Dr. Alessio Bellato
University of Nottingham Malaysia
Dr Alessio's main research interests revolve around understanding human development in early life and investigating how the ability to pay attention to the world surrounding us changes during infancy and childhood. More recently, he became interested in the relationship between body and mind in children, adolescents and young adults, and how autonomic arousal influences attention, behaviour and wellbeing.
After graduating with a BSc in Psychology and a MSc in Clinical Psychology at the University of Padova (Italy), Dr Alessio moved to the University of Nottingham UK, where he completed his PhD in Applied Psychology. As a psychologist, He has worked in private and public health services and has involved himself in diagnostic assessment and planning of interventions for children with psychological, psychiatric and neuro-developmental conditions such as ADHD, autism, anxiety and depression.
Physical Plenary Talk
The Importance of Studying Autonomic Arousal and Emotional Regulation to Better Understand Psychological & Psychiatric Conditions
Autonomic arousal is an index of how physiologically active or reactive our body is in a specific situation. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for adjusting our physiological state to environmental demands, and it supports emotional regulation, attentional and cognitive mechanisms, which are affected in many psychological and psychiatric conditions in both children/adolescents and adults.
In this session, Dr Alessio will present and discuss evidence of dysregulated autonomic arousal in people with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions such as autism, ADHD, mood disorders, and conduct problems. He will also present evidence in support to the idea of studying transdiagnostic domains of human functioning (e.g., autonomic arousal or emotional dysregulation) to better understand neurodevelopment, in line with recent and validated research frameworks such as the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC).