Paula Banca

Research

Staff Scientist. Ikerbasque Research Fellow 2025-2029 - Ramon y Cajal Fellow 2026-2031.

Keywords: cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, compulsivity, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, action control, habit learning, goal-habit arbitration, cognitive flexibility, executive functions, frontostriatal circuits, digital rehabilitation, neuroimaging, neurostimulation.

Research group: Neurobiology of language

p.banca@bcbl.eu

+34 943 309 300

Publications

2026

Pereira de Souza, A.M.F.L., Mpavaenda, D., Banca, P., Wellsted, D., Hopkins, J., Marzuki, A.A., Lee, M., Karafylli, E., Bardsley, O., Mazoruk, S., Skalecki, S., Boodhun, S., Mendoza-Wolfson, H., Crispin, C., Aloneftis, R., Monji-Patel, D., Cinosi, E., Pellegrini, L., Enara, A., Panjwani, S., Riaz, M., Oliver-Singleton, S., Robbins, T.W., & Fineberg, N.A. (2026). Habit as a therapeutic component in psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomised controlled feasibility study. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 146. Doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2026.152666

2025

Biria, M., Banca, P., Barnham, I.J., Marzuki, A.A., Segarra, N., Keser, E., Sule, A., Farrugia, M., Luo, Q., Fineberg, N., Fernandez-Egea, E., & Robbins, T.W. (2025). Clozapine-induced obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia: Clinical and cognitive determinants of dysfunctional checking. Psychological Medicine, 55. Doi:10.1017/S0033291724003350

2024

Biria, M., Banca, P., Keser, E., Healy, M.P., Sawiak, S.J., Frota Lisbôa Pereira de Souza, A.M., Marzuki, A.A., Sule, A., & Robbins, T.W. (2024). Excessive Checking in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Neurochemical Correlates Revealed by 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 4(1), 363-373. Doi:10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.08.009

Marzuki, A.A., Banca, P., Garofalo, S., Degni, L.A.E., Dalbagno, D., Badioli, M., Sule, A., Kaser, M., Conway-Morris, A., Sahakian, B.J., & Robbins, T.W. (2024). Compulsive avoidance in youths and adults with OCD: an aversive pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer study. Translational Psychiatry, 14(1). Doi:10.1038/s41398-024-03028-1

Robbins, T.W., Banca, P., & Belin, D. (2024). From compulsivity to compulsion: the neural basis of compulsive disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 25(5), 313-333. Doi:10.1038/s41583-024-00807-z

2023

Biria, M., Banca, P., Healy, M.P., Keser, E., Sawiak, S.J., Rodgers, C.T., Rua, C., de Souza, A.M.F.L.P., Marzuki, A.A., Sule, A., Ersche, K.D., & Robbins, T.W. (2023). Cortical glutamate and GABA are related to compulsive behaviour in individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder and healthy controls. Nature Communications, 14(1). Doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38695-z

2020

Banca, P., McNamee, D., Piercy, T., Luo, Q., & Robbins, T.W. (2020). A Mobile Phone App for the Generation and Characterization of Motor Habits. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. Doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02850

2019

Robbins, T.W., Vaghi, M.M., & Banca, P. (2019). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Puzzles and Prospects. Neuron, 102(1), 27-47. Doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.046

2018

Doñamayor, N., Strelchuk, D., Baek, K., Banca, P., & Voon, V. (2018). The involuntary nature of binge drinking: goal directedness and awareness of intention. Addiction Biology, 23(1), 515-526. Doi:10.1111/adb.12505

Fineberg, N.A., Apergis-Schoute, A.M., Vaghi, M.M., Banca, P., Gillan, C.M., Voon, V., Chamberlain, S.R., Cinosi, E., Reid, J., Shahper, S., Bullmore, E.T., Sahakian, B.J., & Robbins, T.W. (2018). Mapping Compulsivity in the DSM-5 Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders: Cognitive Domains, Neural Circuitry, and Treatment. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21(1), 42-58. Doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyx088

