Areas: Psychophysiology; Neuroscience

Bio. My background is in Psychology. In 2007 I received a BSc in Psychological, Cognitive, and Psychobiological Sciences from the University of Padova (Italy) followed in 2009 by an MSc in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Neuroscience. It was during these years that I developed my passion for psychophysiology. After completing my MSc degree, I continued working as a research assistant at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, and then at the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham (UK). I then returned to Italy to sit the State Examination for Psychology, which is necessary for the professional practice in psychology. While continuing my personal study in psychophysiology, I decided to formally study Sport and Exercise Sciences and in 2013 I completed a double MSc awarded jointly by Lund University (Sweden) and the University of Leipzig (Germany). In 2014-15 I worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg (Austria), deepening my study of electrophysiological signal processing. I returned to the UK in 2015 to start an ESRC-funded PhD in Psychophysiology at the University of Birmingham while at the same time completing a PGCert in Advanced Research Methods and Skills. As part of my doctoral training, I had the opportunity to visit the Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Laboratory of the University of Maryland. In 2018 I started a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, Loughborough University. Since 2020 I have been a Lecturer at the School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University, where I am a member of the research institutes for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP) and for Applied Human Physiology (IAHP).

Research. I use and develop methods of computational psycho/electrophysiology to study the modulatory effect of cognitive processes (e.g., motor control, working memory, perception), psychological states (e.g., mental fatigue), and disease (e.g, essential hypertension) on biological systems (e.g., cortical, cardiovascular, ocular, somatic) and their interplay (e.g., cross-frequency cross-system coupling).  

Teaching. I organize and teach several modules for the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences within a wide area that, within my lectureship at Bangor, has spanned psychophysiology, psychology, biomechanics, and anatomy. I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students. Since 2022 I have been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Admin. In addition to being a personal tutor for some students, I hold/have held the following roles:

• 2024-25 Lead of Internationalisation for Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences
• 2023-25 Reviewer in the Research Ethics and Governance Committee
• 2022-24 Lead of the School of Psychology and Sport Science Research Colloquia
• 2020-22 Admission Tutor for the School of Sport, Health, and Exercise Sciences

Email: g.gallicchio (at) bangor.ac.uk

Office number: 303.1

Office address: University Normal Site, George Building, Holyhead Rd, Bangor LL57 2PZ

Student meetings: 

• Tutorial: A 15-min meeting that can be booked through this page. If you would like the meeting to last longer than 15 minutes, please book multiple contiguous sessions.

Please note that these meetings are run online using MS Teams.

• Professional: Professional Strength & Conditioning Coach
  Italian Strength & Conditioning Society (ITASCS), 2025
• Professional: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  2022
• PG Cert in Advanced Research Methods and Skills
  University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
• PhD: Psychophysiology
  University of Birmingham, 2015–2018
• MSc: Sport Sciences with Specialization in Sports Psychology
  Lund University, 2011–2013
• MSc: Sports Science: Diagnostic and Intervention
  University of Leipzig, 2011–2013
• MSc: Experimental Psychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Neuroscience
  University of Padova, 2007–2009
• BSc: Psychological, Cognitive, and Psychobiological Sciences
  University of Padova, 2004–2007

learning resources: https://germanogallicchio.github.io/learning/

In addition to teaching modules (see table below), I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students  (e.g., Dissertations, Research Projects, Sport and Exercise Science Practitioner).

Example topics/questions for UG and PG supervision:

• What task characteristics contribute to mental fatigue the most? How can we counter mental fatigue?
• Optimal preparation, monitoring, and control of skilled actions, such as target sports.
• Can individuals perceive and self-regulate their biological activity (e.g., cardiac parameters)?

bold = Module Organizer

Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=i3h3GbMAAAAJ&hl=en

Software: https://github.com/GermanoGallicchio

Current PhD supervision:

• Thipkanlaya Jaiaue (primary supervisor)
• James Hodgetts
• Liam Hardman
• Kitty Goldthorpe (née Forster)

