Research Interests
My research investigates how internal bodily rhythms shape active perception and why these body–perception dynamics differ across individuals. More broadly, I am interested in interoception as a multidimensional process and in its relationship with cognition and mental health.
My doctoral research focuses on the interaction between cardiac and respiratory activity and active sensing. I study how ongoing bodily rhythms influence when and how we acquire sensory information from the environment, and whether individuals spontaneously coordinate perceptual actions, such as eye movements or self-initiated stimulus sampling, with these internal physiological dynamics. I am particularly interested in how individual differences in interoceptive processing and subclinical psychological traits modulate these interactions.
To address these questions, I combine behavioural experiments with multimodal psychophysiology, including EEG, ECG, respiratory recordings, and eye tracking, together with statistical and computational analyses in R. My previous research also includes work on interoception and psychopathology, particularly anorexia nervosa, and inhibitory cognitive processes.
Keywords: Interoception, Active Sensing, Cardiorespiratory Dynamics, Individual Differences, Cognitive Neuroscience
Collaborations
My research experience includes work with the following groups and institutions:
- ACE2Lab — Active Cognition, Embodiment and Environment Lab, UIB (PI: Dr. Alex Galvez-Pol).
- EvoCog — Human Evolution and Cognition, UIB (PI: Dr. Enric Munar).
- NeuroCog — Neuropsychology and Cognition, UIB (PI: Dr. Pilar Andrés).
- UAM — Department of Biological and Health Psychology, with Dr. Ignacio Montorio.
Education
Ph.D. candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience (Cognition & Society programme)
M.Sc. in Methodology of Behavioral and Health Sciences (Data Analysis)
M.Sc. in Clinical and Health Psychology
Autonomous University of Madrid
Master's Thesis: Atypical Interoception in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (with distinction).
B.Sc. in Psychology
University of the Balearic Islands
Bachelor's Thesis: Behavioral protocol for detecting impairment in the inhibitory process of executive functions (with distinction).
Publications
- Lopez-Martin, G., Caparco, A., van Steenoven, C., Leganes-Fonteneau, M., & Galvez-Pol, A. (2026). Interoceptive Rhythms and Perceptual Experience: Mechanisms, Contexts, and Strategies for Real-World Research. NeuroImage, 325, 121650. Paper
- Lopez-Martin, G., González-Roz, A., Belisario, K., Gervilla, E., & Andrés, P. (2025). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Cocaine Use on Cognitive Inhibition. Neuropsychology Reviews. Paper
- Caparco, A., Lopez-Martin, G., & Galvez-Pol, A. (2025). Phase confusion: How inconsistent cardiac labelling obscures interoception research. Biological Psychology, 199, 109078. Paper
- Galvez-Pol, A., Lopez-Martin, G., & Kilner, J. M. (2023). Social timing as an active, multisensory, and embodied process: A commentary on "The evolution of social timing" by Verga, Kotz and Ravignani. Physics of Life Reviews, 47, 128-130. Paper
Science Dissemination
Lopez-Martin, G., González-Roz, A., Gervilla, E., & Andrés, P. (2025, Mar). Revisión sistemática y meta-análisis del impacto del consumo de la cocaína en la inhibición cognitiva. XVI Congreso Nacional de Neuropsicología (FANPSE), Madrid, Spain.
Galvez-Pol, A., Lopez-Martin, G., & Kilner, J. M. (2024, Oct). Active sensing is coupled to internal bodily cycles. XIV Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Psicología Experimental (SEPEX), Almería, Spain.