2017

Mechelmans, D.J., Strelchuk, D., Doñamayor, N., Banca, P., Robbins, T.W., Baek, K., & Voon, V. (2017). Reward sensitivity and waiting impulsivity: Shift towards reward valuation away from action control. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 20(12), 971-978. Doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyx072

Vidal, A.C., Banca, P., Pascoal, A.G., Santo, G.C., Sargento-Freitas, J., Gouveia, A., & Castelo-Branco, M. (2017). Bilateral versus ipsilesional cortico-subcortical activity patterns in stroke show hemispheric dependence. International Journal of Stroke, 12(1), 71-83. Doi:10.1177/1747493016672087

2016

Banca, P., Harrison, N.A., & Voon, V. (2016). Compulsivity across the pathological misuse of drug and non-drug rewards. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10(AUG). Doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00154

Banca, P., Lange, I., Worbe, Y., Howell, N.A., Irvine, M., Harrison, N.A., Moutoussis, M., & Voon, V. (2016). Reflection impulsivity in binge drinking: Behavioural and volumetric correlates. Addiction Biology, 21(2), 504-515. Doi:10.1111/adb.12227

Banca, P., Morris, L.S., Mitchell, S., Harrison, N.A., Potenza, M.N., & Voon, V. (2016). Novelty, conditioning and attentional bias to sexual rewards. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 72, 91-101. Doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.10.017

Rounis, E., Banca, P., & Voon, V. (2016). Deficits in limb praxis in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 28(3), 232-235. Doi:10.1176/appi.neuropsych.15090233

2015

Banca, P., Sousa, T., Catarina Duarte, I., & Castelo-Branco, M. (2015). Visual motion imagery neurofeedback based on the hMT+/V5 complex: Evidence for a feedback-specific neural circuit involving neocortical and cerebellar regions. Journal of Neural Engineering, 12(6). Doi:10.1088/1741-2560/12/6/066003

Banca, P., Vestergaard, M.D., Rankov, V., Baek, K., Mitchell, S., Lapa, T., Castelo-Branco, M., & Voon, V. (2015). Evidence Accumulation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Role of Uncertainty and Monetary Reward on Perceptual Decision-Making Thresholds. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40, 1192-1202. Doi:10.1038/npp.2014.303

Banca, P., Voon, V., Vestergaard, M.D., Philipiak, G., Almeida, I., Pocinho, F., Relvas, J., & Castelo-Branco, M. (2015). Imbalance in habitual versus goal directed neural systems during symptom provocation in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Brain, 138(3), 798-811. Doi:10.1093/brain/awu379

2014

Mechelmans, D.J., Irvine, M., Banca, P., Porter, L., Mitchell, S., Mole, T.B., Lapa, T.R., Harrison, N.A., Potenza, M.N., & Voon, V. (2014). Enhanced attentional bias towards sexually explicit cues in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours. Plos One, 9(8). Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105476

Vidal, A.C., Banca, P., Pascoal, A.G., Cordeiro, G., Sargento-Freitas, J., & Castelo-Branco, M. (2014). Modulation of cortical interhemispheric interactions by motor facilitation or restraint. Neural Plasticity, 2014. Doi:10.1155/2014/210396

Voon, V., Mole, T.B., Banca, P., Porter, L., Morris, L., Mitchell, S., Lapa, T.R., Karr, J., Harrison, N.A., Potenza, M.N., & Irvine, M. (2014). Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours. Plos One, 9(7). Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102419

2013

Howell, N.A., Worbe, Y., Lange, I., Tait, R., Irvine, M., Banca, P., Harrison, N.A., Bullmore, E.T., Hutchison, W.D., & Voon, V. (2013). Increased Ventral Striatal Volume in College-Aged Binge Drinkers. Plos One, 8(9). Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074164