Russian psychologist Aleksandr Romanovich Luria developed the 'Fist-Edge-Palm' test that uses hand movements to assess brain function and is an established bedside neuropsychological assessment. Dr. Luria is one of the founding fathers of neuropsychology, who specialized in the field of localization and organization of mental functions. The political and social turbulence Soviet history of the mid-20th-century  profoundly influenced his work and life.

Alexander Luria was born in Kazan, Russia, in 1902 into a Jewish family. He obtained a psychology degree at age 19 and soon became  a laboratory manager at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. He developed psychodiagnostic procedures that formed the basis of modern lie detection. Despite international recognition, Dr. Luria's career faced restrictions due to Soviet political pressures and fear of persecution. His first monograph was published in the United States in 1932 and in Russian in 2002. During World War II, he worked in a military hospital, treating brain injuries in soldiers, leading to his groundbreaking work on traumatic brain injury and brain function. His post-war publication, Traumatic Aphasia (1947), established the foundational studies of language and cognitive disorders. In the 1930s, Dr. Luria entered medical school to study of the relationship between language and thought, and partly to avoid political repression during Stalin’s purges.

Dr. Luria’a ability to integreate medicine and psychology pioneered modern neuropsychology. His work, despite the political pressures he faced, has profoundly impacted on the field. His resilience in balancing political pressures with scientific innovation earned him a distinct place in the history of neuroscience.