معرفی
Lucy Petro is a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow’s School of Psychology & Neuroscience. Her work focuses on cognitive neuroscience, particularly how context and prediction guide neural and cognitive processes. She uses advanced neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and electrophysiology to study visual processing, emphasizing contextual feedback signals in primary visual cortex (V1). Additionally, Petro is an accredited cognitive behavioral psychotherapist, integrating therapeutic insights with her neuroscience research to explore how internal models affect behavior and emotion.
Research Interests
Petro investigates predictive processing mechanisms in the brain, including how top-down signals influence perception and cognition. Her studies often involve high-field functional brain imaging to decode activity patterns related to visual scenes, occluded objects, and aphantasia. She collaborates with experts like Prof. Lars Muckli and Prof. Winrich Freiwald, examining cross-modal interactions (e.g., auditory influences on vision) and the neural basis of cognitive-emotional interactions.
Grants & Collaborations
Her current grant (2025–2029) from the Medical Research Council supports layer-specific imaging of context-dependent cognitive processing. She leads collaborations on topics such as cortical layer profiles for illusory experiences and the role of pyramidal cells in cognitive models.
Supervision
- Belén Montabes de la Cruz (Postgraduate)
- Zirui Zhang (Postgraduate)
Key Contributions
Her work bridges clinical and experimental neuroscience, with publications in top journals like Current Biology, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, and Nature Communications. She explores how predictive coding underpins perception and how maladaptive models can be therapeutically altered.
