July 2022 – HNL took part in the IFCU 7th International Psychology Congress
Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva represented the HNL in the IFCU 7th International Psychology Congress with the motto ‘Psychology in Dialogue: Three paths, One goal.’ Prof. Patrícia was invited by Prof. Alessandro Antonietti, the head of the Department of Psychology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milano (Italy), to be the discussant of the symposium entitled “The neuroenhancement of human capabilities: Challenging issues through the lens of an interdisciplinary approach.” The University of Sacred Heart and the HNL have established several contacts to discuss aspects of constructing a broad and productive partnership between the two groups. In her discussion, she talked about the high demands for neuroenhancement and the intense research efforts that might come up with more investment in technology like was presented in her talk “Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS): Basic principles, approaches, and procedures,” giving examples about studies conducted in the HNL. She also highlighted the need for an extended ethical discussion in the general society, as was suggested by Prof. Nicolò Gaj in his communication “Some philosophical remarks on cognitive enhancement via non-invasive brain stimulation techniques”. Prof. Patrícia finished by saying that “Putting forward my opinion, this symposium brings front and center the big challenges underlying neuroenhancement and reminds us that we create this moral difference between external enhancements (for instance, education or computing) or internal enhancements (for instance, brain stimulation or drugs), but above all, we are talking about the same moral issue: when it is really necessary or for who it is available”.
July 2022 – HNL team attended a conference in Dublin (Ireland)
The HNL attended the 14th International Conference on Humanities, Psychology, and Social Sciences. This event was held by the University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Patrícia Batista talked about one of her latest publications, entitled “Anxiety, Stress and Coping Stress Strategies in Researchers: COVID-19 pandemic,” and Ana Filipa Moreno presented a poster about her Ph.D. within the international ‘Mental Health Neuroforce’ project called “Mental Health NeuroForce: Assessing and Promoting Mental Health Among Police Forces.”
July 2022 – Some brilliant student finished their Master program with us in the HNL this term
- Ana Carolina Teixeira and her work “Burnout in Portuguese police forces: The role of empathy and emotion regulation”
- Arianna Ferrante submitted her work entitled “Neuroimaging correlates of empathic response in psychotherapists”
- Jéssica Fraga was dedicated to a “Exploratory study on the relationship between long consumption of Kombucha and its cognitive and affective effect”
- Jéssica Nascimento conducted a study called “The empathic response in psychotherapy: A comparative study between Portugal and Brazil”
- Maria Belén Llamedo presented “Coping and Stress in Public Security Police officers”
- Sofia Carina Nóbrega and “The impact of social media exposure during COVID-19 lockdown on body satisfaction”
- Sofia Machado was in charge of “The stigmatization of mental health problems in the Portuguese police context”
The committee awarded the requesting master’s degrees to all of them. A huge congratulation! We hope you all have new and rewarding adventures in front of you!
July 2022 – HNL is on the Organization for the Human Brain Mapping (OHBM 2022)
Here you can see Lucía Penalba-Sánchez representing the HNL at the Organization for the Human Brain Mapping (OHBM 2022). She presented one of her Ph.D. studies on applying the Point Process Analysis to resting state fMRI data to detect changes in dynamic functional connectivity in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This method captures the relevant points of the signal, signifying an avalanche of intrinsic neuronal activity. At the same time, it reduces noise and computational demands. Additionally, the results indicate that the PPA detects more subtle changes across groups than the static FC. Keep tuned to know more about this HNL study!
May 2022 – Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva is the keynote speaker in the University Babeș-Bolyai (Romania)
The Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - Department of Educational Sciences at the Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai (Romania) invited Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva for their International Week (Cluj-Napoca – Romania) as the keynote speaker with a speech entitled “Education and Neuroscience: Putting how the brain learns on the map”. Their students also had the opportunity to attend her class on ‘Social Neuroscience, Neuroscience for and Empathy’ and she was interviewed by the local university radio. She also took advantage of this visit to promote international networking; enhance the feasibility of cooperation based on the prior agreement between both institutions; and attract international students and teaching staff to UCP. A great experience to open new doors for the partnership between our institution and Babeș-Bolyai!
June 2022 – New interdisciplinary projects funded in the HNL!
