Benedetto A., Arrighi R., Castaldi E. Commun Biol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10746-3 https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10746-3#citeas Numerosity perception enables us to quickly estimate the number of objects in a visual scene, a fundamental skill supporting efficient interaction with the environment. In this study, we tracked how the human brain transforms physical inputs into numerical percepts. Using EEG, we characterized the temporal dynamics of h

Bonaudo C, Pieropan E, Caredda C, Montcel B, Van Reeth E, Giannoni L, Fedi F, Castaldi E, Baldanzi F, Troiano S, Maiorelli A, Schapira ME, Pedone A, Casseri T, Bianchi A, Fainardi E, Carrai R, Grippo A, Pavone FS, Della Puppa A. World Neurosurg. 2026 Feb;206:124766. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2025.124766. Epub 2025 Dec 29. PMID: 41475456. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878875025011234?via%3Dihub Objective To identify a brain plasticity index (BPI) that accounts

Bonaudo C, Schapira ME, Pieropan E, Caredda C, Van Reeth E, Fedi F, Castaldi E, Baldanzi F, Troiano S, Maiorelli A, Pedone A, Visocchi E, Montcel B, Carrai R, Grippo A, Campagnaro L, Tola S, Della Puppa A. Cancers (Basel). 2026 Apr 28;18(9):1405. doi: 10.3390/cancers18091405. PMID: 42122201; PMCID: PMC13162762. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/18/9/1405 Simple Summary This prospective monocentric study investigated cortical plasticity in glioma patients using navigated transcra

Burgio I., Maldonado Moscoso P.A., Anobile G., Castaldi E. BMC Biol. 2025 Oct 14;23(1):305. doi: 10.1186/s12915-025-02417-2. PMID: 41088111; PMCID: PMC12522993. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12522993/ Background: Perception is inferential, relying not only on current sensory input but also on prior knowledge. When sensory input is unreliable, history effects such as central tendency and serial dependence smooth out noise by combining previous and current stimuli. T

Karami A., Castaldi E., Eger E., Piazza M. Commun Biol. 2025 Jul 9;8(1):1029. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08395-z. PMID: 40634477; PMCID: PMC12241354. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12241354/ Visual numerosity, traditionally linked to the parietal cortex, is now thought to be represented across a broader cortical network, including early visual and associative areas in both streams. However, how numerosity is encoded relative to other visual features remains unclear. We

Castellotti S., Castaldi E., Blini E., Arrighi R. Acta Psychol (Amst). 2025 Mar;253:104720. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104720. Epub 2025 Jan 11. PMID: 39799929. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825000332?via%3Dihub The objective assessment of cognitive processes is of critical importance to understanding the mechanisms underlying various mental functions and dysfunctions. In recent years, the technological innovations related to the eye-tracking indus

Caponi C., Castaldi E., Grasso P.A., Arrighi R. Proc Biol Sci. 2025 Jan;292(2039):20241841. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1841. Epub 2025 Jan 29. PMID: 39876730; PMCID: PMC11775598. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11775598/ Perceptual adaptation has been widely used to infer the existence of numerosity detectors, enabling animals to quickly estimate the number of objects in a scene. Here, we investigated, in humans, whether numerosity adaptation is influenced by stimulus fe

Maldonado Moscoso PA, Anobile G, Maduli G, Arrighi R, Castaldi E. Open Mind (Camb). 2025 Jan 20;9:121-137. doi: 10.1162/opmi_a_00181. PMID: 39877146; PMCID: PMC11774540. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11774540/ When objects are grouped in space, humans can estimate numerosity more precisely than when they are randomly scattered. This phenomenon, called groupitizing, is thought to arise from the interplay of two components: the subitizing system which identifies both

Bonaudo C, Castaldi E, Pedone A, Capelli F, Enderage Don S, Pieropan E, Bianchi A, Gobbo M, Maduli G, Fedi F, Baldanzi F, Troiano S, Maiorelli A, Muscas G, Battista F, Campagnaro L, De Pellegrin S, Amadori A, Fainardi E, Carrai R, Grippo A, Della Puppa A. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Dec 20;16(24):4250. doi: 10.3390/cancers16244250. PMID: 39766149; PMCID: PMC11674804. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11674804/ Objective: Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) has