2024

• PublishedCardiac cycle modulation of working memory in normotensive and unmedicated hypertensive individuals
  Gallicchio, G., Edwards, L. & Ring, C., 27 Nov 2024.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedCardiac cycle oscillatory dynamics in a self-paced precision task
  Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D., Pecunioso, A. & Jackson, R., Sept 2024.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
• PublishedComments on “The relationship between T7‑Fz alpha coherence and peak performance in self‑paced sports: a meta‑analytical review” (Raman, Filho, Exp Brain., 2024): a verbal (analytical) disagreement
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G. & Wood, G., 25 Sept 2024, In: Experimental Brain Research.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
• PublishedCortical correlates of cardiac deceleration in preparation for skilled action
  Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D., Pecunioso, A. & Jackson, R., Jul 2024.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Other › peer-review
• PublishedEcological uses of external and internal foci of attention: A qualitative investigation into OPTIMAL Theory of Motor Learning.
  Gottwald, V., Hardman, L., Owen, R., Gallicchio, G., Roberts, J. & Knight, C., 16 Jul 2024.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedEffects of task difficulty on performance and event-related bradycardia during preparation for action
  Henderson, J., Kavussanu, M., Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., Jan 2024, In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 70, 102548.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedElectrophysiological signal processing as a tool to study preparatory processes in sports
  Gallicchio, G., Sept 2024.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Other › peer-review
• PublishedTemporal and spectral electrooculographic features in a discrete precision task
  Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D., Krishnani, M., Tasker, G., Pecunioso, A. & Jackson, R., Mar 2024, In: Psychophysiology. 61, 3, e14461.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2023

• PublishedCan attentional focus and physical exertion affect interoception?
  Forster, K., Maister, L., Wimpory, D., Cooke, A. & Gallicchio, G., 28 Jun 2023.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster
• PublishedCortical, muscular, and kinetic activity underpinning attentional focus strategies during visuomotor control
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G., Canales-Johnson, A., Uiga, L. & Wood, G., 10 Jan 2023, In: Psychophysiology. 60, 6, p. e14249
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedEEG correlates of verbal and conscious processing of motor control in sport and human movement: A systematic review
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G. & Wood, G., 2023, In: International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 16, 1, p. 396-427 32 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
• PublishedHold your fire! Effects of mental fatigue on motivation, executive function, eye-movements, and simulated gun-shooting performance
  Sabattini, L., Gallicchio, G., Marcora, S., Piras, A. & Cooke, A., Jul 2023.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedTemporal and spectral electrooculographic features in a discrete precision task
  Gallicchio, G. (Developer), Ryu, D. (Other), Krishnani, M. (Other), Tasker, G. (Other), Pecunioso, A. (Other) & Jackson, R. (Other), Oct 2023
  Research output: Non-textual form › Software

2022

• PublishedCortical, muscular, and kinetic activity underpinning attentional focus strategies during visuomotor control
  Parr, J. V. V., Gallicchio, G., Canales-Johnson, A., Uiga, L. & Wood, G., Jul 2022, (bioRxiv).
  Research output: Working paper › Preprint
• PublishedHow does an internal focus of attention alter the functional coupling between the brain and muscles?
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G., Uiga, L. & Wood, G., 2022.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
• PublishedQuiet heart and quiet eye: Cardiac and ocular correlates of preparation for action
  Pecunioso, A., Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D. & Jackson, R., May 2022.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedTemporal and spectral electrooculographic features in an aiming task
  Gallicchio, G., Ryu, D., Tasker, G., Krishnani, M., Pecunioso, A. & Jackson, R., Jul 2022.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review

2020

• PublishedAll talk? Challenging the use of left-temporal EEG alpha oscillations as valid measures of verbal processing and conscious motor control.
  Parr, J., Gallicchio, G., Harrison, N., Johnen, A. K. & Wood, G., Sept 2020, In: Biological Psychology. 155, 107943.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedMind and body: Psychophysiological profiles of instructional and motivational self-talk
  Bellomo, E., Cooke, A., Gallicchio, G., Ring, C. & Hardy, J., Sept 2020, In: Psychophysiology. 57, 9, e13586.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedThe quiet eye effect: A test of the visual and postural-kinematic hypotheses
  Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., 1 Feb 2020, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. 9, 1, p. 143-159
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2019

