Arianna Sala

Arianna Sala is a postdoctoral researcher at the Coma Science Group, affiliated with the University of Liège (Belgium) and Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Italy). She holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine (2019), an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience (2015), and a BSc in Cognitive Psychology (2013). Her research focuses on molecular neuroimaging in disorders of consciousness and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Education:
  • PhD in Molecular Medicine (2019), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
  • MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience (2015), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
  • BSc in Cognitive Psychology (2013), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Her work utilizes [18F]FDG-PET combined with multivariate analysis to investigate brain hypometabolism and connectivity patterns in coma, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, and locked-in syndrome. Current projects evaluate the diagnostic/prognostic value of these imaging metrics, particularly for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Recent publications highlight her contributions to molecular connectivity studies in neurotransmission, dopaminergic deficits in Alzheimer’s, and clinical PET/SPECT imaging in schizophrenia. She also explores amyloid CSF/PET imbalance models, brain metabolic signatures, and lifelong bilingualism as neuroprotective factors. Her research intersects neuroimaging, neurodegenerative disorders, and computational neuroscience.

Contact for collaboration or inquiries can be made via the Coma Science Group email coma@uliege.be.