DrNina-Francesca Parrella

Nina-Francesca Parrella is a cognitive neuroscience researcher in Deakin’s Cognitive Neuroscience Unit within the School of Psychology and a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist. She has over a decade of clinical experience supporting children and adults with communication and feeding needs across Australia, the UK and Europe. Nina’s research focuses on the neurobiology of autism, particularly how inhibitory signalling (including GABA-related mechanisms) may contribute to differences in social processing, and how targeted pharmacological approaches could support social development in autistic children. She completed her PhD at Deakin University and holds postgraduate training in cognitive neuroscience.