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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Louise P Kirsch @louisepkirsch.bsky.social · 22d

🎉 Excited to share our paper out in EJSP - showing that vicarious touch, i.e. observing human-pet tactile interactions, can reduce stress, in times of social touch deprivation such as the first COVID lockdown !
Co-led with @marianavonmohr.bsky.social, in collaboration w/ @katerinafoto.bsky.social

Vicarious Touch: A Potential Substitute for Social Touch During Touch Deprivation

Restricted interpersonal touch experiences, for instance due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, result in detrimental effects on anxiety, loneliness and psychological well-being. Yet, interventi...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Paul Jenkinson @paulmjenkinson.bsky.social · Jul 23

I'm beyond thrilled, excited, and delighted to announce being awarded a 3-year Tiny Blue Dot Foundation grant to examine body image in adolescent girls & to develop a VR-based embodiment intervention for body image issues. Expect more info and post-doc and PhD adverts in the coming months 😀

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Jul 8

Find out more about the Centre for Equality Research in Brain sciences here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... and the WoW mentor scheme here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Jul 8

Most honored by this and could not have done it without my amazing UCL colleagues at the Faculty of Brain Sciences. We still have a long way to go but proud to belong to a scientific society and an Institution that values diversity and promotes innovative solutions regarding research culture.

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Federation of European Neuroscience Societies - FENS @fens.org · Jun 26

🎉 Congratulations to the #DiversityPrize Winner!

🏆 At the 2025 #FENS Regional Meeting in Oslo, Norway, @network-alba.bsky.social and the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence (#FKNE) awarded this year's Diversity Prize to Prof. Aikaterini Fotopoulou. 🧠

👉 https://loom.ly/dphSwoM

#DiversityInSTEM

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences @uclbrainscience.bsky.social · Jun 25

🎉 Congratulations to Prof. @katerinafoto.bsky.social‬, who has won the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize for her outstanding contributions to promoting equality and diversity in the brain sciences. ‪@network-alba.bsky.social‬ @kavlifoundation.org‬

Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou Awarded 2025 ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize

Professor Aikaterini Fotopoulou from UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences has been awarded the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies meeting.

buff.ly

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Jun 24

The ESCAN Junior Committee is active and thriving! Join them and their series of workshops, to increase your skills, make new work friends and plan for the Rome conference next year. @escaneu.bsky.social it is all free and friendly.

ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social · May 20

1/3 📢 Want to make your research accessible and engaging?
Join our Science Communication Workshop with Dr. Elodie Chabrol, founder of Pint of Science 🍻🧠
Learn how to talk about your science with clarity and impact.

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social · Jun 24

🔁 Final call!
Join the ESCAN Science Communication Workshop w/ @elodiechabrol (Pint of Science)
🗓 July 3 | 🕓 16:00–18:00 CEST
💻 Online | 🎯 MSc, PhDs, Postdocs
⚠️ ESCAN members only
🧠 for more events, join ESCAN: escaneurosci.eu/membership-f...
#SciComm #PhDlife #ESCAN

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Jun 16

And perhaps contrast the brain's estimate of current experience against prior beliefs...

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 30

Anyone I know or should know going to FENS in Oslo this year? Pls dm me

a man with a beard is standing in front of a waterfall and covering his eyes .

ALT: a man with a beard is standing in front of a waterfall and covering his eyes .

media.tenor.com

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 30

Wonderful stuff Alex and colleagues!!!

Alex Galvez-Pol @alexgalvezpol.bsky.social · May 30

7. We actually propose the eSENSE framework for +ecologically valid Perception-Interoception studies:   

🧠 Situated research contexts
📊 Expanded lifespan sampling
👥 Non-WEIRD only (populations) 
🤖 Sensory-integrated recordings
⚖️ Equitable & inclusive methods

#OpenScience #EcologicalValidity

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 23

One of the most exciting cognitive and affective neuroscience conferences is happening next summer in Rome. Excellent science, good friends and Italian food in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Get ready for the ESCAN congress, June 3-6 2026! #ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social

a black and white photo of a woman riding a bike in front of a building that says invicta

ALT: a black and white photo of a woman riding a bike in front of a building that says invicta

media.tenor.com

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 26

A joyful and important topic to review. The mechanisms of tickling!

Konstantina Kilteni @kkilteni.bsky.social · May 26

New article out at Science Advances!

