How experimental neuropsychology and clinical neuropsychology started and developed at the University of Bologna

This paper relates how modern psychology, which is mostly devoted to the exploration of cognitive processes and their neural bases, started been practiced at the University of Bologna in the second half of the '60s of last century, especially because of prof. Renzo Canestrari's effort and commitment. In those years, prof. Canestrari's scientific interests were mainly inclined toward clinical psychology and investigating visual perception through gestaltist paradigms. However, he proved open minded enough as to promote research in fields much distant from those he was working on. The chapter relates how he supported projects, widely recognized internationally, that explored cognitive processes and functional hemispheric specialization by means of recording speed of response (i.e., reaction times). In addition, prof. Canestrari supported projects that explored cognitive deficits in brain-damaged patients. These studies, besides producing results that were internationally recognized, were also instrumental in producing positive effects in the field of clinical neuropsychology and neural rehabilitation. An outstanding example is the Center for Cognitive Neurosciences in Cesena.