Mattia Gerin

I am a developmental neurocognitive scientist and clinical psychologist investigating how complex trauma and childhood maltreatment alter neurocognitive systems across development. My work examines basic neurocognitive domains—reinforcement learning, perception, and memory—and higher-order social-cognitive processes—affect perception, interpersonal abilities, and social inference—to identify mechanisms that confer resilience or heighten latent vulnerability to psychopathology. Methodologically, I integrate neuroimaging (e.g. functional MRI) with experimental and behavioural paradigms to isolate processes that drive individual differences in trajectories of mental health.

My current grants focus on trust processing and trust-based decision-making following early adversity, studying Chilean children and young people with experiences of early abuse and neglect. Beyond maltreatment, I investigate broader adverse childhood experiences, socioeconomic adversity and inequality perception, and traumatic brain injury. A growing emphasis of my program is translational: designing and informing early-detection tools for individuals at heightened risk, and identifying protective factors and preventative strategies that can promote resilient outcomes. I enjoy supervising master’s and doctoral students, as well as undergraduate research-placement students.

Soy neurocientífico cognitivo del desarrollo y psicólogo clínico, y estudio cómo el trauma complejo y el maltrato infantil alteran los sistemas neurocognitivos a lo largo del desarrollo. Mi trabajo examina dominios neurocognitivos básicos—aprendizaje por refuerzo, percepción y memoria—y procesos socio-cognitivos de orden superior—percepción afectiva, habilidades interpersonales e inferencia social—para identificar mecanismos que confieren resiliencia o aumentan la vulnerabilidad latente a la psicopatología. Metodológicamente, integro técnicas de neuroimagen (por ejemplo, resonancia magnética funcional) con paradigmas experimentales y conductuales para aislar procesos que explican las diferencias individuales en las trayectorias de salud mental.

Mi proyecto actual se centra en el procesamiento de la confianza y la toma de decisiones basadas en la confianza tras la adversidad temprana, estudiando a niños, niñas y jóvenes en Chile con experiencias de abuso y negligencia en la infancia. Más allá del maltrato, investigo formas más amplias de experiencias adversas en la niñez, la adversidad socioeconómica y la percepción de la desigualdad, así como la lesión cerebral traumática. Una línea cada vez más traslacional de mi programa consiste en diseñar e informar herramientas de detección temprana para individuos con mayor riesgo e identificar factores protectores y estrategias preventivas que promuevan resultados resilientes. Disfruto supervisar a estudiantes de magíster y doctorado, así como a estudiantes de pregrado en investigación y prácticas.

Undergraduate:

• Adult Psychopathology (Year 4)
• Research Methods in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy (Year 5)
• Undergraduate research placement
• Clinical supervision

Graduate:

• MSc Clinical Psychology, thesis supervision;
• PhD (Neuroscience Programme, Psychotherapy Programme), thesis supervision;
• Doctoral seminars.

Pregrado:

• Psicopatología del Adulto (4º año)
• Métodos de Investigación en Psicología Clínica y Psicoterapia (5º año)
• Práctica de investigación de pregrado (OPR)
• Supervisión de Práctica Clínica

Postgrado:

• Magíster en Psicología Clínica, dirección de tesis
• Doctorado (Programa en Neurociencias, Programa en Psicoterapia), dirección de tesis
• Seminarios doctorales

Principal Investigator (P.I.): Risk and Resilience Following Childhood Maltreatment: A Longitudinal Neurocognitive Investigation of Trust Processing
ANID – Fondecyt de Iniciación (11250437); 2025–2028

Principal Investigator (P.I.): Mental Health Risk and Resilience Following Childhood Maltreatment: A Longitudinal Investigation of Social Decision Making
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – Programa Inserción a la Académica (PIA–24355); 2024–2027

Investigador Principal (I.P.): Riesgo y resiliencia tras el maltrato infantil: una investigación neurocognitiva longitudinal sobre el procesamiento de la confianza
ANID – Fondecyt de Iniciación (11250437); 2025–2028

Investigador Principal (I.P.): Riesgo y resiliencia en salud mental tras el maltrato infantil: una investigación longitudinal sobre la toma de decisiones sociales
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – Programa de Inserción a la Académica (PIA–24355); 2024–2027

Gerin, M.I., Viding, E., Armbruster-Genc, D. J. N., Roiser J.P. & McCrory, E. J. (2025). Advancing prevention science for maltreatment exposed children: predicting mental health symptoms with a combined neurocognitive vulnerability index. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 10.1007/s00787-025-02838-y.

