Neural correlates of social cognition in stroke and traumatic brain injury: A systematic review Nicola Davide Cavallo, Chiara Giacobbe, Chiara Baiano, Paola Maietta, Luigi Trojano, Pasquale Moretta, Laura Marcuccio, Fabrizio Esposito, Gabriella Santangelo Cognitive Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, 2026 Social cognition (SC) encompasses the cognitive and affective processes underlying social interaction. Deficits in SC are common after acquired brain injury (ABI), including stroke and traumatic brain injury, and can profoundly affect social and functional outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42024528643), a systematic search was conducted for peer-reviewed behavioural and neuroimaging studies examining SC in ABI. Forty-three studies meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were reviewed, covering four main SC domains: emotion recognition; Theory of Mind; perspective taking; and empathy. Both stroke and traumatic brain injury populations showed consistent alteration across all SC domains. Neuroimaging findings revealed partially convergent neural correlates, with the insula, cingulate cortex, and middle frontal gyrus frequently implicated across domains, alongside the corpus callosum supporting interhemispheric integration. These convergences suggest that SC relies on distributed but interconnected neural systems rather than on isolated regions. Findings demonstrate pervasive SC alteration following ABI and emphasise the clinical importance of comprehensive, domain-specific assessment and targeted rehabilitation.
From Inner Sense to Outer Action: Interoception and Impulsive Compulsive Behavior Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Chiara Baiano, Francesca Morgante, Diana Goeta, Chiara Giacobbe, Marianna Amboni, Carmine Vitale, Elena Makovac, Benedetta Demartini, Gabriella Santangelo, Lucia Ricciardi Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 2025 BackgroundImpulsive‐compulsive behavior disorders (ICBDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) include impulse control disorders (ICDs) and compulsive behaviors, often linked to dopaminergic treatment and altered reward processing. Interoception, the perception of internal bodily signals, plays a key role in emotional regulation and decision‐making. Neuroimaging studies suggest that alterations in interoceptive and reward‐related brain circuits may underlie ICDs in PD. However, the relationship between interoception and ICDs remains underexplored.ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between impulse control disorders (ICD) severity and interoceptive abilities—specifically interoceptive accuracy, insight, and self‐reported interoception—in PD patients.MethodsFifty‐one participants were assessed using the Questionnaire for Impulsive‐Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (QUIP‐RS) alongside measures of interoceptive performance, anxiety, depression, and apathy.ResultsHigher ICD severity predicted increased interoceptive insight and sensibility. No significant link was found between ICD severity and interoceptive accuracy. Additionally, higher Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose (LEDD) was related to lower interoceptive insight, suggesting a potential modulatory effect of dopaminergic therapy on meta‐cognitive interoception.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the complex interplay between ICDs and interoception, suggesting that heightened self‐reported interoception and interoceptive insight may reinforce impulsive behaviors in PD via enhanced bodily signal salience. This study contributes to understanding the characteristics of ICDs in PD, implicating reward‐related circuits such as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex.
Love addiction symptoms and subjective cognitive complaints: The mediator role of depression and anxiety and the impact of social media use Gianpaolo Maggi, Chiara Giacobbe, Lorenzo Borrello, Angelo Barone, Clara Mastromarino, Paolo Antonelli, Gabriella Santangelo Behavioural Brain Research, 2025 Love addiction (LA) can lead to adverse psychological, social, and cognitive consequences. However, the relationship between LA symptoms and perceived cognitive function, as well as the contribution of social media use, remains unclear. The present study aimed to unravel the exact nature of these relationships in a large Italian sample using an online questionnaire. We found that individuals with even mild LA symptoms experienced reduced everyday memory ability and more severe cognitive failures during daily activities and at work, compared to those without LA. Psychological symptoms mediated the effect of LA symptoms on perceived cognitive function, with the use of social media as a strong risk factor for LA development. LA deserves more scientific attention to provide clinicians with a clinical framework and spread awareness of its harmful consequences involving cognitive aspects. Awareness should encourage most at-risk individuals to recognize early LA manifestations and seek professional help for mental health care.