Three new projects from the HNL in partnership with the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) were selected to receive funding from the Program for Recovery and Resilience (PRR). The projects are inserted in the Research Line 1 – Neural Correlates of Consumers Behavior. The projects are the BE@T (Bioeconomy for Textiles and Clothing, investment TC-C12-i01); BioShoes4All (Innovation and capacity building of the footwear industry for a sustainable bioeconomy), and the DECORGEL (Valuation, Industrialization and Commercial Innovation Platform for AgroFood). Congratulations to all the HNL players enrolled in the design and conceptualization of these projects! Wait for news soon!
April 2022 – Dr Małgorzata Łysiak visits the HNL
One of the weekly meeting of the HNL in April hosted Dr Małgorzata Łysiak from the Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Lublin - Polland. Dr. Małgorzata is a psychotherapist with a specialization in cognitive-behavioral clinical intervention. She has combined practice with research and teaching and visited the HNL to discuss partnership possibilities with us. In this meeting, our special guest shared her experience as a psychotherapist and presented a recent study on new therapeutic approaches to traumatic situations.
March 2022 – Kickoff Symposium of the ‘Mental Health NeuroForce’ project
On 29 March, the kickoff symposium of the ‘Mental Health NeuroForce’ project took place. This first meeting aimed to make known the main objective of this line of research and associated projects and to bring together the international team involved. This project focuses on deepening the knowledge of mental health in high-risk professionals, specifically in police forces. The symposium included national associated researchers, as well as the participation of the international team supporting this project.
Matilde Fernandes
Ph.D., Psychologist from the Psychology Division – Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP). Communication Title: An integral, humane, strong, cohesive Police at the service of the Citizen - PSP Strategy 20/22
Ted Scharf
Ph.D., Research Psychologist, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH) 1992- present, Division of Science Integration, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Ted is a member of the Mental Health Neuroforce project and assumed the role of moderator of the international section for this symposium.
Dori B. Reissman
MD, MPH is the Associate Administrator for the World Trade Center Health Program at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a Rear Admiral (retired) in the US Public Health Service. Communication Title: The World Trade Center Health Program: Recovery from the Terror Attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001
C. Robert M. Werner-de-Sundberg
Ph.D., DOccPsych is a lecturer in forensic psychology at Coventry University (UK) and former police officer. Communication Title: UK police custody as a critical occupation in need of a stress shield model intervention
John M. Violanti
Ph.D., a Full Research Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, N.Y., and a police veteran. Communication Title: Disruptive societal correlates of police mental health: A pandemic, civil unrest, and riots
March 2022 - HNL members participated in the Spring International Week by the FEP-UCP
The Spring International Week by the FEP-UCP started with a strong support by the HNL members who were present in the welcoming reception for researchers and speakers attending the event, presented their studies, got involved in social events and strengthened international partnerships.
February 2022 – HNL visits the partners in the Nottingham Trent University (UK)
Lucía Penalba-Sánchez, a Ph.D. in the HNL, visited Nottingham Trent University (NTU) for one of her research stays in her final year of the doctoral programme. Her main objective for this visit was to discuss methodologies and statistical approaches for her more recent study. She is exploring the relationship between sleep quality, age, and mild cognitive impairment. During her stay, she gave a talk on functional connectivity in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. The hybrid event (face-to-face - virtual) took place at NTU - City Campus. It was attended by professionals from different fields, interested in neuroimaging techniques, statistics, and ageing. The NTU has been a long-time HNL partner. So, it’s great to be together again!
January 2022 – HNL establishes partnership with a mobile games company
Facing highly competitive scenarios, the pace of technological innovations, and the short life cycles of products, companies need to pay attention to greater demands from their target audiences, including the scientific validation of their products. Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva explains that “the Project GAIN came about through a request for a partnership between Infinity Games and the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory, to develop research and innovation that combined Neurosciences to the area of game development for mobile phones.” In the GAIN project (i.e., Games for Anxiety Inquired through Neuroscience), the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory (HNL/FEP/UCP) and Infinity Games are partners and assume joint responsibility for developing a new market trend: scientific validation of products using neuroscience resources. The role of the HNL is to provide extensive experience in the design and implementation of scientific studies, research infrastructure, and human resources prepared to ensure the success of the research. In addition, Infinity Games offers financial support for young researchers, knowledge in developing and commercializing products, and a wide range of innovative products in this area.