• PublishedA psychophysiological account of the quiet eye phenomenon: novel methods and insights
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedDon’t look, don’t think, just do it! Towards an understanding of alpha gating in a discrete aiming task.
  Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., Mar 2019, In: Psychophysiology. 56, 3, e13298.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedNeural correlates of motor performance in target sports: the model of movement-related alpha gating
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedThe advantage of a quiet eye: visual processing or postural stability?
  Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
• PublishedThe Effect of Mental Preparation on Brain Dynamics and Muscular Force During Maximal Voluntary Movement
  Ginsberg, A., Lu, C., Gallicchio, G., Elue, E., Teso, J., Bah, M. & Hatfield, B., Jun 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedThe effects of psyching on motor cortex activation and motor unit recruitment
  Klaiman, S., Ginsberg, A., Higgins, S., Lu, C., Gallicchio, G., Elue, E., Teso, J., Bah, M. & Hatfield, B., Feb 2019.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedThe influence of physical exercise on the relation between the phase of cardiac cycle and shooting accuracy in biathlon
  Gallicchio, G., Finkenzeller, T., Sattlecker, G., Lindinger, S. & Hoedlmoser, K., May 2019, In: European Journal of Sport Science. 19, 5, p. 567-575
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2018

• PublishedAssessing ocular activity during performance of motor skills using electrooculography
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Jul 2018, In: Psychophysiology. 55, 7, 12 p., e13070.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedNeurofeedback research in sport: A critical review of the field
  Cooke, A., Bellomo, E., Gallicchio, G. & Ring, C., Oct 2018, Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology. Carlstedt, R. (ed.). New York: Routledge, p. 282-303 22 p.
  Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
• PublishedThe Effect of Cognitive Strategies on Brain Dynamics and Muscular Force during Maximal Voluntary Movement
  Ginsberg, A., Lu, C., Gallicchio, G., Elue, E., Teso, J., Bah, M. & Hatfield, B., 2018.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

2017

• PublishedEye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: An electrooculographic analysis.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A., Kavussanu, M. & Ring, C., Jul 2017.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedPractice makes efficient: Cortical alpha oscillations are associated with improved golf putting performance
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., 2017, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. p. 89-102
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedPractice makes efficient: Effects of golf practice on brain activity
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., May 2017.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
• PublishedQuiet eye and eye quietness: Electrooculographic methods to examine ocular activity in motor control tasks.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Oct 2017.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

2016

• PublishedLower left temporal-frontal connectivity characterizes expert and accurate performance: High-alpha T7-Fz connectivity as a marker of conscious processing during movement
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Feb 2016, In: Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. 5, 1, p. 14-24
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedShooting under cardiovascular load: Electroencephalographic activity in preparation for biathlon shooting.
  Gallicchio, G., Finkenzeller, T., Sattlecker, G., Lindinger, S. & Hoedlmoser, K., Nov 2016, In: International Journal of Psychophysiology. 109, p. 92-99
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedSuppression of left temporal cortical activity mediates improvements in golf putting: A neural signature of expertise in precision sports?
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Mar 2016.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Other › peer-review

2015

• PublishedConscious processing and cortico-cortical functional connectivity in golf putting.
  Gallicchio, G., Cooke, A. & Ring, C., Apr 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedEEG spectral power and coherence during biathlon rifle shooting: A pilot study.
  Gallicchio, G., Sattlecker, G., Finkenzeller, T. & Hoedlmoser, K., Jan 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract › peer-review
• PublishedPremovement high-alpha power is modulated by previous movement errors: Indirect evidence to endorse high-alpha power as a marker of resource allocation during motor programming
  Cooke, A., Gallicchio, G., Kavussanu, M., Willoughby, A., McIntyre, D. & Ring, C., Jul 2015, In: Psychophysiology. 52, 7, p. 977-981
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedPreparatory EEG spectral power and coherence in biathlon rifle shooting - A pilot study
  Hoedlmoser, K., Sattlecker, G., Finkenzeller, T. & Gallicchio, G., 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Other › peer-review
• PublishedPreparatory EEG spectral power and coherence in biathlon rifle shooting: A pilot study.
  Gallicchio, G., Sattlecker, G., Finkenzeller, T. & Hoedlmoser, K., 2015.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedReduced cerebral and cardiovascular hemodynamics during sustained affective stimulation in young women with chronic low blood pressure
  Cellini, N., de Zambotti, M., Covassin, N., Gallicchio, G., Stegagno, L. & Sarlo, M., 1 May 2015, In: Physiology and Behavior. 143, p. 83-89
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2014