Three challenges, five questions, and multiple implications of tickle.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

@dondersinst.bsky.social @ki.se @erc.europa.eu
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #Sensorimotor #ERCResearch #ticklelab

The extraordinary enigma of ordinary tickle behavior: Why gargalesis still puzzles neuroscience

Tickle sensation remains one of the biggest unresolved mysteries in neuroscience—one that scientists are only beginning to unravel.

www.science.org

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 23

One of the most exciting cognitive and affective neuroscience conferences is happening next summer in Rome. Excellent science, good friends and Italian food in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Get ready for the ESCAN congress, June 3-6 2026! #ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social

a black and white photo of a woman riding a bike in front of a building that says invicta

ALT: a black and white photo of a woman riding a bike in front of a building that says invicta

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social · May 20

1/3 📢 Want to make your research accessible and engaging?
Join our Science Communication Workshop with Dr. Elodie Chabrol, founder of Pint of Science 🍻🧠
Learn how to talk about your science with clarity and impact.

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 7

Yes but it is about time economists and neuroeconomists start understanding metabolic resource allocation...

Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · May 7

Cognition: A Study in Mental Economy pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36745516/ - a nice (brief) look at the question of how we allocate limiting mental resources in the control of behavior

Abstract of a paper: n this letter, we argue that an economic perspective on the mind has played-and should continue to play-a central role in the development of cognitive science. Viewing cognition as the productive application of mental resources puts cognitive science and economics on a common conceptual footing, paving the way for closer collaboration between the two disciplines. This will enable cognitive scientists to more readily repurpose economic concepts and analytical tools for the study of mental phenomena, while at the same time, enriching our understanding of the modern economy, which is increasingly driven by mental, rather than physical, production.

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · May 5

Finally a book on touch that places our experience of our senses in the context of our collective intentionality throughout history. Excellent book review here: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Hannah Rose Woods · Tactile Dreams

The British aversion to touching wasn’t limited to the Victorian era: comparative studies confirm that we continue to...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Apr 3

Step 1 of Carolina's outstading PhD on parental interoceptive mentalisation. How do parents 'read' the interoceptive states of their child? How do we know our child is hungry, tired or cold? A careful validation of the 1st questionnaire on this important developmental dimension. Bien Hecho Carolina!

Carolina Villegas @carolinavm.bsky.social · Apr 3

1/3 New preprint alert! 🚨 doi.org/10.31219/osf...

Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?

We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.

OSF

doi.org

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Carolina Villegas @carolinavm.bsky.social · Apr 3

1/3 New preprint alert! 🚨 doi.org/10.31219/osf...

Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?

We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.

OSF

doi.org

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Apr 3

Step 1 of Carolina's outstading PhD on parental interoceptive mentalisation. How do parents 'read' the interoceptive states of their child? How do we know our child is hungry, tired or cold? A careful validation of the 1st questionnaire on this important developmental dimension. Bien Hecho Carolina!

Carolina Villegas @carolinavm.bsky.social · Apr 3

1/3 New preprint alert! 🚨 doi.org/10.31219/osf...

Are you studying interoception in a developmental or parental context?

We introduce the Parental Interoception Questionnaire (PIQ), a new tool to assess how parents perceive and respond to their child’s bodily signals.

OSF

doi.org

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Apr 3

It was wonderful and thought provoking!

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Mar 28

Funciones Ejecutivas at the amazing National Congress of Neuropsychology in Spain. Packed with excellent speakers and hundreads of enthousiastic neuropsychologists doing both research and clinical work. We need more of them in european and international events and collaborations. Thank you #Fanpse

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

ESCAN @escaneu.bsky.social · Jan 21

Hello, BlueSky! 🌟 ESCAN is thrilled to join this growing platform. Follow us for updates, insights, and discussions on cognitive and affective neuroscience! 🚀 #ESCAN #BlueSky #Academia

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Reposted by Katerina Fotopoulou

Fabian Schwimmbeck @fabian31415.bsky.social · Mar 23

In our recent @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social forum article www.cell.com/trends/neuro..., we highlight respiration's potential role in coordinating sleep oscillations and memory consolidation. With the fabulous @tschreiner.bsky.social and @estebanbt.bsky.social

A role for respiration in coordinating sleep oscillations and memory consolidation

Memory consolidation is thought to rely on the interplay of sleep-related brain oscillations. Drawing on recent findings that highlight the influence of respiration on these rhythms, we outline a fram...

www.cell.com

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Katerina Fotopoulou @katerinafoto.bsky.social · Mar 20

Similarly, this is coming Europe's way soon and if we do not get ready now, it will be worse and it will be fast.

Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · Mar 20

Seriously. If you don't FIGHT BACK now, your opportunity will be gone...

Jason Moore @moorejh.bsky.social · Mar 20

Where are the powerful board members at these universities and why aren't they banding together to protect their beloved institutions? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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