Federica Cardillo


fMRI-based assessment of connectivity in the visual cortex in advanced glaucoma

My three-year involvement will contribute to ongoing investigations at the Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology at the University Medical Center Groningen, under the guidance of Prof. Frans Cornelissen and Prof. Nomdo Jansonius. Day-to-day supervision will be provided by Dr. Mayra Bittencourt. I will investigate the meso-scale connectivity in the visual cortex of patients with advanced glaucoma assessed during resting-state fMRI.

My secondment will be with the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, where I plan to spend one year supervised by Prof. Micheal Hoffman. At the Visual Processing Lab, I will use ultra-high field 7T resting-state fMRI to investigate the differences in the cortex laminae in patients with advanced glaucoma.

Finally, my cross-sectional secondment will be at Mind Affect. In collaboration with them I will focus on the electrophysiological quantification of the integrity of processing in the early visual cortex.

Click here to read more about my project!

Personal Background and Interest

I am a Neuropsychologist, specialized in the brain processes involved in memory and substance use disorders. I have obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Social Processes in Italy, at The University of La Sapienza, and Spain, at The University of Basque Country. I graduated in Neuropsychology at the University of Maastricht, in The Netherlands. After that, I worked a year as a research assistant at the Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve, in Belgium. My research interests shifted increasingly once I started working with MRI scans, and now my focus is the characterization of brain changes in clinical populations.

Aim of the project

The aim of my research is the examination of “Functional Connectivity in the Visual Cortex among Patients with Advanced Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, as Measured by Functional MRI (fMRI).” The core content of the research revolves around utilizing resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) in conjunction with neurocomputational modeling, such as connective field modeling and population receptive field mapping, to quantify processing integrity in the early visual cortex. The overarching goal is to expedite the progress of new treatments, bridging the gap between gene therapy and stem cell-based approaches and clinical implementation.

Current activities/Accomplishments

I am currently developing the research protocol for my first project, which will focus on the cortico-cortical connections in advanced stages of primary open-angle glaucoma. For this I am implementing a connective field modeling code to increase its reliability. Additionally, I am working on a comparative analysis to include an atlas-based delineation of the visual areas to ensure a complete resting-state approach in the future clinical practice.