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NICOLA CELLINI

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Position

Professore Associato

Structure

Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale - DPG

Address

VIA VENEZIA, 8 - PADOVA

Telephone

0498276712

E-mail

nicola.cellini@unipd.it

CURRENT POSITION

• Since 01/07/2024: Associate Professori (GSD 11/PSIC-01 - Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience)
Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.

• Since 01/07/2021: Fixed-term research position type B (SSD M-PSI/02 – psychobiology and physiological psychology). Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.

• Since 14/12/2018: Fixed-term research position type A (SSD M-PSI/02 – psychobiology and physiological psychology). Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.

EDUCATION
2014: Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences. University of Padua.
Thesis Title: "The effects of sleep on autonomic regulation, cardiovascular activity, and cognitive processing."

2009: Master's Degree in Applied Cognitive Psychology – University of Bologna.

2007: Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Sciences and Social Relations – University of Bologna.

2001: High School Diploma in Scientific Studies - "Laurana" High School – Urbino.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
2018 - 2019: Research grant type B - Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
Funded Project: "How does the Sleeping Brain Shape Memories?"

2016 - 2018: Senior Research Fellow - Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
Funded Project: "Improving Emotion Regulation in Healthy Individuals and Blood Phobics by Targeting Emotional Memory Reactivation During Sleep."

2008-2010: Research grant - Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
Subject: “The critical role of sleep in emotional processing, reactivity, and memory: Relationship with brain and heart.”
Supervisor: Prof. M. Sarlo.

TRAINING AND RESEARCH PERIODS ABROAD
2022: Visiting scientist - U-tokyo Institute for Diversity and Adaptation of Human Mind, University of Tokyo (Japan) - Supervisor: Prof. Yuko Yotsumoto.

2012-2017 (6 separate periods): Visiting fellow – Sleep and Cognition Lab. University of California Riverside (USA) - Supervisor: Prof. Sara C. Mednick.

2012-2013: Visiting PhD - Institute of Child Health, University College London, London (UK) - Supervisor: Prof. M. de Haan.

Notices

NOTE FOR REQUESTING BACHELOR/MASTER THESIS:

- There are no longer available positions for theses and internships for the upcoming two summers and autumn sessions (June-September 2025).

- For second-year Bachelor students, thesis/internship requests can be made from mid-May 2025 (towards the end of the Psychophysiology course).

- For Masters' students, thesis/internship requests can be made in spring 2025 (with thesis defence not before spring 2026).

Office hours

  • Wednesday from 10:00 to 12:00
    at Via Venezia 8 - 6° piano - stanza 6-016
    Il ricevimento può essere organizzato in presenza o attraverso Zoom. Si prega di contattare preventivamente il docente via mail per concordare il ricevimento.

Teachings

Publications

Selected publications:

Degasperi, G., Meneo, D., Curati, S., Cardi, V., Baglioni, C., & Cellini, N. (2024). Sleep quality in eating disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 101969.

Gasparello, A., Baldassarri, A., Degasperi, G., Cellini, N. (2024). The impact of sleep on factual memory retention over 24 hr. Journal of Sleep Research, e14237.

Di Riso, D., Spaggiari, S., Gaiga, G., Montanaro, M., Zaffani, S., Cecinati, V., ... Cellini, N. (2023). Sleep and psychological characteristics of children with cancers and type 1 diabetes and their caregivers. Sleep Medicine, 103, 69-77.

Carollo, G., Degasperi, G., Cellini, N. (2022). The role of sleep and wakefulness in the recognition of emotional pictures. Journal of Sleep Research, 31(6), e13695.

Menghini, L., Cellini, N., Goldstone, A., Baker, F., de Zambotti, M. (2021). Standardized framework for testing the performance of sleep-tracking technology: Step-by-step guidelines and open-source code. Sleep, 44, zsaa170.

