Research area:

My research activity has a strong methodological focus and is centered on two main areas: Clinical Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.

In the field of Clinical Neuropsychology, my goal is to define a clearer methodological framework for neuropsychological assessment. Specifically, I address various aspects such as the appropriate use of neuropsychological tests, the definition of thresholds for identifying deficits, the study of changes over time, and the analysis of how psychometric properties (such as reliability and validity) influence assessment and should be integrated into diagnostic reasoning.

In the area of Cognitive Neuroscience, my research employs advanced analytical methods (e.g., time-frequency analysis, connectivity, network analysis) with a dual aim: developing tools for data analysis and improving existing analytical approaches, with the broader goal of better understanding how brain activity relates to the mind and behavior, and identifying biomarkers for cognitive recovery in neurorehabilitation. An additional line of interest concerns the role of scientific language and its impact on the definition and conceptualization of relevant cognitive constructs.

Research web page:

https://www.dpg.unipd.it/en/qplab

Publications:

For a full list of my publications see the two links below:

Scopus Account: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=36714999100
Scholar Account: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=B7eJBYsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Below are some significant recent publications, divided by topic
(update as of 30/04/2025):

Psychometrics and Clinical Neuropsychology
- Arcara, G. (2024). Improving Equivalent Scores for Clinical Neuropsychology: A new method for regression model selection. Neurological Sciences. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-024-07806-z
- Montemurro, S., Daini, R., Tagliabue, C., Guzzetti, S., Gualco, G., Mondini, S., & Arcara, G. (2023). Cognitive reserve estimated with a life experience questionnaire outperforms education in predicting performance on MoCA: Italian normative data. Current Psychology, 42(23), 19503–19517.
- Aiello, E. N., Rimoldi, S., Bolognini, N., Appollonio, I., & Arcara, G. (2022). Psychometrics and diagnostics of Italian cognitive screening tests: A systematic review. Neurological Sciences, 1–25.


Cognitive Neuroscience
- Vicentin, S., Cona, G., Marino, M., Bisiacchi, P., Mantini, D., & Arcara, G. (2025). Prestimulus functional connectivity reflects attention orientation in a prospective memory task: A magnetoencephalographic (MEG) study. PloS one, 20(2), e0319213.
- Lago, S., Pezzetta, R., Gastaldon, S., Peressotti, F., & Arcara, G. (2023). Trial-by-trial fluctuations of pre-stimulus alpha power predict language ERPs. Psychophysiology, 60(12), e14388.
- Masina, F., Pezzetta, R., Lago, S., Mantini, D., Scarpazza, C., & Arcara, G. (2022). Disconnection from prediction: A systematic review on the role of right temporoparietal junction in aberrant predictive processing. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138, 104713.


Books and book chapters
- Mondini, S., Cappelletti, M., & Arcara, G. (2022). Methodology in Neuropsychological Assessment: An Interpretative Approach to Guide Clinical Practice. Routledge
- Arcara, G., Pellegrino, G., Pascarella, A., Mantini, D., Kobayashi, E., & Jerbi, K. (2023). MEG. In Psychophysiology Methods (pp. 157–180). Springer US New York, NY.