Psychology

Prof Sergio Della Sala

Photograph of Prof Sergio Della Sala
Position
Head of Subject Area
Email
sergio@ed.ac.uk
Personal URL
http://www.psy.ed.ac.uk/people/sdsala/index_html
Phone
0131 651 3242
Location
F6 (7GS)
Research Interests
Interests in cognitive neuropsychology, in particular in amnesia, visuo-spatial and representational neglect, apraxia and the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's Disease.
Biography

Representative Publications

  1. Della Sala, S. (Ed.) Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain. Oxford University Press.
  2. Della Sala, S. & Anderson, M. (Eds.) Neuroscience in Education: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Oxford University Press.
  3. Della Sala, S., Cocchini, G., Logie, R.H., & MacPherson, S.E. (2010) Dual task during encoding, maintenance and retrieval in Alzheimer disease and healthy ageing. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 19: 503-515.
  4. McKinlay, A., McVittie, C. & Della Sala, S. (2010) Imaging the future: Does a qualitative analysis add to the picture? Journal of Neuropsychology, 4: 1-13.
  5. Parra, M.A., Della Sala, S., Logie, R.H. & Abrahams, S. (2010) Selective impairment in visual short-term memory binding. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 26:(7) 583-605.
  6. Della Sala, S., Darling, S. & Logie, R.H. (2010) Items on the left are better remembered. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63:(5) 848-855.
  7. Della Sala, S., Foley, J.A., Beschin, N., Allerhand, M. & Logie, R.H. (2010) Assessing Dual-Task Performance Using a Paper-and-Pencil Test: Normative Data. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 25: 410-419.
  8. Della Sala, S., van der Meulen, M., Bestelmeyer, P. & Logie, R.H. (2010) Evidence for a workspace model of working memory from semantic implicit processing in neglect. Journal of Neuropsychology, 4: 147-166.
  9. Parra, M.A., Cubelli, R. & Della Sala, S. (2011) Lack of color integration in visual short-term memory binding. Memory and Cognition, 39: 1187-1197.
  10. Dewar, M., Pesallaccia, M., Cowan, N., Provinciali, L. & Della Sala, S. (2012) Insights into spared memory capacity in amnestic MCI and Alzheimer's Disease via minimal interference. Brain and Cognition, 78: 189-199.