Bonaudo C, Pedone A, Capelli F, Gori B, Baldanzi F, Fedi F, Troiano S, Maiorelli A, Masi G, Martinelli C, Pieropan E, Castaldi E, Capialbi NA, Enderage Don S, Battista F, Campagnaro L, Muscas G, Amadori A, Fainardi E, Carrai R, Grippo A, Della Puppa A. J Neurosurg. 2024 Jun 21;141(6):1623-1634. doi: 10.3171/2024.4.JNS232968. PMID: 38905716. https://thejns.org/view/journals/j-neurosurg/141/6/article-p1623.xml OBJECTIVE The onco-functional balance represents the primary goal in

Castaldi E., Tinelli F., Filippo G., Bartoli M., Anobile G. Res Dev Disabil. 2024 Jun;149:104733. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104733. Epub 2024 Apr 25. PMID: 38663331; PMCID: PMC11155440. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11155440/ Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated whether difficulties in children with DD spread beyond the numerical domain

Caponi C., Castaldi E., Burr D.C., Binda P. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 13;14(1):6097. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55646-w. PMID: 38480839; PMCID: PMC10938002. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10938002/ We recently showed that the gain of the pupillary light response depends on numerosity, with weaker responses to fewer items. Here we show that this effect holds when the stimuli are physically identical but are perceived as less numerous due to numerosity adaptation. Twenty-eight p

Castaldi E., Bonaudo C., Maduli G., Anobile G., Pedone A., Capelli F., Arrighi R., Della Puppa A. Brain Sci. 2024 Jan 10;14(1):69. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14010069. PMID: 38248284; PMCID: PMC10813954. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/14/1/69 A precise neuropsychological assessment is of the utmost importance for neurosurgical patients undergoing the surgical excision of cerebral lesions. The assessment of mathematical abilities is usually limited to arithmetical operations while o

Maldonado Moscoso P.A., Maduli G., Anobile G., Arrighi R., Castaldi E. Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 2;13(1):12509. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39581-w. PMID: 37532765; PMCID: PMC10397255. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10397255/ Symmetry is an important and strong cue we rely on to organize the visual world. Although it is at the basis of objects segmentation in a visual scene, it can sometimes bias our perception. When asked to discriminate numerical quantities between symmetric

Caponi C., Maldonado Moscoso P.A., Castaldi E., Arrighi R., Grasso P.A. Front Neurosci. 2023 May 24;17:1190317. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1190317. PMID: 37292163; PMCID: PMC10244500. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1190317/full The moment we see a group of objects, we can appreciate its numerosity. Our numerical estimates can be imprecise for large sets (>4 items), but they become much faster and more accurate if items are clustered

Maldonado Moscoso PA, Anobile G, Burr DC, Arrighi R, Castaldi E. Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 24;12(1):14418. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18386-3. PMID: 36002617; PMCID: PMC9402546. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1190317/full To estimate the number of objects in an image, each element needs to be segregated as a single unit. Several principles guide the process of element identification, one of the strongest being symmetry. In the current study

Maldonado Moscoso PA, Anobile G, Burr DC, Arrighi R, Castaldi E. Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 24;12(1):14418. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-18386-3. PMID: 36002617; PMCID: PMC9402546. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9402546/ To estimate the number of objects in an image, each element needs to be segregated as a single unit. Several principles guide the process of element identification, one of the strongest being symmetry. In the current study, we investigated how symmetry affects th

Maldonado Moscoso P.A., Castaldi E., Arrighi R., Primi C., Caponi C., Buonincontro S., Bolognini F., Anobile G. Brain Sci. 2022 Mar 22;12(4):422. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12040422. PMID: 35447954; PMCID: PMC9029128. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9029128/ Many individuals, when faced with mathematical tasks or situations requiring arithmetic skills, experience exaggerated levels of anxiety. Mathematical anxiety (MA), in addition to causing discomfort, can lead to avoida

Castaldi E., Cicchini G.M., Tinelli F., Morrone M.C. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2022 Feb;39(1-2):78-80. doi: 10.1080/02643294.2022.2052715. Epub 2022 Mar 25. PMID: 35337250. Comment on “Shape-centered representations of bounded regions of space mediate the perception of objects” by Vannuscorps G, Galaburda A, Caramazza A.

Castaldi E., Turi M., Cicchini G.M., Sahawanatou G., Eger E. Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability affecting...