Cognitive Neurosciences and Psychological Rehabilitation

General objectives. The course aims to provide the theoretical-methodological knowledge necessary to critically orient oneself in neuroscience about mental disorders and their treatment. The main expected learning objective is for the student to learn to extrapolate relevant and valuable results from the neuroscientific literature for the professional practice of the psychologist. Specific objectives. The specific objectives of the course will be to encourage the development of skills suitable for applying the knowledge learned into particular application contexts. Some topics addressed will be the diathesis-stress etiological model and the interaction between genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and developmental risk factors. The biopsychosocial model and the evolutionary model of affective neuroscience. Limits of preclinical research based on categorical nosography: the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) model. Epidemiology, risk factors, and psychobiological correlates of the most common mental disorders: Psychotic disorders, Bipolar disorder, Depressive disorders, Anxiety disorders, Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fronto-limbic systems, incentive salience, and self-regulation of behavior. Neural bases and etiological role of Pavlovian and operant learning: reinforcement, avoidance and protective behaviors; conditioned fear and its extinction. Behavior modification and its neural bases: notes on functional analysis; differential reinforcement; counter-conditioning; exposure and response prevention.