaching Experience 📚
Dr. Marco Calabria has an impressive teaching background, having received accreditation as a Tenure-track Lecturer and Associate Professor from AQU Catalunya. Since 2019, he has taught the MSc in Neuropsychology at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, covering topics such as language, aging, dementia, and executive functions. He also delivered courses at Pompeu Fabra University, including Neuroscience of Language and the neurocognitive bases of learning and language. His workshops on bilingualism at the University of Reading and his role in teaching across multiple degrees highlight his expertise in neuropsychology, language, and cognitive neuroscience. 🎓🧠
Education 🎓
Dr. Marco Calabria holds a Ph.D. in Psychobiology from the University of Padua (Italy), where he focused on memory for faces and proper names, exploring both episodic and semantic aspects under the guidance of Prof. Patrizia Silvia Bisiacchi. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Statistics, specializing in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, from the University of Milano Bicocca (Italy) in 2005. Earlier, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Experimental Psychology at the University of Padua, with a dissertation on ERP components in early face processing. His academic journey blends psychology, neuroscience, and statistical expertise. 📚🔬
Research Experiences Abroad 🌍🔬
Dr. Marco Calabria has broadened his research horizons through several international collaborations. In November 2022, he was a visiting researcher at the Department of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading, supported by the Research Connections call (UOC). He also gained valuable experience at INSERM U534 in Lyon, France, first as a predoctoral trainee (Sept. 2008), focusing on temporal representation in spatial neglect patients, and later during his post-Lauream internship (March–Sept. 2003), studying prism adaptation in spatial neglect rehabilitation. Additionally, he participated in the Erasmus-Socrates Program at Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, in 2001, specializing in neuropsychology and EEG lab training. 🌐🧠
Research Focus
Marco Calabria’s research primarily focuses on the intersection of bilingualism, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and other cognitive disorders. His work explores how bilingualism impacts cognitive functions such as executive control, language processing, and memory in the context of aging and neurological conditions. He also investigates the effects of language switching, cross-language interference, and neuropsychological deficits in bilingual patients. Calabria’s research has implications for understanding cognitive resilience and neuroplasticity in bilingual individuals. 🧠💬🔄📚
Publication Top Notes
- “Dissociating language switching from executive control in bilinguals with MCI,” Cortex, 2024-12 📖🧠, DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.11.020
- “Efficacy of a theatre-based intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease,” Preprint, 2024-06-20 🎭, DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/rejnd
- “Cross-language interference in bilinguals with neurodegenerative disorders,” Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2024-03 🧠🌍, DOI: 10.1017/S1366728923000470
- “Hippocampal adaptations in Mild Cognitive Impairment patients are modulated by bilingual language experiences,” Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2024-03 🧠📚, DOI: 10.1017/S1366728923000354
- “Introduction: Clinical aspects of bilingualism research in adults,” Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2024-03 📚🧠, DOI: 10.1017/S136672892400004X
- “Bilingualism and language control,” Book Chapter, 2023-09-01 📘, DOI: 10.1075/bpa.17.04cal
- “Evolving Trends in Neuropsychological Profiles of Post COVID-19 Condition: A 1-Year Follow-up in Individuals with Cognitive Complaints,” Preprint, 2023-06-18 🦠💡, DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/bwgx8
- “Background music and memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment: the role of interindividual differences,” Preprint, 2023-01-09 🎶🧠, DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/6xawp
- “Post-COVID-19 fatigue: the contribution of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms,” Journal of Neurology, 2022-08 🦠💤, DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11141-8
- “Cross-language interference in bilinguals with neurodegenerative diseases,” Preprint, 2022-06-13 🌐🧠, DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/jrbfk
- “Neuropsychological deficits in patients with cognitive complaints after COVID‐19,” Brain and Behavior, 2022-03 🧠🦠, DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2508
- “Language reconfiguration in bilinguals; A study with Huntington’s disease patients,” Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2021 🧠📚, DOI: 10.1075/lab.18022.cal
- “Memories: Albert Costa’s legacy,” Journal of Neurolinguistics, 2021 🧠📖, DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2020.100967
- “On the semantic optimum and contexts,” Bilingualism, 2021 💬📚, DOI: 10.1017/S1366728921000419
- “Processing of semantic and grammatical gender in Spanish speakers with aphasia,” Aphasiology, 2021 🧠🔤, DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2021.1924355