Dr Matilde Vaghi
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Overview
Overview
Biography
Matilde gained her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2017 under the supervision of Trevor Robbins (Department of Psychology) and Ed Bullmore (Department of Psychiatry).
Then, she completed a first postdoc at the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging in London. Here, Matilde used publicly available datasets from the NeuroScience in Psychiatry Network and worked on understanding the developmental trajectory of cognitive processes and neural networks implicated in psychiatric disorders with Ray Dolan. To enable large-scale and longitudinal data collection, she also contributed to the development of a new smartphone app ‘The Happiness Project’ with Robb Rutledge.
She was awarded a Human Frontier Science Program Fellowship and a Young Investigator NARSAD Award to continue her work at Stanford. At Stanford, Matilde worked on neuroimaging approaches to understanding individual brain organisation in patients with psychiatric conditions with Russ Poldrack.
Matilde’s lab at the Birkbeck, University of London is interested in developing novel approaches to studying brain networks and cognitive processes implicated in psychiatric disorders on the compulsivity spectrum - the aim is to shift the focus from groups to single individuals to move to understanding and personalisation of treatments for people affected by psychiatric disorders.
Qualifications
- PhD, Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, 2017
- M.Sc. Psychology Cogntiive Neurosicence, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, IT, 2012
- B.Sc. Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, IT, 2010
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Research
Research
Research overview
The lab works to better understand high cognitive functions and brain mechanisms underlying the emergence, maintenance, and remission of psychiatric conditions. One of the aims is to develop imaging and diagnostic tools to help those who have psychiatric conditions across the lifespan and to translate this knowledge to novel and better-targeted therapeutic interventions. The lab is focused on a within-subject approach, and uses advanced neuroimaging techniques in combination with pharmacology, large-scale based experiments and computational modelling. Together, these modalities allow us to investigate correlates of psychiatric diseases from different, but complementary, angles. We also use resources available through Open Source initiatives. The lab is proud to currently hold funding from the Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation.
We will soon advertise PhD, Research Assistant and postdoc positions. If you are interested in joining the lab, please email to discuss (m.vaghi@bbk.ac.uk).
Research Centres and Institutes
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Supervision and teaching
Supervision and teaching
Supervision
If you are interested in joining the lab, please email to discuss (m.vaghi@bbk.ac.uk). We have upcoming positions (PostDoc, Research Assistant, PhD) or we may be able to apply for funding together.
Teaching
I teach in the Module "Structure and Measurement of the Human Brain"
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Publications
Publications
Article
- Apergis-Schoute, A.M. and van der Flier, F.E. and Ip, S.H.Y. and Kanen, J.W. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Fineberg, N.A. and Sahakian, B. J. and Cardinal, R.N. and Robbins, T.W. (2024) Perseveration and shifting in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a function of uncertainty, punishment, and Serotonergic medication. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 4 (1), pp. 326-335. ISSN 2667-1743.
- Bedder, R.L. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Dolan, R.J. and Rutledge, R.B. (2023) Risk taking for potential losses but not gains increases with time of day. Scientific Reports 13 (1), ISSN 2045-2322.
- Marzuki, A.A. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Conway-Morris, A. and Kaser, M. and Sule, A. and Apergis-Schoute, A. and Sahakian, B.J. and Robbins, T.W. (2022) Atypical action updating in a dynamic environment associated with adolescent obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 63 (12), pp. 1591-1601. ISSN 0021-9630.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Hagen, M.P. and Jones, H.M. and Mumford, J. and Bissett, P. and Poldrack, R. (2022) Relating psychiatric symptoms and self-regulation during the COVID-19 crisis. Translational Psychiatry 12 (271), ISSN 2158-3188.
- Gillan, C.M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Hezemans, F.H. and Van Ghesel Grothe, S. and Dafflon, J. and Brühl, A.B. and Savulich, G. and Robbins, T.W. (2021) Experimentally induced and real-world anxiety have no demonstrable effect on goal-directed behaviour. Psychological Medicine 51 (9), pp. 1467-1478. ISSN 0033-2917.
- Ersche, K.D. and Lim, T.V. and Murley, A.G. and Rua, C. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and White, T.L. and Williams, G.B. and Robbins, T.W. (2021) Reduced Glutamate Turnover in the Putamen Is Linked With Automatic Habits in Human Cocaine Addiction. Biological Psychiatry 89 (10), pp. 970-979. ISSN 0006-3223.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Moutoussis, M. and Vása, R.A. and Kievit, R.A. and Hauser, T.U. and Vertes, P.E. and Shahar, N. and Romero-Garcia, R. and Kitzbichler, M.G. and Bullmore, E.T. and NSPN Consortium, None and Dolan, R.J. (2020) Compulsivity is linked to reduced adolescent development of goal-directed control and frontostriatal functional connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117 (41), pp. 25911-25922. ISSN 0027-8424.
