Naroa Ibarretxe Bilbao

Naroa Ibarretxe Bilbao is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto. She serves as Director of the University Master's Degree in Clinical Neuropsychology and is Principal Investigator of the Neuropsychology of Severe Medical Disorders research group. Her work focuses on neuroimaging and neuropsychology related to Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cognitive rehabilitation.

Dr. Ibarretxe Bilbao earned her Psychology degree from the University of Deusto in 2005 and her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Barcelona in 2009. During her doctoral studies, she conducted research at the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB) at the University of Oxford in 2007. Her doctoral thesis examined limbic brain changes and their consequences on emotional, olfactory, and memory dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease patients using magnetic resonance imaging, for which she received the Lluis Barraquer i Bordas award in 2010.

• Psychology Degree: University of Deusto (2005)
• Doctor of Medicine: University of Barcelona (2009)
• Research Stay: Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, University of Oxford (2007)

Dr. Ibarretxe Bilbao's research primarily focuses on neuropsychological assessment and neuroimaging in neurodegenerative disorders. Her work investigates brain structural and functional changes associated with cognitive, emotional, and sensory dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. She has made significant contributions to understanding how cognitive rehabilitation can improve outcomes for patients with neurological disorders. Her recent work has expanded to include studies on preterm birth outcomes and the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for cognitive enhancement.

Analysis of Dr. Ibarretxe Bilbao's recent publications reveals a strong focus on multimodal neuroimaging approaches to understand brain structure-function relationships in neurological disorders. Her work frequently examines Parkinson's disease from multiple angles including cognitive decline, fatigue, emotional processing, and quality of life impacts. There's also a growing interest in the application of transcranial stimulation techniques for cognitive enhancement and rehabilitation. Her research increasingly incorporates longitudinal designs and multi-site collaborations to enhance the robustness of findings.

• Lluis Barraquer i Bordas 2010 award for best doctoral thesis

Dr. Ibarretxe Bilbao has supervised multiple doctoral theses focused on cognitive rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. She has been involved in numerous research projects investigating brain-behavior relationships in neurological conditions. Her work often involves interdisciplinary collaborations with neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuroscience researchers across Spain. She has contributed to the standardization of neuropsychological assessment tools for Spanish-speaking populations, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

As principal investigator of the Neuropsychology of Severe Medical Disorders research group at the University of Deusto, Dr. Ibarretxe Bilbao leads a team employing various methodologies including structural and functional MRI, cognitive assessment, and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Current research directions include understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive rehabilitation, identifying biomarkers for cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease, and developing interventions to improve quality of life for patients with neurological disorders.