Date:
Monday, May 4, 2026
Time:
14:00 CET
Location (In person):
Room 11.2.23, Getafe (Campus Las Margaritas UC3M)
Online:
https://meet.google.com/tgg-pvbi-fsp
Speaker:
Francesca Ferri, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy)
Abstract
This talk explores breathing as a fundamental neural and perceptual modulator of interoceptive and exteroceptive processing in the construction of the bodily self. Traditionally considered a physiological function supporting metabolism and gas exchange, respiration is increasingly recognized as a dynamic mechanism that structures brain–body interactions across multiple temporal scales.
Breathing is proposed as a slow oscillatory system that temporally coordinates the balance between internal bodily signals (interoception) and external sensory information (exteroception), thereby shaping perception, self-awareness, and adaptive behavior.
Converging evidence shows that both interoceptive and exteroceptive signals are rhythmically modulated by cardiac and respiratory cycles, influencing sensory detection, multisensory integration, and perceptual accuracy. In particular, different phases of the respiratory cycle—especially inhalation and exhalation—systematically bias the weighting of external versus internal information, suggesting a mechanism of rhythmic precision-weighting in predictive processing.
Building on recent empirical findings, this talk argues that respiration not only reflects bodily state but actively organizes neural excitability and perceptual sampling, functioning as a “physiological metronome” for self-related inference.
Within this framework, the bodily self emerges as a dynamically updated generative model that integrates interoceptive and exteroceptive signals under the principle of self-relevance. Finally, the talk will address how disruptions in respiratory modulation may contribute to altered intero–extero integration in mental disorders, offering new perspectives on psychopathology and embodied cognition.
Biography
Francesca Ferri is Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences (DNISC) at the G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara (Italy), where she directs the Embodied Adaptive Mind (TEAM) Laboratory.
She holds a PhD in Neuroscience (University of Parma) and a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology (University of Bologna). She completed postdoctoral training at the Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa (Canada), and held a Lecturer position at the University of Essex (UK). Since 2018, she holds the Italian National Scientific Habilitation as Full Professor in General Psychology, Psychobiology, and Psychometrics.
Her research lies in cognitive and affective neuroscience, focusing on body perception, multisensory integration, interoception, and the neural mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness. She investigates how brain–body interactions contribute to self-awareness, perception, and adaptive behaviour, combining neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG, TMS), psychophysiology, and computational approaches.
She has coordinated and participated in multiple national and European research projects, including PRIN and Erasmus+ initiatives such as the INGENIUM European University Alliance. She is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications (H-index: 34, Scopus), with work published in leading journals such as NeuroImage, Journal of Neuroscience, Cognition, Biological Psychology, and Schizophrenia Bulletin.
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If you are interested in giving a talk please write an email to: lab.imbody@gmail.com.