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Russian neuropsychology after Luria
1Psychology Department, Moscow State University, Russia.
Abstract:
It is now more than 20 years after Luria's death in 1977. His collaborators, disciples, and followers both in Russia and abroad continue to further develop his work. The development of Russian neuropsychology reflects the universal tendency to replace static neuropsychology, which relates individuals' behavior to fixed cerebral lesions, with dynamic neuropsychology, which analyzes the dynamics of brain-behavior interaction. Three types of Russian studies illustrate the latter approach: (1) neuropsychological follow-up of different nosological groups of patients in the process of medical or psychological treatment, (2) studies of cognitive evolution (developmental neuropsychology), and (3) studies of cognitive involution (neurogeriatrics). All studies focus on cortico-subcortical and interhemispheric relationships. Another change in modern Russian neuropsychology consists of combining the qualitative approach with the quantitative one, but the system of rating is based, following Luria's tradition, on the psychological evaluation of each task's structure and the qualitative analysis of the patients' performance and possibilities for its correction. Hence, Luria's creative and comprehensive approach stimulates the further development of neuropsychology in Russia.