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Kevin S. LaBar

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 Appointments & Affiliations


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

In the News


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
Published July 15, 2019
A Mind at Rest Still Shows Emotions, and That Has Researchers Curious

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Recent Publications


Selective emotion regulation in creative art production: Psychophysiological reactivity during painting reduces anxiety.

Journal Article iScience · June 20, 2025 Across the literatures of aesthetics, philosophy, and psychology, art has long been revered as a powerful means to enhance mental well-being-a perspective that has been integrated into clinical practices worldwide. While some empirical research supports th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Learning emotion regulation: An integrative framework.

Journal Article Psychol Rev · January 2025 Improving emotion regulation abilities, a process that requires learning, can enhance psychological well-being and mental health. Empirical evidence suggests that emotion regulation can be learned-during development and the lifespan, and most explicitly in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fear, learning, and the amygdala: a personal reflection in honor of Joseph LeDoux.

Journal Article Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · January 2025 In honor of Joseph LeDoux's retirement from an illustrious career in science, I offer a personal reflection on how my graduate training experiences in his lab shaped my subsequent career trajectory and the development of my views on human amygdala function ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


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

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

Duke University Psychiatry Physician-Scientist Residency Training Program

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

Neurostimulation Enhanced Cognitive Restructuring for Transdiagnostic Emotional Dysregulation: A component Analysis

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2023 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


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

External Links


www.LaBaratory.org