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Neuropsychology & Lesion Mapping

Neuropsychology & Lesion Mapping

The University of Iowa is an internationally recognized leader in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. Using the lesion method, our faculty have made important contributions to our understanding of functional neuroanatomy.

The Benton Neuropsychology Laboratory and the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at the University of Iowa are home to one of the largest and most comprehensive neurological patient registries in the world. Years of groundbreaking work using this database – comprised of some 3500 patients with focal brain lesions who have neuroimaging and extensive neuropsychological data – has placed Iowa at the cutting edge of the lesion method. This research program has been continuously active since the founding work of Arthur Benton and colleagues in the 1950’s, followed by Antonio Damasio in the 1970’s – 2004, and the current Director, Daniel Tranel.

Fundamental Discoveries Happen Here. Our group has had a major impact on the field of cognitive neuroscience, including landmark studies and theoretical advances that have fundamentally changed the way we think about human brain function. This work spans such topics as emotion and decision making, face processing, receptive and expressive language, and fear processing, to name a few.

Future Leaders in Cognitive Neuroscience Train Here.  We are among the foremost programs in the country in training future leaders in cognitive neuroscience.  Our former trainees form a national and international network that includes some of the most influential cognitive neuroscience laboratories today, including: Ralph Adolphs, Josef Parvizi, Thomas Grabowski, Michael Koenigs, and many others.

Education and Training Opportunities

Investigators