Lluís Barraquer Bordas (1923-2010): the pioneer of Catalan neuropsychology

Type of article: SHORT ARTICLE

AUTHORS

A. García-Molina^1,2,3, T. Roig-Rovira^1,2,3
1Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació Guttmann, Badalona, Spain.
²Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
³Fundació Institut d’Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.

ABSTRACT

Lluís Barraquer Bordas was a remarkable figure in Spanish contemporary neurology. However, his valuable contributions to the development of neuropsychology have been largely overlooked. He was the author of the first two Spanish-language books focusing exclusively on the higher cerebral functions: Afasias, apraxias, agnosias, published in the mid-1970s, and Neuropsicología in 1983. On 10 January 1980, Barraquer Bordas founded the Catalan Society of Neuropsychology, the oldest active neuropsychology society in Spain. Since its inception, this society has played and continues to play a key role in promoting and bringing together the interests of the different professionals contributing to the study of the brain and behaviour. In 2009, the government of Catalonia awarded Barraquer Bordas with one of its highest distinctions, the Creu de Sant Jordi, for his pioneer achievements in neuropsychology.

KEYWORDS

Neuropsychology, neurology, brain, Catalonia, 20th-century history, Barraquer Bordas

Neurosciences and History 2015;3(1):42-44