Flexibility of action verbs processing in Parkinson's disease Chiara Giacobbe, Chiara Baiano, Carmine Vitale, Marianna Amboni, Gabriella Santangelo Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2025 Objective: This study aims to investigate action language processing abilities in Parkinson’s disease (PD) compared to healthy controls (HCs), specifically examining whether the involvement of motor systems is influenced by task context. By focusing on implicit versus explicit task demands, the study evaluates how semantic processing differs in PD and whether these differences align with a flexible embodied cognition framework. Methods: The study analyzed the performance of participants on two tasks: an explicit task (semantic judgment task, SJ) and an implicit task (letter detection task, LD). PD outpatients (n = 31, mean age 64.58 years) referred to the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit of ICS Maugeri Hermitage were enrolled, along with a group of healthy controls (n = 31, mean age 64.19 years). Performance was measured through reaction times (RTs) and accuracy scores (Acc) during the processing of action verbs and abstract verbs. Results: PD patients exhibited slower RTs and lower accuracy when processing action verbs compared to abstract verbs, but only during the SJ task. Slower RTs in the SJ task were predicted by language and executive functioning (semantic fluency) and disease progression (Hoehn and Yahr stages) for both action and abstract verbs. In the LD task, slower RTs were predicted by executive functioning for action verbs and attention (measured by Trail Making Test Part B and Stroop task) for abstract verbs. Conclusions: The findings suggest a context-dependent involvement of the motor system in action language processing, supporting a flexible, embodied approach to conceptual semantic processing rather than an automatic one.
Validation of the Italian version of the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) in an Italian Parkinson’s disease cohort Gianpaolo Maggi, Carmine Vitale, Chiara Giacobbe, Angelo Barone, Clara Mastromarino, Federica Iannotta, Marianna Amboni, Daniel Weintraub, Gabriella Santangelo Neurological Sciences, 2024 Introduction Impulse control disorders (ICDs) frequently occur in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and an early identification is essential to prevent severe psychosocial consequences. The Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease–Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) has been developed to evaluate the severity of ICDs along with a range of impulsive-compulsive behaviors (ICBs) in PD; however, its Italian version has not yet been validated. Methods One hundred consecutive outpatients with PD were administered an Italian version of the QUIP-RS and a brief neuropsychological assessment to evaluate global cognitive status and scales to measure depression, apathy and impulsive disorders. We evaluated the internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and factorial structure of QUIP-RS. We also explored the possible association between QUIP-RS scores and clinical factors and dopaminergic medication. Results Subsyndromal ICDs manifestations were observed in 54% of the patients, and one in four (22%) reported two or more ICDs or related behaviors. The QUIP-RS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.806) and construct validity, and its factorial structure reflected different ICDs and ICBs domains. No association emerged between QUIP-RS scores and the clinical aspects of PD and dopaminergic medication. Conclusion We provided, for the first time, an Italian translation of the QUIP-RS and demonstrated its feasibility in clinical and research settings. Severity of ICDs was independent of clinical factors and dopaminergic medication, underlining the need to adopt a broader perspective on their etiopathology in PD.
Psychological and cognitive complaints in individuals with love addiction Chiara Giacobbe, Gianpaolo Maggi, Lorenzo Borrello, Angelo Barone, Clara Mastromarino, Paolo Antonelli, Gabriella Santangelo Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 2024 Individuals with love addiction (LA) may experience psychological, social, and cognitive difficulties in everyday life. However, no study has explored the psychological symptoms, subjective cognitive complaints, and personological aspects associated with LA. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological, behavioral, and cognitive correlates of LA by comparing individuals with high (H-LAI) and low (L-LAI) levels of LA and to clarify the role of resilience and coping style as protective factors of LA. The online questionnaire used to recruit the sample included the Love Addiction Inventory (LAI) to assess the levels of LA and cognitive failures, resilience, coping style, depression, and anxiety assessment. Participants were equally divided into H-LAI and L-LAI groups based on the median LAI value. The questionnaire was completed by 600 participants (446 females; mean age = 29.5, SD = 9.44). Compared to L-LAI, H-LAI participants were younger and showed more severe anxiety and depressive symptoms; moreover, they complained more frequently about memory and attention failures. Male sex was found to be a risk factor in the development of LA, resilience emerged as a significant protective factor. Longitudinal research is needed to better explore the causal link between love addiction and psychological or cognitive failures. Additionally, objective neuropsychological tests should deeply investigate this connection. Our findings indicated a cognitive and psychological profile associated with love addiction characterized by more severe psychological symptoms and perceived cognitive failures. An early identification of individuals most at risk to develop love addiction and the implementation of timed strategies reinforcing resilience might avoid detrimental consequences.
