Marcella Bellani

Marcella Bellani is an Associate Professor at the University of Verona's Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology. She chairs the Neuroimaging Section of the European Psychiatric Association and directs the Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology Research Unit. Her research focuses on applying neuroimaging techniques (MRI, fMRI) to study psychiatric disorders, with emphasis on biomarkers for early diagnosis and intervention. She investigates psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression using translational approaches combining neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and rehabilitation strategies.

Her teaching roles include contributing to medical and psychiatric rehabilitation programs, covering topics like psychiatry fundamentals and cognitive therapy principles. She actively participates in postgraduate psychiatry specialization courses, overseeing clinical case discussions and literature updates. Bellani's work integrates computational neuroscience methods to analyze brain structure/function relationships, with recent projects exploring machine learning applications in mental health diagnostics.

Her research unit collaborates internationally through initiatives like the ECNP neuroimaging network, emphasizing data harmonization for large-scale studies. Key areas include the impact of inflammation on brain microstructure in psychosis, cognitive remediation therapies, and digital interventions for social isolation. She advocates for ethical considerations in psychiatric care, such as opposing assisted suicide for severe depression cases.