January 2022 - HNL is represented in the video "Key Messages - Forum on Innovation and Employability" of the Union for the Mediterranean
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) launches the video "UfM Forum on Innovation and Employability: Innovating the Academia-Industry Linkage in the Mediterranean". The video includes the most relevant outcomes of the UfM Forum, which was implemented by Paradigms and supported by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and featured the participation of Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva. Watch HERE the "Key Messages - Forum on Innovation and Employability", closed with an excerpt of Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva's involvement.
November 2021 - HNL is invited to the 'UfM Forum on Innovation and Employability'
Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva was invited, as Portuguese representative of Higher Education and director of the HNL, to present the work "Fostering employability in Gaza", developed in partnership with researchers from Egypt, Turkey and Palestine. This event was part of the Union for the Mediterranean initiative "Strengthening the innovation-employability nexus in the Mediterranean" and allowed representatives from Academia, Industry and Government to discuss, evaluate and share experiences and best practices around the improvement of employability in the Mediterranean region.
November 2021 – HNL is represented in the ‘Lawyers Without Borders’
Ana Moreno, a Ph.D. student in the HNL, was invited to participate in the initiative held by the group Lawyers Without Borders: Interpersonal Skills Applied to Law of ELSA (European Law Students Association), which aims to promote transversal skills in the work environment, such as work ethics, stress management, legal writing and improvisation, and to train more resilient students. In this context, she delivered a talk titled "Stress Management in Higher Education Students". This initiative demonstrates how multidisciplinary work and the joint work of different areas of knowledge and mental health are essential for competent future professionals, including the contribution of Neuroscience.
October 2021 - New trainee at HNL
Starting in 2022, the HNL/CBQF received the trainee Maria Penas from the Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto in the scope of the Master in Biochemistry in Health to integrate research line 5 - Microbiota and Brain Functioning.
The choice of HNL/CBQF was a great challenge for Maria. We accompany her on this journey... Welcome!!!
October 2021 - HNL members participate in CIEL 2021
The 1st International Congress of Psychology Students, which took place online, had as its theme "Confining the Body, Unconfining the Mind", and counted on the massive presence of various elements of the HNL, from students of different academic years, as well as various researchers and teaching staff. It was a result of the collaboration between the Faculty of Education and Psychology, the FCH – the Faculty of Human Sciences in Lisbon, the Catholic University of Angola and two other Brazilian catholic universities. Members of the HNL, Miguel Ferreira, Jéssica Fraga and João Sousa form the Executive Committee of the CIEL - 1st International Congress of Bachelor Psychology Students of the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the UCP-CRP. Other members of the HNL participate in the Organizational Committee and the Scientific Committee. For more information, visit the official page of the event HERE.
September 2021 – HNL hosted the 2nd edition of the APE meeting
After the first “APE 2020 Meeting” success, the HNL and the Affect, Personality & Embodied Brain group from the Nottingham Trent University, launched the second “APE 2021 Meeting – Affect, Personality and Embodied Brain”. The event took place between the 20th and 22nd of September 2021, online, and once again, it was a success, ensuring the presence of more than 40 nationalities. Some HNL members were distinguished by the works presented. For more information, visit the official event page HERE.
September 2021 - Patrícia Batista visits Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca
Patrícia Batista, Researcher at HNL and Invited Lecturer at FEP-UCP, visited the Pontific Salamanca University through the EU’s ERASMUS+ programme. Among classes and meetings with researchers, faculties and students, there was also time to explore collaboration possibilities between that institution and the HNL.
September 2021 - HNL is invited to participate in the Union for the Mediterranean
Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva was invited by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) to participate as a Portuguese representative in the intensive training "Building Strategic Partnerships" that gathered representatives from Academia, Industry and Government of Mediterranean countries to discuss issues such as: How can Universities and Research Centres contribute to sustainable economic development? How can business and academia cooperate to sustain innovative careers for Mediterranean students and researchers? Prof. Patricia was one of the authors of the winning paper "Fostering employability in Gaza" carried out in partnership with colleagues from Turkey, Egypt and Palestine.
July 2021 – HNL joined the ‘Teen Academy 2021’
Patrícia Batista and Ana Moreno, HNL researchers, accepted the challenge offered by FEP-UCP and participated in the TEEN ACADEMY, with the theme “Discovering the world of emotions,” to promote a discussion on how to understand emotions, what are emotions most frequent, what they are for and how we can bring them into research. It was a wonderful morning!
