Docente
Mónica Sobral

Resume

Mónica Sobral completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra and in Human Developmental Sciences at Mackenzie Presbyterian University (2026). Her PhD project was focused on the study of neural, cognitive, and psychosocial adaptations in pregnancy and the postpartum period, related to maternal caregiving and mental health. Mónica completed the Integrated Master's in Clinical Psychology (subspecialization in Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions in Psychological and Health Disorders) in 2020 at the same institution. Mónica's main research interests are in perinatal mental health, translational affective and cognitive neuroscience, and non-invasive neuromodulation.

Graus

• Integrated Master's Degree
  Integrated Masters Degree In Clinical Psychology
• Others
  Introductory Workshop in Internal Family Systems [15h]
• Others
  Training School in Evidence-Based Interventions in Peripartum Depression, online [15h]
• Others
  Ethics in Scientific Research Seminar - Professor Luís Adriano Oliveira
• Others
  Training School in Principles and Practices in Clinical Trials [15h]
• Others
  Systematic reviews and meta-analysis: Step-by-step roadmap from complicated manuals to practicable practice [21h] - Neuza Silva
• Intermediate Degree
  Fundamental Neuroscience for Neuroimaging Course Johns Hopkins University on Coursera [9h]
• Doctorate
  PhD in Clinical Psychology and Human Developmental Sciences
• Others
  Co-Organised Training School in The combination of TMS/tDCS with MR imaging
• Others
  Workshop in Psychophysiology
• Others
  Workshop in Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Utility
• Others
  Workshop "Three national perspectives in Europe on experiences of researchers in gaining informed consent from women with PPD in Research"
• Others
  Longitudinal Data Analysis Online Course (6h)
• Others
  Training School on Infant's Neurodevelopment Assessment [15h]
• Postgraduate Program
  Advanced Professional Program - Intervention in Pregnancy and Parenthood [143h]

Publicações

Preprint

• 2025-07-04, Neural correlates of peripartum depression: a systematic review, meta-analysis and comparison to major depressive disorder

Journal article

• 2026-03, The neuropsychophysiological correlates of compassion: A transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) study, International Journal of Psychophysiology
• 2026-01, Neural correlates of joint attention in infants aged 8-24 months: A systematic review, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• 2025-10, The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with virtual reality-based mindfulness on attention and inhibitory control in healthy individuals, International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology
• 2025-09-08, Neural correlates of peripartum depression: a systematic review, meta-analysis and comparison to major depressive disorder, Molecular Psychiatry
• 2025-09, Assessing tDCS efficacy in reducing negative symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Brain Stimulation
• 2024-06-13, Transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation in reducing depressive symptoms during the peripartum period, Current Opinion in Psychiatry
• 2023-02, The Impact of COVID-19 on Breastfeeding Rates: an international cross-sectional study, Midwifery
• 2022-10-06, Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation in dual active treatments for symptoms of depression and anxiety: A case series, Frontiers in Psychiatry
• 2022-02-03, Neurobiological Correlates of Fatherhood During the Postpartum Period: A Scoping Review, Frontiers in Psychology
• 2022-01, Association between cortical thickness and anxiety measures: A scoping review, Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
• 2021-03-14, Breastfeeding during COVID-19: A Narrative Review of the Psychological Impact on Mothers, Behavioral Sciences

Thesis / Dissertation

• 2020, Master, Association Between Cortical Thickness and Anxiety Measures: A Scoping Review

Translation

• 2023, Unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: Workbook (2ª ed.) [Protocolo Unificado para o tratamento transdiagnóstico de Perturbações Emocionais: Manual do doente] , Coimbra University Press
• 2023, Unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: Therapist Guide (2ª ed.) [Protocolo Unificado para o tratamento transdiagnóstico de Perturbações Emocionais: Manual do terapeuta] , Coimbra University Press