Cellini, N., Menghini, L., Mercurio, M., Vanzetti, V., Bergamo, D., Sarlo, M. (2020). Sleep quantity and quality in Italian university students: an actigraphic study. Chronobiology International, 37(11), 1538-1551.

Cellini, N., Canale, N., Mioni, G., Costa, S. (2020). Changes in sleep pattern, sense of time, and digital media use during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Journal of Sleep Research, 29, e13074.

Cellini, N., Shimizu, R., Connoly, P., Armstrong, D., Hernandez, L., Estrada, R., Aguilar, M., Weisend, M., Mednick, S., Simmons, S. (2019). Short repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation during sleep enhances declarative memory of facts. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13, 123.

de Zambotti, M., Cellini, N., Goldstone, A., Colrain, I.M., Baker, F.C. (2019). Wearable sleep technology: review on experimental validation and guidelines for its use in clinical and sleep research settings. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 51, 1538-1557.

Cellini, N., Mednick, S. (2018). Stimulating the sleeping brain: current approaches to modulating memory-related sleep physiology. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 316, 125-136.

Cellini, N., Torre, J., Stegagno, J., Sarlo, M. (2018). Cardiac Autonomic Activity during Daytime Nap in Young Adults. Journal of Sleep Research, 27, 159-164.

Cellini, N. (2017). Memory Consolidation in Sleep Disorders. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 35, 101-112.

Cellini, N., Torre, J., Stegagno, L., Sarlo, M. (2017). Sleep Before and After Learning Promotes the Consolidation of Both Neutral and Emotional Information Regardless of REM presence. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 133, 136-144.

Whitehurst, L.*, Cellini, N.*, McDevitt, A.E., Duggan, K.A, Mednick, S.C. (2016). Autonomic activity during sleep predicts memory consolidation in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113, 7272-7277.

Cellini, N., Whitehurst L., McDevitt, A.E., Mednick, S.C (2016). Heart Rate Variability During Daytime Naps: Autonomic Profile and Short-Term Reliability. Psychophysiology, 53(4), 473-481.

Cellini, N., de Zambotti, M., Covassin, N., Sarlo, M., Stegagno, L. (2014). Impaired Off-Line Motor Skills Consolidation in Young Primary Insomniacs. Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, 114, 141-147.

Cellini, N., de Zambotti, M., Covassin, N., Sarlo, M., Stegagno, L. (2014). Working Memory Impairment and Cardiovascular Hyperarousal In Young Primary Insomniacs. Psychophysiology, 51(2), 206-214.

Research Area

RESEARCH INTERESTS
• The role of healthy and pathological sleep in cognitive functioning (memory, attention, emotion)
• Assessment of circadian rhythms in healthy and clinical populations
• Non-invasive sleep stimulation techniques
• Psychophysiology of time perception
• The role of time in the consolidation (and forgetting) of long-term memory
• Validation of tools for assessing sleep/wake rhythms and physiological indices




Thesis proposals

NOTE: Requests for thesis projects to graduate in the academic year 2024-25 are no longer being accepted (with the exclusion of requests already in place). For bachelor's degree candidates, please wait until the end of the Psychophysiology course (late April 2025) to request a thesis.

For BACHELOR degree candidates:
Bibliographic theses on topics (preferably) related to sleep, circadian rhythms, and memory processes.
Experimental theses on sleep and memory (at least over 6 months): very limited availability.

For MASTER'S degree candidates:
**It is preferable to already possess a basic knowledge in psychophysiology and other recording techniques for physiological signals for master's theses.**

Studies in the following areas (indicative, not all research lines may be active at the time of the request):

- Psychophysiological correlates of sleep in cognitive functions.
- The effect of sleep and time on the long-term consolidation of declarative memories.
- Validation of wearable tools for assessing sleep/wake rhythms and physical activity.
- Psychophysiology of time perception.
- Bibliographic theses on topics related to sleep, circadian rhythms, and memory processes (preferably).

***For thesis and internship requests, it is recommended to speak directly with the instructor during office hours and not by email.***