March 2021 – The HNL took part in the TeaP Congress
Patrícia Batista and Ana Moreno, researchers at HNL, participated in TeaP - Tagung Experimentell Arbeitender Psychologen Congress, which took place between 15 and 17 March 2021 at ULM. Patrícia Batista presented an oral communication entitled “COVID-19 vaccine: the awakening of anxiety” and Ana Moreno gave a poster communication entitled “Mental Health Force: Assessing and promoting mental health amongst police forces”.
November 2020 - HNL researcher participates in RTP 3 Direct
Patrícia Batista, HNL researcher was invited to talk about the study that is being carried out in our laboratory, "COVID-19 Vaccine: From biotechnological power to psychological impact", on “Jornal das 11”, broadcasted live by RTP 3. According to the researcher, "this study will allow knowing the real emotional experience of the Portuguese people regarding the development of the vaccine against COVID-19". In the interview, the researcher explained the methodology adopted for the study and stressed its importance, encouraging the participation of the Portuguese by stating that "Increased knowledge will help us find solutions, prevent and deal with this uncertain future."
December 2020 - HNL researcher is invited by “Jornal da Manhã”
Patrícia Batista, HNL researcher, was invited to talk about the results of the study "COVID-19 Vaccine: From biotechnological power to psychological impact", live in the "Manhã Informativa". The interview took place on 14 December.
December 2020 - HNL researcher publishes an opinion article
"Anxiety: the reality facing the vaccine against COVID-19" was the opinion article by HNL researcher Patrícia Batista.
The article draws attention to the level of anxiety in the face of the current discussion around the vaccination against COVID-19. It also reflects the need to implement appropriate strategies, focused on communicating clear information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and reinforces the power of health literacy in decision-making.
November 2020 – Patrícia Batista from the HNL is invited for a podcast
Patrícia Batista, researcher at HNL, was invited to a live interview about her ongoing study “COVID-19 Vaccine: from biotechnological power to psychological impact”, on the Scientific Value section of the radio station Valor Local. The interview that took place in November and it can now be heard HERE.
September 2020 - HNL was present at the meeting of the 'Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências da Educação’
António Oliveira from HNL, participated in the XV Congress of the Portuguese Society for Educational Sciences, in which he presented the study "Musical performance during confinement: the impact of parental support" having also moderated the communications session on the theme Artistic education and intervention through the arts. The study characterises the level of parental support provided by parents during the confinement decreed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the positive impact it had on the performance of students in the instrument discipline in two Portuguese Music Conservatories.
September 2020 - HNL invited by the 'Núcleo de Estudantes de Psicologia da Universidade de Évora’
Professor Patrícia Oliveira-Silva, director of the HNL, and António Oliveira, member of the HNL, participated in the session "The Influence of the Arts on the Brain" in the 2nd edition of the event "We Love Psychology Fridays", invited by the ‘Núcleo de Estudantes de Psicologia da Universidade de Évora’. In this session were discussed the mental processes of artistic fruition, from perception to the attribution of meaning, the positive impacts of the Arts in the quality of life of citizens, the neuronal substrates underlying the musical practice and the cerebral synchronization between performer and listener, as well as the use of music in clinical scenarios.
September 2020 - HNL co-organizes international event with British university
HNL partnered with the Affect, Personality & Embodied Brain group from Nottingham Trent University to organize the first knowledge sharing event on the theme of mind-body interaction, "APE 2020 Meeting - Affect, Personality and The Embodied Brain". The event took place online and had more than 300 participants.
Some elements of the HNL were distinguished by the presented works.
September 2020 - HNL launches a new project in partnership with CBQF
The HNL recently launched a study on the anxiety of the Portuguese towards the arrival of the new vaccine in the fight against COVID-19. The aim of the study is to explore the level of anxiety of the Portuguese about the vaccination related to the pandemic COVID-19, to guide policy decisions in the areas of health and education, and to minimize as much as possible the consequences of this pandemic on the mental health of the Portuguese.
July 2020 - HNL participated in ISME2020
António Oliveira, PhD student at HNL, participated in the 2020 ISME Commission on Research in Music Education as part of the 28th Pre-Conference Seminar between 24 and 31 July 2020, having presented in a round table discussion the systematic review of the literature on motivation to study a musical instrument with the title "Does motivation to learn a musical instrument vary between children and adolescents? A literature review". This communication is part of her doctoral research that aims to understand whether the motivation and parental support measured at the time of admission exams to music conservatories can constitute as predictors of future musical performance.