Conference abstract

• 2023-01, Imaging-informed targeting approaches for NIBS in PPD
• 2023, Unveiling perinatal depression: task-based approaches to brain imaging and cognitive assessment. , Riseup-PPD Second International Conference Knowledge and implementation gaps in peripartum depression: innovation and future directions
• 2023, The impact of COVID- 19 on breastfeeding rates: results from the Riseup-PPD COVID-19 international cross-sectional study, Riseup-PPD Second International Conference Knowledge and implementation gaps in peripartum depression: innovation and future directions
• 2023, Does motherhood affect cognition? Recent evidence and new perspectives on the mommy brain. , Riseup-PPD Second International Conference Knowledge and implementation gaps in peripartum depression: innovation and future directions
• 2023, A comprehensive meta-analysis on neural correlates of PPD., Riseup-PPD Second International Conference Knowledge and implementation gaps in peripartum depression: innovation and future directions
• 2022, Combining App-based Psychological Intervention with Home-based Transcranial Direct Stimulation for the Treatment of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: A Case Series., 5th European Conference of Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry
• 2022, Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation for schizophrenia: a current modelling study, 5th European Conference of Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry

Conference poster

• 2025-10-12, Exploring the effects of combined focused mindfulness meditation and transcranial direct current stimulation: Evidence from neurophysiology and behaviour, 38th ECNP Congress
• 2025-10, Exploring the effects of combined focused mindfulness meditation and tDCS: evidence from neurophysiology and behaviour, 38th ECNP Congress
• 2025-09, Neuropsychophysiological correlates of compassion towards others: A tDCS study , 15th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON 2025)
• 2025-09, Exploring the link between maternal sensitivity and touch behaviors and brain response to joint attention contexts in 10-month-old infants, 15th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON 2025)
• 2025-09, Changes in brain activation in response to joint attention contexts from 10 to 13 months of age using high-density fNIRS, 15th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON 2025)
• 2025-05, Associação entre a duração do olhar de bebés de 10 meses e o processamento neuronal durante interações de atenção partilhada com recurso a fNIRS de alta densidade, XII Simpósio Nacional de Investigação em Psicologia
• 2025-03, Protocolo para a aplicação da estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua (tDCS) no estudo dos correlatos neuropsicofisiológicos e comportamentais da compaixão no adulto jovem, Congresso Internacional de Saúde Mental no Jovem Adulto
• 2025-03, Estrutura fatorial e propriedades psicométricas da versão Portuguesa da Toronto Mindfulness Scale, Congresso Internacional de Saúde Mental no Jovem Adulto
• 2025-03, Better together or one is enough? The synergistic effect of single session of transcranial direct current stimulation and virtual reality-based mindfulness on sustained attention, attention control, and inhibitory control, 3.º Encontro da Sociedade Portuguesa de Neuropsicologia
• 2024-05-24, Systematic review of the neural correlates of joint attention in infants aged 8-24 months, 7th bi-annual ESCAN meeting, European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
• 2024-04-12, Multimodal meta-analysis suggests distinct stimulation targets for female depression associated with or without pregnancy. , 6th European Conference on Brain Stimulation in Mental Health
• 2024-04-11, The impact of stand-alone and combined brief virtual reality-induced focused mindfulness and tDCS on attention and inhibitory control: study protocol, 6th European Conference on Brain Stimulation in Mental Health
• 2024, Unravelling MDD brain circuits and clinical subtypes: A comprehensive crossmodal ALE meta-analysis over 395 studies., The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) 2024 Annual Meeting
• 2023-03, The SocialBabyBrain Study Protocol: Neural Correlates of Joint Attention and its Relation to Social-communicative Abilities, IV International Congress of CINEICC (Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention)
• 2023-01, TMS for peripartum depression: a meta-analytical study to explore a functional DLPFC target
• 2023, Neural correlates of joint attention in infancy: an fNIRS study protocol, IV International Congress CINEICC
• 2023, Crossmodal ALE comparison between Peripartum Depression and Major Depressive Disorder, The Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) 2023 Annual Meeting
• 2023, Brain changes in pregnancy and the postpartum period, maternal caregiving and peripartum depression: A multimethod longitudinal study protocol, 2nd Riseup-PPD International Conference
• 2022-06, Peripartum depression influences the ACC-dmPFC axis: a meta-analysis , OHBM 2022 Annual Meeting
• 2022, Transcranial direct current stimulation in the postpartum period: computational modelling of electric field strength in two standard montages for depression, 5th European Conference of Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry
• 2022, A Single Psychoeducational Session Increases Acceptability Towards Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Treating Anxiety Disorders, 5th European Conference of Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry
• 2020-09, Cognitive enhancement using tDCS in high and low rumination individuals: The role of cognitive profiles and psychological traits, Brainbox Initiative Conference 2020