Rate My Professor Nandakumar Narayanan

Nandakumar Narayanan, MD, PhD, is the Juanita J. Bartlett Professor of Neurology and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He also holds an appointment as Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and serves as Deputy Director of the Iowa Neuroscience Institute. Narayanan earned his BA in Human Biology from Stanford University and completed his MD/PhD training at Yale University. He undertook his neurology residency and fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he began his academic career as an Assistant Professor before advancing to his current leadership positions. His research program investigates the neural circuits underlying cognitive dysfunction, with a particular emphasis on Parkinson's disease.

Narayanan's laboratory maps cortical and basal ganglia circuits modulated by dopamine, relevant to Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease. Employing techniques such as in vivo electrophysiology including EEG and neuronal ensemble recordings, optogenetics, brain stimulation, and behavioral neuroscience in both rodents and humans, the lab aims to discover novel biomarkers and targeted treatments for these conditions. Prominent publications include 'Integration of diverse information in working memory within the frontal lobe' (Nature Neuroscience, 2000), 'Top-down control of motor cortex ensembles by dorsomedial prefrontal cortex' (Neuron, 2006), 'Common medial frontal mechanisms of adaptive control in humans and rodents' (Nature Neuroscience, 2013), 'Prefrontal dopamine signaling and cognitive symptoms of Parkinson’s disease' (Reviews in the Neurosciences, 2013), and 'Enhancing glycolysis attenuates Parkinson’s disease progression in models and clinical databases' (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2019). His work is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and philanthropic sources. Narayanan has contributed to public understanding through features in outlets like Vox on dopamine mechanisms. His research spans systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease, frontal cortex, striatum, and in vivo electrophysiology.