Main interests concern the neural basis of emotional expressions and social cognition. He specialized in cognitive neuroscience, with a special attention to the role of the mirror neuron mechanism in social cognition. Then he moved to the study of emotions and emotional mirroring.

His research – published in high ranking journals in neuroscience – is based on a multidisciplinary approach, mainly based on intracranial recordings and electrical stimulations, in humans and monkeys. Beside his neuroscientific interests, his major interests include the relationship between neuroscience and the humanities. In particular, he is interested in the theoretical aspects of embodied cognition, social cognition, affective neuroscience and the philosophy of mind.

Fausto Caruana published three books and about fifty articles in international and national journals. He teaches Neuroscience in the Humanities department of Parma University.