Rita Pasion

Rita Pasion is an Assistant Professor at Lusófona University, where she lectures in Psychology and Neuroscience. She directs the Master’s Degree in Clinical Neuropsychology and heads the Brain.Edge – Clinical & Translational Neuroscience Lab at the Porto Campus, focusing on transdiagnostic neurobiological markers of psychopathology using ERP and multimodal assessments.

Education:

• Integrated Master in Psychology
• PhD in Psychology (awarded by FCT)
• Cognitive and Affective Neurophysiology Summer School: EEG acquisition/processing
• Psychological Assessment: offenders specialization

Her research challenges the one-to-one biomarker hypothesis in psychopathology, advocating transdiagnostic approaches through RDoC and HiTOP frameworks. She investigates ERP correlates of personality disorders, psychopathy, and comorbidity, developing empirically-informed assessment tools including a 100+ symptom mapping instrument for clinical profiles.

Recent publications (2023-2024) demonstrate transdiagnostic trends across schizophrenia, autism, and psychopathy using ERP methodologies. Key themes include cannabis effects on adolescent neurodevelopment, uncertainty processing in decision-making, and comorbidity mechanisms, frequently employing systematic reviews to consolidate evidence.

Scientific Awards:

• Distinction from Society for Psychophysiological Research
• Distinction from Open Science Framework
• Distinction from Society for Personality Assessment

She fosters a research culture emphasizing transparency, open science, and international collaboration. Her lab secured 8 national/international grants within two years, coordinating HiTOP-SR normative data collection to establish clinical benchmarks and identify at-risk populations through symptom mapping.

As head of Brain.Edge Lab, she cultivates an innovative environment prioritizing work-family balance and researcher autonomy. The lab focuses on clinical translation of neuroscience findings into assessment tools while advancing transdiagnostic understanding of psychopathology through multimodal approaches.