• PublishedPreparation for action: Psychophysiological activity preceding a motor skill as a function of expertise, performance outcome, and psychological pressure
  Cooke, A., Kavussanu, M., Gallicchio, G., Willoughby, A., McIntyre, D. & Ring, C., 1 Apr 2014, In: Psychophysiology. 51, 4, p. 374-384
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2013

• PublishedImpaired cerebral and systemic hemodynamics under cognitive load in young hypotensives: a transcranial Doppler study.
  Sarlo, M., de Zambotti, M., Gallicchio, G., Devigili, A. & Stegagno, L., Apr 2013, In: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 36, 2, p. 134-142
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedKlättrare – ett kontrollsökande släkte
  Gallicchio, G., Dec 2013
  Research output: Other contribution

2012

• PublishedTemporal dynamics of cognitive-emotional interplay in moral decision-making.
  Sarlo, M., Lotto, L., Manfrinati, A., Rumiati, R., Gallicchio, G. & Palomba, D., Apr 2012, In: Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 24, 4, p. 1018-1029
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2010

• PublishedChoosing the lesser evil: Electrophysiological correlates of moral judgment
  Manfrinati, A., Sarlo, M., Lotto, L., Palomba, D., Gallicchio, G. & Rumiati, R., Oct 2010, p. S38.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• PublishedIl bias attentivo nella fobia del sangue: modulazione emozionale nel cambio di compito
  Gallicchio, G. & Sarlo, M., Sept 2010.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
• PublishedThe attentional bias in blood phobia: An ERP study of task-switching
  Devigili, A., Sarlo, M., Gallicchio, G. & Munafò, M., 2010, p. S39.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

2009

• PublishedRisposte emodinamiche centrali e periferiche nell’ipotensione cronica durante la visione di stimoli emotigeni
  Sarlo, M., Devigili, A., de Zambotti, M., Gallicchio, G., Romanelli, M. & Stegagno, L., Sept 2009.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review

2023

• Christopher Ring

  One-week visit funded by the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW)

  Jun 2023

  Activity: Hosting an academic visitor (Host)
• University of Granada

  visit to Prof Andrés Catena funded by Taith

  May 2023

  Activity: Visiting an external academic institution (Visiting researcher)

2022

• Electrophysiology as a tool for studying the preparation and control of skilled action

  22 Jun 2022

  Links:

  • https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2022/6/visual-cognition-in-sport
  Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
• BU-IIA Funded Project: Cardiac cycle effects on cognition in hypertensive individuals

  Hypertension (elevated arterial blood pressure) is a medical condition affecting one in five adults in Wales. Remarkably, even prior to showing clinical evidence of cerebrovascular damage, hypertensive individuals develop mild cognitive functional deficits affecting working memory and attention. The objectives of this project are to (a) provide new evidence for aberrant cognitive processing (working memory and attention) in newly-diagnosed and unmedicated hypertensives through behavioural data and electroencephalographic signals (EEG), (b) improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension by determining the extent to which aberrant cognitive processing due to hypertension are moderated by the phase of the cardiac cycle wherein target stimuli are presented (cardiac cycle effect), and (c) identify a small portion of the data allowing to predict the severity of cognitive decline without the need for patients to undergo long testing sessions and operators to perform complex EEG signal processing.

  Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £6947

  1 Apr 2022 – 31 Mar 2023

  Activity: Other (Recipient)

2021

• Psychophysiology of sport: preparation for action

  Seminar conducted at the Department of General Psychology, University of Padova.

  May 2021

  Links:

  • https://www.dpg.unipd.it/psychophysiology-sport-preparation-action
  Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
• A psychophysiological account of the Quiet Eye phenomenon in target sports.

  17 Mar 2021

  Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)

2020

• Movement-related alpha gating in a discrete aiming task

  IPEP talk

  29 Oct 2020

  Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)

2018

• University of Maryland , USA

  visit to Prof Bradley Hatfield, funded by ESRC

  2018

  Activity: Visiting an external academic institution (Visiting researcher)

Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW)'s Research Wales Innovation Fund via Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award Cardiac cycle effects on cognition in hypertensive individuals

Postdoctoral fellowship via Loughborough University's Doctoral Prize 

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Grant number: ES/J50001X/1 The neuroscience of motor control and learning

• Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
• Italian Strength & Conditioning Society (ITASCS) 

Previous positions (other institutions)

Ad hoc reviewer for: