Irene Perini

Principal Research Engineer, Docent

My goal is to understand how social interactions and social stimuli are processed in the brain in healthy subjects and in psychiatric populations.

Social Neuroscience

Irene Perini is a neuropsychologist with a PhD in Medicine. She currently works as postdoc at the Centre for Social and Affective Neuroscience in Linköping, Sweden. Her research interests include social neuroscience and alcohol addiction. Her methods are psychophysics, functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

CV

2015 September – present. Principal research engineer at CSAN, Linköping University, Sweden.
2014 March – till 2015 August. Postdoctoral researcher at the Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Sweden.

2010–2013. Ph.D. Medicine, Dept. Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
2011 February – March. Research exchange program at BCN Neuro-Imaging Center University Medical Center, Groningen, Holland. Winner ERNI-HSF Exchange Grant.

2009– 2010. Internship at the Dept. of Clinical Neurophysiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
2006– 2008. M.A. (with distinction) Neuropsychology, University of Bologna, Italy.
2003– 2006. B.A. Psychology, University of Parma, Italy.

Research

The Heilig Translational Psychiatry Lab: Clinical group

We use brain imaging, behavior analysis and pharmacology to study how a breakdown of coping with stress and regulating negative emotions results in disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress and addiction.

News

Research leader and experiment participant with electrodes on her chin.

The brain’s cannabinoid system protects against addiction

High levels of the body’s own cannabinoid substances protect against developing addiction in individuals previously exposed to childhood maltreatment, according to a new study from Linköping University.

Self-injuring young girls overestimate negative feedback in social media simulation

Adolescent girls who self-injure feel that they receive more negative feedback than they actually receive, and are more sensitive to thumbs down responses, compared to other girls. These are the findings presented by Irene Perini, researcher at CSAN.

Publications

Selected publications

Perini I., Kämpe R., Arlestig T., Karlsson H., Löfberg A., Pietrzak M., Zangen A., Heilig M. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Targeting the Insular Cortex for Reduction of Heavy Drinking in Treatment-Seeking Alcohol-Dependent Subjects: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019. Continue to DOI

Perini I., Gustafsson P.A., Hamilton J.P., Kämpe R., Mayo L., Heilig M., Zetterqvist M. Brain-based classification and negative social bias in female adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury. EClinicalMedicine, 2019. Continue to DOI

Perini I., Bergstrand S, Morrison I. Where pain meets action in the human brain. J Neurosci. 2013. Continue to DOI

Morrison, I., Löken, L., Minde, J., Wessberg, J., Nennesmo, I., Perini, I., Olausson, H. Reduced C afferent fiber density affects perceived pleasantness of touch and empathy for touch. Brain, 2011. Continue to DOI

Organisation

A researcher is looking at encased samples in a lab.

Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience - CSAN

Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN) integrates knowledge and methodology from different areas of basic and clinical neuroscience.

Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)

What characterizes the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV) is the wide breadth of research and education. BKV is one of the largest departments at LiU with affiliation mainly to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.