Prevalence and clinical aspects of obstructive sleep apnea in Parkinson disease: A meta-analysis Gianpaolo Maggi, Chiara Giacobbe, Federica Iannotta, Gabriella Santangelo, Carmine Vitale European Journal of Neurology, 2024 Background and PurposeObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) frequently occurs in Parkinson Disease (PD), probably caused by upper airway dysfunctions or shared pathogenetic mechanisms. OSA may precede PD diagnosis or worsen throughout its course, but its relationship with clinical features and dopaminergic medication remains unclear. This meta‐analysis aimed to provide a reliable estimate of OSA prevalence in the PD population (PD‐OSA) and to clarify its clinical associated factors to help clinicians in understanding the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed up to April 2023 using the PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. Articles were included if they provided data on PD patients with and without OSA. Pooled prevalence for PD‐OSA was calculated using the proportions of PD participants diagnosed with OSA. Demographic and clinical features associated with PD‐OSA were explored by comparing PD patients with and without OSA.ResultsSeventeen studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Pooled OSA prevalence was 45% of a total sample of 1448 PD patients and was associated with older age, male sex, higher body mass index (BMI), more severe motor disturbances and periodic limb movements, reduced risk of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, intake of dopamine agonists, and worse excessive daytime sleepiness. No relationship emerged with cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric manifestations.ConclusionsOSA affects nearly half of PD patients as a secondary outcome of predisposing factors such as older age and higher BMI in addition to PD‐related motor impairment. Future studies should focus on determining the impact of both clinical features and dopaminergic medication on the development of PD‐OSA.
Theory of mind in mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease: The role of memory impairment Gianpaolo Maggi, Chiara Giacobbe, Carmine Vitale, Marianna Amboni, Ignacio Obeso, Gabriella Santangelo Cognitive Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, 2024 Background Social cognition is impaired in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Whether social cognitive impairment (iSC) is a by-product of the underlying cognitive deficits in PD or a process independent of cognitive status is unknown. To this end, the present study was designed to investigate the weight of specific cognitive deficits in social cognition, considering different mild cognitive impairment subtypes of PD (PD-MCI). Methods Fifty-eight PD patients underwent a neuropsychological battery assessing executive functions, memory, language, and visuospatial domains, together with social cognitive tests focused on theory of mind (ToM). Patients were divided into subgroups according to their clinical cognitive status: amnestic PD-MCI (PD-aMCI, n = 18), non-amnestic PD-MCI (PD-naMCI, n = 16), and cognitively unimpaired (PD-CU, n = 24). Composite scores for cognitive and social domains were computed to perform mediation analyses. Results Memory and language impairments mediated the effect of executive functioning in social cognitive deficits in PD patients. Dividing by MCI subgroups, iSC occurred more frequently in PD-aMCI (77.8%) than in PD-naMCI (18.8%) and PD-CU (8.3%). Moreover, PD-aMCI performed worse than PD-CU in all social cognitive measures, whereas PD-naMCI performed worse than PD-CU in only one subtype of the affective and cognitive ToM tests. Conclusions Our findings suggest that ToM impairment in PD can be explained by memory dysfunction that mediates executive control. ToM downsides in the amnesic forms of PD-MCI may suggest that subtle changes in social cognition could partly explain future transitions into dementia. Hence, the evaluation of social cognition in PD is critical to characterize a possible behavioral marker of cognitive decline.
