E071 – Cognition, Gender and Neurodevelopment (CogniGeND)

Objectives

The CogniGeND group focuses its research efforts on the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and the application of advanced analytical techniques using artificial intelligence. The group is a national leader in neurodevelopmental research with a gender perspective. Its leader, Montse Fernández Prieto, is spearheading research on the social camouflage of autistic traits at the national level, through the adaptation and validation of the first tool in Spanish, the CAT-Q-ERES, which has direct applicability in healthcare and social service settings. The group’s commitment to applying new research technologies to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) offers the opportunity to publish in high-impact journals with potential for transfer to clinical practice.

Lines of research

• Research Line in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: This research line, which began in 2012, is the main source of recruitment for establishing the Galician cohort of patients diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This cohort, comprised of more than 650 patients, provides an ideal environment for conducting both basic and cutting-edge research on the broad spectrum of autism. Over the past five years, numerous tasks have been carried out:
  • Exploration of the interactions between genetic, environmental, and social factors in determining cognitive and neurodevelopmental differences, conducted with the support of the research agreement signed with the María José Jove Foundation.
    • Recruitment of 250 new participants diagnosed with ASD from the age of three, with basic clinical and phenotypic characterization.
    • Comprehensive phenotypic characterization of 160 patients within the framework of the ESTEA Cohort project PMP21/00051.
  • Neurocognitive Studies in ASD:
    • Examining the relationship between executive functions, sensory processing, and behavior in patients diagnosed with ASD, through comprehensive phenotypic characterization.
    • Use of new assessment tools for executive functions, such as the CANTAB battery, in a sample of adolescents diagnosed with ASD, as well as in a control population, for a comparative study of executive functioning in ASD.
  • Study of Social Camouflage in ASD: Analysis of the influence of gender on the manifestation and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders:
    • Establishing the foundations of the research line on camouflage in ASD.
    • Adaptation and validation in the Spanish population of the self-administered version of the Camouflage Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), carried out with the author of the original questionnaire, Dr. Laura Hull. This instrument assesses how adults modify or conceal autistic traits to fit into social contexts. The CAT-Q-ERES is now available for clinical and research use, addressing a significant need in the Spanish context.
    • Development of a machine learning algorithm to predict emotional comorbidities in autism (anxiety or depression) based on the camouflaging of autistic traits, with the aim of anticipating personalized interventions.
    • Research on the effects of social camouflage on mental health: this research delves into the association between social camouflage of autistic traits, suicidal behaviors, and anxiety in individuals diagnosed with ASD.

• Research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: this research focuses on the phenotypic and neurocognitive study of individuals diagnosed with ADHD, from early developmental stages to adulthood. Numerous tasks have been carried out within this research line over the past five years, including:
  • Evaluation of the executive functioning of young people and adolescents with ADHD to learn more about the role of executive dysfunction as a core feature of ADHD.
  • Study on the relationship between emotional dysregulation and executive dysfunction in people diagnosed with ADHD
  • Camouflaging ADHD symptoms: research with a gender perspective.
    • This study explores the strategies adults with ADHD use to camouflage their symptoms in social settings, as well as the motivations behind this behavior.
    • The adaptation and validation of the ECaSTDAH questionnaire, designed to detect camouflage behaviors in ADHD in adults over 18 years of age, is underway.

• Research line on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: focuses on a deeper understanding of executive functioning and its role in the response to pharmacological treatment.
  • Studies on the executive functioning of people diagnosed with OCD:
    • Studies on short- and long-term nonverbal memory and organizational skills.
    • Analyzing how emotional contexts modulate executive functioning, comparing patients with OCD and the general population.
    • Conduct a study of the genetic basis of executive functions in OCD with the aim of improving the understanding of OCD prognosis.
  • COVID-19 Research:
    • A study is being conducted on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the symptoms of people diagnosed with OCD, a collaborative study with the OCD Unit at Bellvitge Hospital.
    • A machine learning model is being created to predict worsening of OCD symptoms in the event of new periods of confinement, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, so that at-risk patients can be identified and preventive measures implemented.
  • Long-term follow-up cohorts:
    • The first study to predict the prognosis of OCD in a cohort followed for more than ten years is being conducted; this is the first study of its kind to compare symptom variability in OCD over such a long period.
    • An algorithm using machine learning techniques is being designed to predict long-term improvement or worsening of OCD symptoms, with the aim of identifying risk profiles and guiding early interventions.
  • Predicting Response to Psychopharmacological Treatment in OCD:
    • A study of executive functions and their relationship to response to pharmacological treatment, establishing a link between organizational skills and a better response to treatment with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).
    • Identification of executive functions useful for predicting response to different pharmacological strategies, and creation of a predictive model for response to pharmacological treatment in OCD using artificial intelligence techniques.
    • Suicide in OCD: Identification of risk factors for suicidal behavior, applying artificial intelligence techniques to anticipate alarming situations.