Gerin, M.I., Viding, E., Puetz, V. B., Armbruster-Genc, D. J. N., Rankin, G., & McCrory, E. J. (2024). Atypical Interpersonal Problem-Solving and Resting-state Functional Connectivity in Adolescents with Maltreatment Experience. Current neuropharmacology, 22(2), 290-301.

Gerin, M.I., Viding, E., Neill, L., Armbruster-Genc, D. J. N, Freeman, Z, … McCrory, E.J. (2024). Heightened response to positive facial cues as a potential marker of resilience following childhood adversity. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1), 2309783.

Gerin, M.I., Viding, E., Herringa, R.J., Russell, J.D., McCrory, E.J. (2023). A Systematic Review of Resting State Functional Connectivity Studies of Childhood Maltreatment. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 64(101322).

Aliaga, A., Gerin, M.I. & Salas, C. (2023) Employment status among individuals afflicted by acquired brain injury: exploring economic consequences for both the affected person and their family. Studies in Psychology, 44(2-3), 433-463.

Puetz, V. B., Viding, E., Maguire, E. A., Mechelli, A., … Gerin, M.I., & McCrory, E. J. (2023). Functional brain plasticity following childhood maltreatment: A longitudinal fMRI investigation of autobiographical memory processing. Development and psychopathology, 35(3), 1382–1389.

Puetz, V. B., Viding, E., Hoffmann, F., Gerin, M.I., Sharp, M., Rankin, G., … & McCrory, E. J. (2021). Autobiographical memory as a latent vulnerability mechanism following childhood maltreatment: Association with future depression symptoms and prosocial behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 33(4), 1300-1307.

Puetz, V. B., Viding, E., Gerin, M.I., Pingault, J. B., Sethi, A., Knodt, A. R., … & McCrory, E. (2020). Investigating patterns of neural response associated with childhood abuse v. childhood neglect. Psychological medicine, 50(8), 1398-1407.

Gerin, M.I., Viding, E., Pingault, J. B., Puetz, V. B., Knodt, A. R., Radtke, S. R., … & McCrory, E. J. (2019). Heightened amygdala reactivity and increased stress generation predict internalizing symptoms in adults following childhood maltreatment. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 60(7), 752-761.

McCrory, E., Ogle, J. R., Gerin, M.I., & Viding, E. (2019). Neurocognitive adaptation and mental health vulnerability following maltreatment: the role of social functioning. Child maltreatment, 24(4), 435-451.

Gerin, M.I., Hanson, E., Viding, E., & McCrory, E. J. (2019). A review of childhood maltreatment, latent vulnerability and the brain: Implications for clinical practice and prevention. Adoption & Fostering, 43(3), 310-328.

Hoffmann, F., Viding, E., Puetz, V. B., Gerin, M.I., Sethi, A., Rankin, G., & McCrory, E. J. (2018). Evidence for depressogenic spontaneous thoughts and altered resting-state connectivity in adolescents with a maltreatment history. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(9), 687-695.

Gerin M.I., Puetz, V., Blair J., White S., Palmer A., Viding E., & McCrory E. (2017). A neurocomputational investigation of reinforcement-based decision making as a candidate latent vulnerability mechanism in maltreated children. Development and Psychopathology, 29(5), 1689-1705.

McCrory, E., Puetz, V., Maguire, E.A., Mechelli A., Palmer A., Gerin, M.I., Kelly, P., Koutoufa, I., Viding, E. (2017). Autobiographical memory in maltreated children and latent vulnerability to psychiatric disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 211(4), 216-222.

McCrory, E.J., Gerin, M.I., Viding, E. (2017). Annual Research Review: Childhood maltreatment, latent vulnerability and the shift to preventative psychiatry – the contribution of functional brain imaging. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(4), 338-357.

Gerin, M.I., Fichtenholtz, H. P., Roy, A., Walsh, C. J., Krystal, J. H., Southwick, S., & Hampson, M. P. (2016). Real-time fMRI neurofeedback with war veterans with chronic PTSD: a feasibility study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 111.