First Results of the RESTART National Project Mariacarla Staffa, Riccardo De Benedictis, Ilaria Amaro, Alessia Auriemma Citarella, Fabiola De Marco, Luigi Di Biasi, Gabriella Cortellessa, Claudia Di Napoli, Francesca Fracasso, Chiara Giacobbe, Marco Matarese, Gabriella Santangelo, Alessandra Sciutti, Genoveffa Tortora Lecture Notes in Bioengineering, 2024
Neural correlates of social cognition in stroke and traumatic brain injury: A systematic review ND Cavallo, C Giacobbe, C Baiano, P Maietta, L Trojano, P Moretta, ... Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 1-41 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
L’utilizzo della mindfulness negli interventi per i disturbi dissociativi R Esposito, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 5 (1) , 2026 2026
From Inner Sense to Outer Action: Interoception and Impulsive Compulsive Behavior Disorders in Parkinson's Disease C Baiano, F Morgante, D Goeta, C Giacobbe, M Amboni, C Vitale, ... Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 12 (12), 2253-2259 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Love addiction symptoms and subjective cognitive complaints: The mediator role of depression and anxiety and the impact of social media use G Maggi, C Giacobbe, L Borrello, A Barone, C Mastromarino, P Antonelli, ... Behavioural Brain Research 490, 115621 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Flexibility of action verbs processing in Parkinson’s disease C Giacobbe, C Baiano, C Vitale, M Amboni, G Santangelo Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 31 (2), 98-106 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Context, transparency and culture in motor resonance phenomena: Causal evidence of the motor cortex HZ Kurada, M Jimenez-Bravo, C Giacobbe, I Obeso Cortex 179, 25-34 , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Validation of the Italian version of the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) in an Italian Parkinson’s disease cohort G Maggi, C Vitale, C Giacobbe, A Barone, C Mastromarino, F Iannotta, ... Neurological Sciences 45 (7), 3153-3161 , 2024 2024 Citations: 10
First results of the restart national project M Staffa, R De Benedictis, I Amaro, AA Citarella, F De Marco, L Di Biasi, ... Italian Forum of Ambient Assisted Living, 224-242 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Psychometric properties and normative data of the Italian version of the Cognitive Function at Work Questionnaire: a screening tool for detecting subjective cognitive … M Altieri, G Maggi, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo Neurological Sciences 45 (6), 2593-2603 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
L'applicazione della Stimolazione Transcranica a Corrente Diretta (tDCS) nel trattamento dei disturbi cognitivi nel disturbo depressivo e nel disturbo bipolare A Barbaro, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 3 (2) , 2024 2024
Psychological and cognitive complaints in individuals with love addiction C Giacobbe, G Maggi, L Borrello, A Barone, C Mastromarino, P Antonelli, ... Journal of Affective Disorders Reports 16, 100785 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Theory of mind in mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease: The role of memory impairment G Maggi, C Giacobbe, C Vitale, M Amboni, I Obeso, G Santangelo Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience 24 (1), 156-170 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Prevalence and clinical aspects of obstructive sleep apnea in Parkinson disease: A meta‐analysis G Maggi, C Giacobbe, F Iannotta, G Santangelo, C Vitale European Journal of Neurology 31 (2), e16109 , 2024 2024 Citations: 33
Il training cognitivo nella Malattia di Parkinson: una revisione della letteratura C Giacobbe, GL Di Benedetto, A D'Iorio, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 3 (1) , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Embodied Cognition and action language processing in Parkinson's Disease C Giacobbe Università degli Studi della Campania , 2024 2024
Investigation of figurative language and motor resonance interaction: evidence from neuromodulation over the motor cortex. HZ Kurada, MJ Bravo, C Giacobbe, I Obeso Anatomy: International Journal of Experimental & Clinical Anatomy 17 , 2023 2023
Psychometrics, diagnostics and usability of Italian tools assessing behavioural and functional outcomes in neurological, geriatric and psychiatric disorders: a systematic review EN Aiello, A D’Iorio, S Montemurro, G Maggi, C Giacobbe, V Bari, ... Neurological Sciences 43 (11), 6189-6214 , 2022 2022 Citations: 9
Neural correlates of embodied action language processing: a systematic review and meta-analytic study C Giacobbe, S Raimo, M Cropano, G Santangelo Brain Imaging and Behavior 16 (5), 2353-2374 , 2022 2022 Citations: 25
Neuropsychological correlates of Theory of Mind in patients with dystonia: a preliminary study A D’Iorio, G SCOTTO DI TELLA, C Giacobbe, F Ferraiuolo, A Trinchillo, ... Neuropsychological correlates of Theory of Mind in patients with dystonia: a … , 2022 2022
