Valentina Bruno
Papers
2
Total Citations
29
H-Index
2
About
Valentina Bruno is a cognitive neuroscientist and rehabilitation researcher whose work sits at the compelling intersection of embodied cognition, motor learning, and robotic-assisted rehabilitation. Her research explores how tool use and physical training reshape fundamental aspects of body representation, particularly body schema and peripersonal space — the region of space immediately surrounding the body that the brain treats as an extension of the self. Bruno's most-cited contribution (20 citations) investigates how motor training, with and without robotic assistance, influences the brain's metric representation of the body, offering nuanced insights into the mechanisms underlying bodily self-perception. This work helps clarify whether it is the active use of a tool or simply its physical presence that drives changes in body representation — a question with significant implications for neurorehabilitation. Her complementary research on lower-limb kinematics during robot-assisted treadmill walking (9 citations) provides essential reference data for designing robotic interventions that accurately replicate healthy gait patterns across varying speeds, directly informing clinical practice for patients recovering from central nervous system injuries. Together, Bruno's contributions advance our understanding of how the body and brain adapt to tools and technology, with meaningful applications in both basic science and therapeutic robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2