Nandakumar Narayanan, MD, PhD
Introduction
Dr. Nandakumar Narayanan is the Juanita J. Bartlett Professor of Neurology and Vice Chair for Research at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He also serves as Director of the Iowa Center for Neurodegeneration and leads the Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program (CNSTP), a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to developing the next generation of physician-scientists. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale University’s MD/PhD program, Dr. Narayanan is a leading expert in the neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. His research integrates clinical neurology, systems neuroscience, and neuromodulation, supported by multiple NIH and DOD grants. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and a strong commitment to mentorship, Dr. Narayanan is widely recognized for his contributions to neuroscience and academic medicine. Dr. Narayanan has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the American Academy of Neurology’s Jon Stolk Award for Movement Disorders Research.
Current Positions
- Professor of Neurology
- Juanita J. Barlett Professor in Neurology Research
- Vice Chair of Research in Neurology
- Associate Director, Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Assistant Director: Clinical Neuroscientist Training Program in Neurology
Education
- BA in Human Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States
- MD in Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- PhD in Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Internship in Medicine, Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Resident in Neurology, Yale Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Graduate Program Affiliations
Center, Program and Institute Affiliations
Selected Publications
- Bruce RA, Weber MA, Bova AS, Volkman RA, Jacobs CE, Sivakumar K, Stutt HR, Kim YC, Curtu R, Narayanan NS*. Complementary cognitive roles for D2-MSNs and D1-MSNs during interval timing. eLife. 2025. https://elifesciences.org/articles/96287
- Oppman AM, Paradee WJ, Narayanan NS, Kim YC. Generation and validation of a D1 dopamine receptor Flpo knock-in mouse. J Neurosci Methods. 2025 Mar;415:110345.
- Wang Y, Gao JZ, Sakaguchi T, Maretzky T, Gurung P, Narayanan NS, Short S, Xiong Y, Kang Z.LRRK2 G2019S Promotes Colon Cancer Potentially via LRRK2-GSDMD Axis-Mediated Gut Inflammation. Cells. 2024 Mar 23;13(7):565
- Stutt HR, Weber MA, Cole RC, Bova AS, Ding X, McMurrin MS, Narayanan NS*. Sex similarities and dopaminergic differences in interval timing. Behav Neurosci. 2024 Apr;138(2):85-93
- Yeager BE, Twedt HP, Bruss J, Schultz J, Narayanan NS*. Cortical and subcortical functional connectivity and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Neuroimage Clin. 2024;42:103610
- Spicer MM, Weber MA, Luo Z, Yang J, Narayanan NS, Fisher RA. Regulator of G protein signaling 6 (RGS6) in dopamine neurons promotes EtOH seeking, behavioral reward, and susceptibility to relapse. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2024 Jun 10
- Hart A, Aldridge G, Zhang Q, Narayanan NS, Simmering JE. Association of Terazosin, Doxazosin, or Alfuzosin Use and Risk of Dementia With Lewy Bodies in Men. Neurology. 2024 Jul 23;103(2):e209570.
- Keomanivong C, Schamp J, Tabakovic E, Thangavel R, Aldridge G, Pieper AA, Narayanan NS*. Mice Expressing A53T/A30P Mutant Alpha-Synuclein in Dopamine Neurons Do Not Display Behavioral Deficits. eNeuro. 2024 Feb 13;11(2): eNeuro.0170-23.202
- Hart AA, Swenson A, Narayanan NS, Simmering JE. Rurality modifies the association between symptoms and the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2024 Feb 14:1-11
- Anjum MF, Espinoza AI, Cole RC, Singh A, May P, Uc EY, Dasgupta S, Narayanan NS*. Resting-state EEG measures cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2024 Jan 3;10(1):6