Research
Luca has worked on 5 research projects and published 9 papers.
Projects
The World Through a Magnifying Glass
A book proposing the High-Pass Filter Hypothesis as an explanation for Autism Spectrum Disorders: that ASD is characterized by enhanced local detail perception at the expense of global patterns.
A book examining the principles that build civilizations and the policies that ruin them, drawing on historical and economic evidence to explain why some societies prosper while others fall into poverty.
Fact-based analysis of pandemic policies, infection risk, and common misconceptions about viral transmission and public health measures. Funded by Vitalik Buterin.
A browser extension that flags retracted research cited in academic papers and news articles, with one-click draft emails to authors and editorial teams. Works across PubMed, Nature, Science, arXiv, and major news outlets.
Papers
The function of Layer 5: a Recognizer of Needs for Manipulations
Proposes a functional role for Layer 5 neurons in the neocortex, building on recent discoveries about Layers 2–4 as pattern recognizers and predictors.
The High-Pass Filter Hypothesis for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Proposes that ASD is characterized by a high-pass filter effect on cognitive perception, which enhances local detail at the expense of global patterns and explains the characteristic strengths and impairments of autistic individuals.
The Columnar Hypothesis for the High-Pass Filter Effect in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Proposes that denser cortical column fields cause the high-pass filter effect, explaining how increased columnar density leads to sharper, narrower categorizations and the characteristic symptoms of ASD.
Learning as the creation of stable representations of stimuli
Argues that learning depends on the ability to produce stable representations of stimuli, and that most learning disabilities derive from a failure to produce such stable representations.
Proposes a model of the human brain as an antifragile entity, where brain regions act as containers of mental patterns that undergo antifragile reactions to stressors such as emotions, pain, and pleasure.
The Role of the Basal Ganglia in Mental Laziness and Procrastination
Proposes that the cortex makes plans while the basal ganglia decides which to enact based on expected emotional outcome — and that understanding this split is key to explaining procrastination and habit formation.
Techniques for the Emergence of Meaning in ML
Presents cortically-inspired techniques that enable ML systems to derive meaning from context, using vector multiplication to integrate sensory patterns with contextual information.
Argues that the apparent irrationality in human risk-taking reflects the irrationality of the assumptions limiting the scope of human activities, not flaws in human reasoning itself.
The Dynamics of Risk-Taking: How Damage Affects Real-World Complex Entities
Builds a bottom-up framework to estimate the long-term effect of policies, technologies, and organizational structures on the risk-taking behavior and survival of people and organizations.