- Romero-Garcia, R. and Seidlitz, J. and Whitaker, K.J. and Morgan, S.E. and Fonagy, P. and Dolan, R.J. and Jones, P.B. and Goodyer, I.M. and Suckling, J. and Vértes, P.E. and Bullmore, E.T. and Bullmore, E. and Dolan, R. and Goodyer, I. and Fonagy, P. and Jones, P. and Vaghi, Matilde and Moutoussis, M. and Hauser, T. and Neufeld, S. and Romero-Garcia, R. and St Clair, M. and Whitaker, K. and Inkster, B. and Prabhu, G. and Ooi, C. and Toseeb, U. and Widmer, B. and Bhatti, J. and Villis, L. and Alrumaithi, A. and Birt, S. and Bowler, A. and Cleridou, K. and Dadabhoy, H. and Davies, E. and Firkins, A. and Granville, S. and Harding, E. and Hopkins, A. and Isaacs, D. and King, J. and Kokorikou, D. and Maurice, C. and McIntosh, C. and Memarzia, J. and Mills, H. and O’Donnell, C. and Pantaleone, S. and Scott, J. and Fearon, P. and Suckling, J. and van Harmelen, A.-L. and Kievit, R. and Vértes, P. (2020) Schizotypy-related magnetization of cortex in healthy adolescence is colocated with expression of Schizophrenia-related genes. Biological Psychiatry 88 (3), pp. 248-259. ISSN 0006-3223.
- Váša, F. and Romero-Garcia, R. and Kitzbichler, M.G. and Seidlitz, J. and Whitaker, K.J. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Kundu, P. and Patel, A.X. and Fonagy, P. and Dolan, R.J. and Jones, P.B. and Goodyer, I.M. and Vértes, P.E. and Bullmore, E.T. and Bullmore, E. and Dolan, R. and Goodyer, I. and Fonagy, P. and Jones, P. and Moutoussis, M. and Hauser, T. and Neufeld, S. and Romero-Garcia, R. and St Clair, M. and Vértes, P. and Whitaker, K. and Inkster, B. and Prabhu, G. and Ooi, C. and Toseeb, U. and Widmer, B. and Bhatti, J. and Villis, L. and Alrumaithi, A. and Birt, S. and Bowler, A. and Cleridou, K. and Dadabhoy, H. and Davies, E. and Firkins, A. and Granville, S. and Harding, E. and Hopkins, A. and Isaacs, D. and King, J. and Kokorikou, D. and Maurice, C. and McIntosh, C. and Memarzia, J. and Mills, H. and O’Donnell, C. and Pantaleone, S. and Scott, J. and Fearon, P. and Suckling, J. and van Harmelen, A.-L. and Kievit, R. (2020) Conservative and disruptive modes of adolescent change in human brain functional connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 117 (6), pp. 3248-3253. ISSN 0027-8424.
- Mihalik, A. and Ferreira, F.S. and Rosa, M.J. and Moutoussis, M. and Ziegler, G. and Monteiro, J.M. and Portugal, L. and Adams, R.A. and Romero-Garcia, R. and Vértes, P.E. and Kitzbichler, M.G. and Váša, F. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Bullmore, E.T. and Fonagy, P. and Goodyer, I.M. and Jones, P.B. and Hauser, T. and Neufeld, S. and St. Clair, M. and Whitaker, K. and Inkster, B. and Prabhu, G. and Ooi, C. and Toseeb, U. and Widmer, B. and Bhatti, J. and Villis, L. and Alrumaithi, A. and Birt, S. and Bowler, A. and Cleridou, K. and Dadabhoy, H. and Davies, E. and Firkins, A. and Granville, S. and Harding, E. and Hopkins, A. and Isaacs, D. and King, J. and Kokorikou, D. and Maurice, C. and McIntosh, C. and Memarzia, J. and Mills, H. and O’Donnell, C. and Pantaleone, S. and Scott, J. and Fearon, P. and Suckling, J. and van Harmelen, A.-L. and Kievit, R. and Dolan, R. and Mourão-Miranda, J. (2019) Brain-behaviour modes of covariation in healthy and clinically depressed young people. Scientific Reports 9 (1), ISSN 2045-2322.
- O'Callaghan, C. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Brummerloh, B. and Cardinal, R.N. and Robbins, T.W. (2019) Impaired awareness of action-outcome contingency and causality during healthy ageing and following ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions. Neuropsychologia 128, pp. 282-289. ISSN 0028-3932.
- Robbins, T.W. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Banca, P. (2019) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: puzzles and prospects. Neuron 102 (1), pp. 27-47. ISSN 0896-6273.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Cardinal, R.N. and Apergis-Schoute, A.M. and Fineberg, N.A. and Sule, A. and Robbins, T.W. (2019) Action-outcome knowledge dissociates from behavior in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder following contingency degradation. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 4 (2), pp. 200-209. ISSN 2451-9022.
