Abstract: My research investigates the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the interaction between emotion and cognition, with a specific focus on attentional biases toward threat (ABTs) and human defensive responses (e.g., ‘freeze-like’ reactions). Utilizing a multi-methodological approach that integrates behavioral paradigms, eye-tracking, and non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS/tDCS), I have explored the causal role of the DLPFC and premotor cortex in modulating threat-related attention and motor preparation. My work also extends to clinical and applied settings, exploring attentional avoidance as a functional strategy in earthquake victims, action tendencies in health anxiety, and the role of the insula in interoceptive accuracy and cardiovascular stress responses. More recently, I focused on cognitive and affective symptoms in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia by means of behavioural and neurofunctional techniques (e.g., functional near infrared spectroscopy; fNIRS).