Fausto Caruana works at the Institute of Neuroscience of the National Research Council (CNR), Parma. He is specialized in social, cognitive and affective neuroscience. His studies are focused on the neural and the psychological mechanisms underlying emotions, empathy, mirror neurons and motor cognition. Research is conducted using a multidisciplinary approach, mainly centered on intracranial recordings and electrical stimulations. Trained as an electrophysiologist in non-human primates, he moved to human electrophysiology thanks to the collaboration with the Claudio Munari Epilepsy Surgery Center at the Niguarda Hospital, Milan.
Beside his neuroscientific interests, he is actively pursuing theoretical research concerning the relationship between neuroscience and philosophy and, in particular, the theoretical aspects of embodied cognition, 4E cognitive science, social cognition and affective neuroscience.
Selected publications
Caruana F. (2019). The Integration of Emotional Expression and Experience: A Pragmatist Review of Recent Evidence from Brain Stimulation. Emotion Review. 11(1), 27-38.
Caruana F., Gerbella M., Avanzini P., Gozzo F., Pelliccia V., Mai R., Abdollahi R. O., Cardinale F., Sartori I., Lo Russo G., Rizzolatti G. (2018). Motor and Emotional Behaviors Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Human Cingulate Cortex. Brain 141(10):3035-3051.
Rizzolatti G., Caruana F. (2017). Some considerations on de Waal and Preston review, Nature Reviews in Neuroscience, 18, 769.
Caruana F. (2017). Laughter as a neurochemical mechanism aimed at reinforcing social bonds: integrating evidence from opioidergic activity and brain stimulation. J Neurosci. 37(36):8581-8582.
Caruana F. (2017). What is missing in the “Basic Emotion vs. Constructionist” debate? Pragmatist insights into the radical translation from the emotional brain. Pragmatism Today. 8(1):87-103.
Caruana F., Avanzini P., Gozzo F., Pelliccia V., Casaceli G., Rizzolatti G. (2016). A mirror mechanism for smiling in the anterior cingulate cortex. Emotion, 17(2):187-190.
Caruana F., Gozzo F., Pelliccia V., Cossu M., Avanzini P. (2016). Smile and Laughter Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Frontal Operculum. Neuropsychologia, 89:364-370.
Gallese V., Caruana F. (2016). Embodied Simulation. Beyond the expression/experience dualism of emotions. Trends in Cognitive Science, 20(6):397-398.
Caruana F., Avanzini P., Gozzo F., Francione S., Cardinale F., Rizzolatti G. (2015). Mirth and laughter elicited by electrical stimulation of the human anterior cingulate cortex. Cortex, 71, 323-331.
Caruana F., Cantalupo G., Lo Russo G., Mai R., Sartori I., Avanzini P., (2014): Human cortical activity evoked by gaze shift observation: an intracranial EEG study. Human Brain Mapping, 35(4):1515-28.
Jezzini A.*, Caruana F.*, Stoianov I., Gallese V., Rizzolatti G., (2012). The Functional Organization of the Insula and of Inner Perisylvian Regions. PNAS. 9;109(25):10077-82.
Caruana F., Jezzini A., Sbriscia Fioretti B., Rizzolatti G., Gallese V. (2011). Emotional and Social Behaviors Elicited by Electrical Stimulation of the Insula in the Macaque Monkey. Current Biology, Feb 8; 21(3):195-9. ISSN. 0960-9822
Books
Caruana F., Testa I. (forthcoming): Habits. Pragmatist Approaches From Cognitive Neuroscience To Social Science. Cambridge University Press.
Baggio G., Caruana F., Parravicini A. Viola M. (Ed.; 2019): Emozioni. Da Darwin Al Pragmatismo. Antologia Di Scritti Di C. Darwin, W. James, J. Dewey E G.H. Mead. Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino.
Caruana F 2019: Il Cervello Empatico. Dalla Teoria Della Mente Al Meccanismo Mirror, Hachette.
Caruana F., Viola M. 2018: Come Funzionano Le Emozioni. Da Darwin Alle Neuroscienze, Il Mulino, Bologna.
Caruana F., Borghi A. 2016: Il Cervello In Azione, Il Mulino, Bologna.