Embodied language in Parkinson disease: the case of demonstrative C Giacobbe, Y Coello MOVEMENT DISORDERS. , 2022 2022
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Prevalence and clinical aspects of obstructive sleep apnea in Parkinson disease: A meta‐analysis G Maggi, C Giacobbe, F Iannotta, G Santangelo, C Vitale European Journal of Neurology 31 (2), e16109 , 2024 2024 Citations: 33
Neural correlates of embodied action language processing: a systematic review and meta-analytic study C Giacobbe, S Raimo, M Cropano, G Santangelo Brain Imaging and Behavior 16 (5), 2353-2374 , 2022 2022 Citations: 25
Psychological and cognitive complaints in individuals with love addiction C Giacobbe, G Maggi, L Borrello, A Barone, C Mastromarino, P Antonelli, ... Journal of Affective Disorders Reports 16, 100785 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Validation of the Italian version of the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) in an Italian Parkinson’s disease cohort G Maggi, C Vitale, C Giacobbe, A Barone, C Mastromarino, F Iannotta, ... Neurological Sciences 45 (7), 3153-3161 , 2024 2024 Citations: 10
Theory of mind in mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease: The role of memory impairment G Maggi, C Giacobbe, C Vitale, M Amboni, I Obeso, G Santangelo Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience 24 (1), 156-170 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Psychometrics, diagnostics and usability of Italian tools assessing behavioural and functional outcomes in neurological, geriatric and psychiatric disorders: a systematic review EN Aiello, A D’Iorio, S Montemurro, G Maggi, C Giacobbe, V Bari, ... Neurological Sciences 43 (11), 6189-6214 , 2022 2022 Citations: 9
Psychometric properties and normative data of the Italian version of the Cognitive Function at Work Questionnaire: a screening tool for detecting subjective cognitive … M Altieri, G Maggi, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo Neurological Sciences 45 (6), 2593-2603 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Context, transparency and culture in motor resonance phenomena: Causal evidence of the motor cortex HZ Kurada, M Jimenez-Bravo, C Giacobbe, I Obeso Cortex 179, 25-34 , 2024 2024 Citations: 3
Flexibility of action verbs processing in Parkinson’s disease C Giacobbe, C Baiano, C Vitale, M Amboni, G Santangelo Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 31 (2), 98-106 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Neural correlates of social cognition in stroke and traumatic brain injury: A systematic review ND Cavallo, C Giacobbe, C Baiano, P Maietta, L Trojano, P Moretta, ... Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 1-41 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
From Inner Sense to Outer Action: Interoception and Impulsive Compulsive Behavior Disorders in Parkinson's Disease C Baiano, F Morgante, D Goeta, C Giacobbe, M Amboni, C Vitale, ... Movement Disorders Clinical Practice 12 (12), 2253-2259 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Love addiction symptoms and subjective cognitive complaints: The mediator role of depression and anxiety and the impact of social media use G Maggi, C Giacobbe, L Borrello, A Barone, C Mastromarino, P Antonelli, ... Behavioural Brain Research 490, 115621 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
First results of the restart national project M Staffa, R De Benedictis, I Amaro, AA Citarella, F De Marco, L Di Biasi, ... Italian Forum of Ambient Assisted Living, 224-242 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Il training cognitivo nella Malattia di Parkinson: una revisione della letteratura C Giacobbe, GL Di Benedetto, A D'Iorio, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 3 (1) , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
L’utilizzo della mindfulness negli interventi per i disturbi dissociativi R Esposito, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 5 (1) , 2026 2026
L'applicazione della Stimolazione Transcranica a Corrente Diretta (tDCS) nel trattamento dei disturbi cognitivi nel disturbo depressivo e nel disturbo bipolare A Barbaro, C Giacobbe, G Santangelo TOPIC-Temi di Psicologia dell'Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania 3 (2) , 2024 2024
Embodied Cognition and action language processing in Parkinson's Disease C Giacobbe Università degli Studi della Campania , 2024 2024
Investigation of figurative language and motor resonance interaction: evidence from neuromodulation over the motor cortex. HZ Kurada, MJ Bravo, C Giacobbe, I Obeso Anatomy: International Journal of Experimental & Clinical Anatomy 17 , 2023 2023
Neuropsychological correlates of Theory of Mind in patients with dystonia: a preliminary study A D’Iorio, G SCOTTO DI TELLA, C Giacobbe, F Ferraiuolo, A Trinchillo, ... Neuropsychological correlates of Theory of Mind in patients with dystonia: a … , 2022 2022
Embodied language in Parkinson disease: the case of demonstrative C Giacobbe, Y Coello MOVEMENT DISORDERS. , 2022 2022
