Support the research
that changes lives
Sostieni la ricerca
al servizio dell’umanità
Neuroscience
The heart of our research activity is the RINED research institute located in Assisi. The goal is to contribute to a better understanding of the continuous, dynamic, and complex interaction between humans and the environment; between the brain and movement; between cognition, emotion, and action: for the well-being and the right to mental health of each of us.
Psychology
The Department of Psychology studies emotions, learning, how to enhance hope, planning, and the ability to envision the future every day.
Pedagogy
“Pedagogy for the Third Millennium” (PTM) is an interdisciplinary method of education and self-education, conceived by Patrizio Paoletti and developed by the neuroscientific, psychopedagogical, and educational team of the Foundation, to address the educational needs of our time. It is the tool through which the Foundation translates the results of research into educational and training practices.
300.000
These are the people in Italy with Parkinson’s disease
6.000
Estimated new cases expected each year over the next 15 years
STRESS
Among the main risk factors
THE PROGRESS OF NEUROSCIENCE
1848
The railroad worker’s brain lost a large part of the left frontal lobe, with effects on his personality and behavior that made him unrecognizable during the 12 years he remained alive. Studies on the case of revolutionized the understanding of the relationship between the brain and personality.
1860
On the morning of October 22, 1850, a psychologist and statistician, while recovering from an eye injury, had the insight that he later formulated as follows: “For the intensity of a sensation to increase arithmetically, the stimulus must increase geometrically.” With this formulation, Fechner laid the foundations for the discipline that studies the mathematical relationship between stimulus and perception, namely psychophysics.
1879
Angelo Mosso, an Italian physiologist, invented the plethysmograph in 1879, an instrument for measuring changes in blood flow during physical and mental activities. This contributed to the understanding of physiological processes related to brain activity and neuroscience research.
1903
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, is known for the discovery of the conditioned reflex, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1904, and through which he demonstrated that reflex responses can be modified through the association of neutral stimuli with stimuli that evoke innate responses. This contributed to the development of behavioral psychology and the understanding of human learning.
1929
In 1929, Hans Berger, a German physician, experimented with a device that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain; this was the first electroencephalograph (EEG) for humans. Berger’s invention is now commonly used as a diagnostic test in neurology and psychiatry, as well as a standard tool in brain research.
1957
The motor and sensory homunculus is a schematic representation of the organization of the motor and sensory areas in the human brain. The motor homunculus represents the distribution of motor functions across different parts of the body, while the sensory homunculus represents the distribution of sensory functions. The homunculus is a useful tool for representing to ourselves the different weights of perceptions in our brain.
1986
In 1986, Stanley Cohen AND Rita Levi-Montalcini were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery and their work on the control of nerve cell growth and for the identification of nerve growth factor (NGF). Their research contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms of development and regeneration of the nervous system, opening new perspectives in the field of neurobiology and regenerative medicine.
1992
This discovery has revolutionized our understanding of imitation and empathy, as mirror neurons are involved in understanding the actions of others and the ability to imitate them. This discovery has had a significant impact on the understanding of social learning and social interaction in humans and animals.
350.000
Hours of research
1.000.000
of people inform themselves
through our outreach channels
400.000
children and families have benefited
from our interventions
The most significant dates of Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti
2000
Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti was founded at the dawn of the Third Millennium, with the aim of conducting neuroscientific research on human learning potentials
to promote effective education for all through Pedagogy for the Third Millennium
2004
With the Schools in the World program, Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti’s international activity began in support of education in low- and middle-income countries. Over the years, Schools in the World has included the implementation of more than 30 projects, 52 pedagogical training missions for over 3,500 teachers and educators in 12 countries
2009
Assisi International School – AIS is launched, a bilingual school that combines the Montessori Method with Pedagogy for the Third Millennium. It is an advanced educational model for learners aged 24 months to 14 years, which combines an enriched curriculum with continuous teacher training. It has recently been selected as a representative institution for Central Italy within the National EDU Program of the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO
2016
At the headquarters of Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti in Assisi, the laboratories for neuroscientific research of the RINED Research Institute for Neuroscience Education and Didactics are inaugurated. The creation of the laboratories makes it possible to enhance research on cognition and movement in the educational field, and on the phenomenology of consciousness, thanks to the study of meditative practices. With the aim of improving the understanding of the mechanisms that
can enhance psychophysical processes, especially in specific populations, improve child neurodevelopment, and prevent neurodegeneration.
2017
“Prefigurare il Futuro” (PF) is a project born in 2017 in response to requests for help from communities affected by the earthquake in Central Italy. PF is a modular neuro-psychopedagogical training intervention that promotes positive resources and well-being even in conditions of extreme vulnerability, enhancing awareness and resilience for individuals and communities. Since its inception, more than 200,000 beneficiaries have been reached by Prefigurare il Futuro, in particular children, young people, and families who have benefited from interventions implemented in 4 different areas.
2020
“Envisioning the future” is implemented with educators in the juvenile penal system of Nisida.
2021
Launch of interventions aimed at population groups in Italy experiencing socio-economic and psycho-emotional distress, designed to improve learning opportunities and well-being conditions through psycho-social-educational actions supporting childhood, adolescence, and families.
2023
Over 350,000 hours of neuro-psychopedagogical research, over 300,000 children and adolescents reached
2024
Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti and New Life For Children launch the new Teachers Outreach project with the development of a platform based on innovative Artificial Intelligence tools, entirely dedicated to the training of teachers and educators worldwide on the research content of Pedagogy for the Third Millennium. The goal is to ensure access to quality education, regardless of geographic location, age, and gender, for 1 million teachers by 2030.
Patrizio Paoletti
Founder of the organization and creator of the Institute for Research in Neuroscience, Education and Didactics
Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
Neuroscientist, she is Director of the Institute for Research in Neuroscience, Education and Didactics
Elena Perolfi
Responsabile dei progetti pedagogici, didattici e formativi e membro del Cda
Tania Di Giuseppe
Psicologa psicoterapeuta, responsabile della ricerca psicopedagogica
Marco Benini
Pedagogista, responsabile dei programmi educativi in Italia e all’estero a sostegno dell’educazione di qualità in contesti fragili e vulnerabili
The partners of our research
Scientific research is a collective endeavor, a team effort that progresses one publication after another. Each individual piece of information forms the basis for subsequent studies. For this reason, it requires constant support.
Sapienza Università di Roma
Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”
Università degli Studi di Roma Foro Italico
Università degli Studi di Padova
Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center
Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center of Learning Disabilities
Haifa Universitiy
Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari (IBPM) Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Università Campus Bio-Medico
Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Fondazione Patrizio Paoletti for development and communication
Via Nazionale 230 – 00184 Roma
p.iva: 02730800543
Tel. 06 8082599 – Fax 06 92912688
fondazione@fondazionepatriziopaoletti.org