Grants

Recent Grants

  • Editorship of Cortex - January 2011 - December 2013, funded by Elsevier (129,000 Euro).
  • Grad 10 CHSS College Award. £2000, starting October 2010.
  • Exploring the cognitive basis of dual tasking ability. One year PPLS pilot project £2605.80, starting November 2010.
  • International Post-Graduate Programme in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. Three three-year PhD bilateral studentships, sponsored by Regione Campania, Italy, starting March 1, 2011, total: 177,300 Euros.
  • Improving memory in amnestic MCI and Alzheimer's Disease via minimal interference. Three year PhD studentship funded by Alzheimer's Society, £75,000, starting September 2011.
  • Make me a scientist! CHSS Knowledge Transfer six months grant, £3,000 (co-PI Jo Brooks), starting June 2011.
  • Three year bilateral PhD studentship (64.000 Euros) between Edinburgh and Naples, funded by University Suor Orsola Benincasa, granted to Sergio Della Sala (in collaboration with Prof. Maria Brandimonte, Naples).
  • Testing the effects of bilingualism on executive function. PPLS Pilot Project from 15/8 to 30/11 2011 (co-PI A. Sorace), total awarded £3136.35.
  • Captain Ko and the Planet of Rice. Wellcome Trust Small Arts Awards, 14-month grant (PI: Thomas Eccleshare, co-artistic director of Dancing Brick, Hanslope), Wellcome quota awarded £25,000 over a total (secured) cost of £82,365.
  • The neurocognitive basis of dual-task co-ordination impairment in Alzheimer's: defective coordination mechanism or differences in speed of processing? Three year grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC) in collaboration with S. MacPherson and colleagues from the University of Perth, Australia (R. Buck and M. Anderson). Total awarded: $232,521.00.
  • Adjunct Professorship – University of Western Australia, Perth (2008-2010), AU$30,000.
  • Investigation of the preclinical phase of AD: identification of early cognitive markers (Estudio de la fase preclinica de la enfermedad de Alzheimer: busqueda de marcadores cognitivos tempranos) – Three years project (2008-2010) funded by Colciencias (Columbia government granting body) with Mario Parra (and Francisco Lopera, University of Antioquia, as Columbian partner): 328,733,000 Columbian Pesos (aprox. £81,500), quota to Edinburgh 101,000,000 Pesos (aprox. £24,500).
  • Two PhD studentships in “Cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology”. Three year programme funded by the Campania Region and the Suor Orsola Foundation – in collaboration with the universities of Naples and Trieste (98,000 Euros), starting October, 2008.
  • Accelerated long-term forgetting in epilepsy: the role of interference. 36 months project (with one PhD studentship) funded by Epilepsy Research UK, (Butler C. PI - Oxford, co-applicants: Dewar M., Zeman, A.), £84,853, starting September 2010.
  • Alzheimer Diagnostic Aid. Ten months project starting 1.9.2010 (Co-PI: R. Logie) funded by the University of Edinburgh Initiating Knowledge Transfer fund - ITKF (£14734).
  • Improving memory in amnestic MCI and Alzheimer's Disease via minimal interference. Three year PhD studentship funded by Research into Ageing, £ 70,500, starting October 2010.
  • Integrated image data storage and processing facilities to support research in clinical neuroscience - equipment grant: Five year IT grant funded by the Wellcome trust (£416,427) (first applicant: Ian Marshall), starting: September 2005.
  • Assessment of anatomo-functional reorganization of cognitive processes by electrophysiological and neuropsychological techniques for detecting early biological markers of Alzheimer Disease. Three year studentship granted to host an over-sea student (Mario Alfredo Parra Rodriguez) funded by ALBAN, starting August 20th, 2005.
  • Impairments of attention and mental imagery following brain damage: an investigation of spared subliminal processing. Three year project grant funded by CSO - Chief Scientist Office (£203,038), starting October 2005 (co-applicants: R. Logie and M. Denis, Edinburgh). Project website.
  • Effects of bilingualism in non-linguistic domains. One year project funded by DTRF - Development & Alumni, The University of Edinburgh (£8,387) starting 1 February 2006 (co-applicant: A. Sorace, Edinburgh).
  • PhD programme in “Cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology”. Three year programme funded by the Ministero Italiano dell’Industria, Universita’ e Ricerca (MIUR) – in collaboration with the universities of Naples and Trieste (196,000 Euros), starting March 15th, 2006.
  • Unawareness of language disorders following brain damage. Two yeas award funded by the Wellcome Trust (£96,822), in collaboration with Goldsmith College (G. Cocchini), starting January 2nd 2007.
  • Dual-task impairment in Minimal Cognitive Impairment. Two year award funded by The Royal Society - joint project with Dr. Maria Antonieta Bobes, Cuban Neuroscience Centre, Havana, starting 1 May 2006 (£10,300).
  • Esciential –I.E. – European Science Festival: Itinerant Exhibitions. European Commission (Science and Society) 2 years, starting 1 September 2006 (Edinburgh quota: Euro 7000).
  • Remembering under conditions of reduced interference: An investigation into the role and nature of retroactive interference in the severe forgetting in patients with mild cognitive impairment. – Three year post-doctoral fellowship for Michaela Dewar awarded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust (£128,754), starting February 1st 2007.
  • Dual-task impairment in Alzheimer Disease: An investigation on specificity and development of a clinical tool. – Two year project grant awarded by the Alzheimer’s Society (co-applicants: RH Logie and J Starr), £95,104, starting October 2007.
  • Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland - Minor research award (PI: Katy Overy, Music Dept.) £4,932 - 1 year (2008).
  • Editorship of Cortex – 2008-2010, funded by Elsevier (125,268 Euro).

Tests

Paper & Pencil Dual Task

Apraxia Battery: British Version

Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ)

Previous Projects

Students supervised
Groups