Skip to main content

Kevin S. LaBar

Robert L. Wilson Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
Psychology & Neuroscience
Duke Box 90999, Durham, NC 27708-0999
B247 Levine Sci Res Ctr, Ctr Cognit Neurosci Box 90999, Durham, NC 27708-0999

Overview


My research focuses on understanding how emotional events modulate cognitive processes in the human brain. We aim to identify brain regions that encode the emotional properties of sensory stimuli, and to show how these regions interact with neural systems supporting social cognition, executive control, and learning and memory. To achieve this goal, we use a variety of cognitive neuroscience techniques in human subject populations. These include psychophysiological monitoring, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), machine learning,  and behavioral studies in healthy adults as well as psychiatric patients. This integrative approach capitalizes on recent advances in the field and may lead to new insights into cognitive-emotional interactions in the brain.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Robert L. Wilson Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2026 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2010 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2021 - Present Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience · 1999 - Present Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Affiliate of the Center for Brain Imaging and Analysis · 2007 - Present Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2018 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

Recent News Items


Published March 25, 2026
Duke Honors 38 Distinguished Professors in 2026
Published June 29, 2020
Closer Threats Inspire a More Primitive Kind of Fear
Published November 26, 2019
Seven From Duke Named Fellows of American Association for the Advancement of Science

View All News Items

Recent Scholarly Works


Investigating the relationship between affective valence and reinforcement learning.

Journal article iScience · August 2026 Affective valence and reinforcement learning (RL) are increasingly recognized to be closely connected, yet the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear. Here, we investigated how RL-related computations contribute to affective valence, and how af ... Full text Cite

Dissociable Neural Responses to Conditioned Social Threats are Modulated by Spatial Proximity in PTSD and MDD.

Journal article bioRxiv · July 16, 2026 The brain's response to potential threats is shaped by the egocentric spatiotemporal distance to the threat. While distal threats recruit evaluative, cognitive-fear networks for strategic planning, proximal threats engage evolutionarily conserved reactive- ... Full text Link to item Cite

Shared and specific associations of amygdala nuclei volumes with PTSD symptom domains and childhood trauma: An ENIGMA-PGC PTSD mega-analysis.

Journal article Mol Psychiatry · July 2, 2026 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that may develop after trauma exposure. PTSD is characterized by considerable clinical heterogeneity. The amygdala's key role in fear conditioning makes it an important focus for investigating ... Full text Link to item Cite
View All Scholarly Works

Recent Grants


A smart lens platform for real-world event capture and synchronized deep brain dynamics

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031

2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences · 2025 - 2030

Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029

View All Grants

Education


New York University · 1996 Ph.D.
Lafayette College · 1990 B.A.

External Links


www.LaBaratory.org