Leader
Fernández Prieto, Montserrat

Members
Carou López, María
Pozo Rodríguez, Marta
Tubío Fungueiriño, María

External collaborating staff
Ferrer Vázquez, María Elvira
Varela Calvo, María Ángeles

Implementación de Mentoría del Asesoramiento Genético en la región sudoccidental de Europa (MAG-SUDOE)
Project code: S2/4.5/P0159
Financial entity: Programa Interreg Sudoe
Duration: 2025-2028
Funding: 258.500 €
Principal investigator:

SMARTOMICS: Prevención de la conducta suicida mediante intervenciones terapéuticas guiadas por fenotipo digital y farmacogenética – Programa de Medicina Personalizada de Precisión
Project code: PMP24/00026
Financial entity: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Duration: 2025-2028
Funding: 3.541.874,49 €
Principal investigator: Enrique Baca García

• Conde-Pumpido-Zubizarreta S, Cruz S, Pozo-Rodríguez M, Suárez-Rama JJ, Díaz-Hernández A, Carracedo A, Tubío-Fungueiriño M, Fernández-Prieto M. The association between autism, camouflaging and anxiety with suicidal ideation in women. Front Psychol 2026; 16: doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1685845
• Pozo-Rodríguez M, Cruz S, Conde-Pumpido-Zubizarreta S, Carracedo A, Tubío-Fungueiriño M, Fernández-Prieto M. A systematic review on the association between executive function and emotional regulation in autism, ADHD, and autism/ADHD. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2026; 183: 106570. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.106570
• Conde-Pumpido Zubizarreta S, Isaksson J, Faresjö Å, Faresjö T, Carracedo A, Fernández Prieto M, Bölte S, Lundin Remnélius K. The impact of camouflaging autistic traits on psychological and physiological stress: a co-twin control study. Mol Autism 2025; 16(1): 59. doi: 10.1186/s13229-025-00695-9
• Recarey Rama S, Conde-Pumpido Zubizarreta S, Brenlla C, Gerpe Rieiro E, Gil Rodríguez A, Tubío Fungueiriño M, Pozo Rodríguez M, Carracedo A, Maroñas O, Fernández Prieto M. Exploring the sensory profile and pharmacogenetic biomarkers in child and youth ADHD patients undergoing methylphenidate (MPH) treatment: a systematic review conducted in European studies. J Psychiatr Res 2025; 190: 512-521. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.09.002
• Conde-Pumpido Zubizarreta S, Tubío Fungueiriño M, Pozo Rodriguez M, Carracedo A, Cernadas E, Fernández Delgado M, Fernández Prieto M. Predicting autistic traits, anxiety and depression symptoms using camouflaging autistic traits questionnaire (CAT-Q-ES): a machine learning study. Res Autism 2025; 128: doi: 10.1016/j.reia.2025.202712
• Conde-Pumpido Zubizarreta S, Lois Mosquera M, Tubío Fungueiriño M, Alemany Navarro M, Hull L, Carracedo A, Gándara Gafo B, Fernández Prieto M. Camouflaging autistic traits questionnaire: cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity in autistic and non-autistic from Spain. Autism Adulthood 2025; 00: 1-14.
• Domínguez Alonso S, Tubío Fungueiriño M, González Peñas J, Fernández Prieto M, Parellada M, Arango C, Carracedo A, Rodríguez Fontenla C. Alternative splicing analysis in a Spanish ASD cohort: in silico prediction and characterization. Sci Rep 2025; 15: 10730. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-95456-2
• Trujillano L, Valenzuela I, Costa-Roger M, Cuscó I, Fernandez-Alvarez P, Cueto-González A, Lasa-Aranzasti A, Masotto B, Abulí A, Codina-Solà M, Del Campo M, Ruiz Moreno JA, Pardo Domínguez C, Palma Milla C, Pérez de la Fuente R, Quesada-Espinosa JF, Núñez-Enamorado N, Gener B, Ballesta-Martínez MJ, Brea-Fernández AJ, Fernández-Prieto M, Trujillo-Quintero JP, Ruiz A, Santos-Simarro F, Rosello M, Orellana C, Martinez F, Martinez-Monseny AF, Casas-Alba D, Serrano M, Palomares-Bralo M, Rikeros-Orozco E, Gómez-Cano MÁ, Tirado-Requero P, Pié Juste J, Ramos FJ, García-Arumí E, Tizzano EF. Comprehensive clinical and genetic characterization of a Spanish cohort of 22 patients with Bainbridge-Ropers syndrome. Clin Genet 2025; 107(6): 646-662. doi: 10.1111/cge.14701.