Ana Maria Portugal

Ana Maria Portugal is a developmental neuroscientist affiliated with the Karolinska Institutet's Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Previously, she conducted her PhD research at Birkbeck, University of London, focusing on touchscreen use impacts on child development under Prof. Tim J. Smith and Dr. Rachael Bedford. Her work spans behavioral genetics, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cognitive interventions for aging populations. She collaborates with the DIVE Lab (led by Dr. Terje Falck-Ytter) and GEL Lab (Prof. Angelica Ronald).

Education includes a PhD in Psychology (Birkbeck, 2016–2020), MSc Developmental Sciences (Birkbeck, 2015–2016), and prior degrees from the University of Minho.

Her research interests emphasize touchscreen exposure effects on children’s attention/executive function, behavioral genetics of neurodevelopmental traits, and neurofeedback-based interventions for memory impairments. Key contributions include studies on twin cohorts and EEG-based cognitive training protocols.

Notable awards include JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019) and ESRC PhD funding (2015–2019). Her articles explore sensory processing architecture, touchscreen impacts, and neurodevelopmental biomarkers. She has contributed to projects like the TABLET and Babytwins studies, emphasizing public engagement in science communication.