- Ghio, M. and Haegert, K. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Tettamanti, M. (2018) Sentential negation of abstract and concrete conceptual categories: a brain decoding multivariate pattern analysis study. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373 (1752), ISSN 0962-8436.
- Fineberg, N.A. and Apergis-Schoute, A.M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Banca, P. and Gillan, C.M. and Voon, V. and Chamberlain, S.R. and Cinosi, E. and Reid, J. and Shahper, S. and Bullmore, E.T. and Sahakian, B.J. and Robbins, T.W. (2018) Mapping compulsivity in the DSM-5 Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders: cognitive domains, neural circuitry, and treatment. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 21 (1), pp. 42-58. ISSN 1461-1457.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Hampshire, A. and Fineberg, N.A. and Kaser, M. and Brühl, A.B. and Sahakian, B.J. and Chamberlain, S.R. and Robbins, T.W. (2017) Hypoactivation and dysconnectivity of a frontostriatal circuit during goal-directed planning as an endophenotype for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 2 (8), pp. 655-663. ISSN 2451-9022.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Luyckx, F. and Sule, A. and Fineberg, N.A. and Robbins, T.W. and De Martino, B. (2017) Compulsivity reveals a novel dissociation between action and confidence. Neuron 96 (2), pp. 348-354.e4. ISSN 0896-6273.
- Tettamanti, M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Bara, B.G. and Cappa, S.F. and Enrici, I. and Adenzato, M. (2017) Effective connectivity gateways to the Theory of Mind network in processing communicative intention. NeuroImage 155, pp. 169-176. ISSN 1053-8119.
- Vaghi, Matilde M. and Vértes, P.E. and Kitzbichler, M.G. and Apergis-Schoute, A.M. and van der Flier, F.E. and Fineberg, N.A. and Sule, A. and Zaman, R. and Voon, V. and Kundu, P. and Bullmore, E.T. and Robbins, T.W. (2017) Specific frontostriatal circuits for impaired cognitive flexibility and goal-directed planning in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: evidence from resting-state functional connectivity. Biological Psychiatry 81 (8), pp. 708-717. ISSN 0006-3223.
- Bandelow, B. and Baldwin, D. and Abelli, M. and Bolea-Alamanac, B. and Bourin, M. and Chamberlain, S.R. and Cinosi, E. and Davies, S. and Domschke, K. and Fineberg, N. and Grünblatt, M. and Jarema, M. and Kim, Y.-K. and Maron, E. and Masdrakis, V. and Mikova, O. and Nutt, D. and Pallanti, S. and Pini, S. and Strohle, A. and Thibaut, F. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Won, E. and Wedekind, D. and Wichniak, A. and Woolley, J. and Zwanzger, P. and Riederer, P. (2017) Biological markers for anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD: A consensus statement. Part II: Neurochemistry, neurophysiology and neurocognition. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 18 (3), pp. 162-214. ISSN 1562-2975.
- Ghio, M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Perani, D. and Tettamanti, M. (2016) Decoding the neural representation of fine-grained conceptual categories. NeuroImage 132, pp. 93-103. ISSN 1053-8119.
- Bandelow, B. and Baldwin, D. and Abelli, M. and Altamura, C. and Dell?Osso, B. and Domschke, K. and Fineberg, N.A. and Grünblatt, E. and Jarema, M. and Maron, E. and Nutt, D. and Pini, S. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Wichniak, A. and Zai, G. and Riederer, P. (2016) Biological markers for anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD? A consensus statement. Part I: Neuroimaging and genetics. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 17 (5), pp. 321-365. ISSN 1562-2975.
- Ghio, M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Tettamanti, M. (2013) Fine-grained semantic categorization across the abstract and concrete domains. PLoS One 8 (6), ISSN 1932-6203.
- Gironi, M. and Saresella, M. and Rovaris, M. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Nemni, R. and Clerici, M. and Grossi, E. (2013) A novel data mining system points out hidden relationships between immunological markers in multiple sclerosis. Immunity and Ageing 10 (1), ISSN 1742-4933.
Book Section
- Vaghi, Matilde M. (2021) Neurocognitive Endophenotypes of OCD. In: Fineberg, N.A. and Robbins, T.W. (eds.) The Neurobiology and Treatment of OCD: Accelerating Progress. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Springer. pp. 97-124. ISBN 9783030753924.
- Chamberlain, S.R. and Solly, J.E. and Hook, R.W. and Vaghi, Matilde M. and Robbins, T.W. (2021) Cognitive inflexibility in OCD and related disorders. In: Fineberg, N.A. and Robbins, T. (eds.) The Neurobiology and Treatment of OCD: Accelerating Progress. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Springer. pp. 125-145. ISBN 9783030753924.
External Repositories