Originally from Portugal, Antonio Damasio has devoted much of his career to disorders in behavior, cognition and movement. He is an internationally recognized leader in neuroscience. His research has helped to elucidate the neural basis for the emotions and has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has also had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language and consciousness.
Widely known for his book, Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, he joined the USC faculty last year as director of the newly created USC Brain and Creativity Institute. He was honored with the Prince of Asturias Award in Science and Technology.
