Alexander Romanovich Luria (1902-1977) and the microgenetic approach to the diagnosis and rehabilitation of TBI patients

Abstract

Alexander Romanovich Luria (1902-1977), Russian psycho - logist and neuropsychologist, is recognized throughout the world as one of the most eminent and influential psychologists of the 20th century, who made advances in many areas, including cognitive psychology, the processes of learning and forgetting, mental retarda tion and neuropsychology. Luria's scientific career was build in "the stages of a journey undertaken" (as the Russian title of Luria's autobiography says): co-working with Lev S. Vygotsky (1896-1934) and the foundation of the cultural-historical school (the 1920s), cross-cultural research, an expedition to Central Asia, and studies on twins (the 1930s), the war and the first works on brain injured patients (the 1940s), research into mentally retarded children, brain injuries and rehabilitation (1950s), the systematic development of neuropsychological research (the 1960s and 70s). The research on the functioning of the brain, touching on learning and forgetting, attention and perception as psychological constructs, was to engage Luria for forty years. Analysis of functional changes resulting from local brain lesions constituted the area of greatest interest. The single-case approach to neurological studies was to be the focus of his last years. In this paper we attempt to show the impact of Luria's approach on the foundations of the microgenetic approach to the diagnosis and rehabili - tation of patients with traumatic brain injuries, and espe cially the importance of symptom analysis in single-case studies. © Acta Neuropsychologica 2012.