World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Psychology

D-Index
33
Citations
3903
World Ranking
10636
National Ranking
5567

Overview

Nestor L. Lopez-Duran is affiliated with the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on areas spanning psychology, neuroscience, and medicine, with a concentration on clinical and cognitive neuroscience subfields.

The scientist has contributed extensively to topics such as child and adolescent psychosocial and emotional development, functional brain connectivity studies, and advanced neuroimaging techniques and applications. Additional main topics of their work include stress responses and cortisol, mental health research, child abuse and trauma, and psychopathy and forensic psychiatry.

Frequent co-authors collaborating with Nestor L. Lopez-Duran include Colter Mitchell, Luke W. Hyde, Christopher S. Monk, Leigh G. Goetschius, and Vonnie C. McLoyd.

Publishing consistently in key venues, their work appears most often in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience and Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, with additional contributions to Psychoneuroendocrinology, JAMA Network Open, and Clinical Psychological Science.

  • Childhood violence exposure and social deprivation are linked to adolescent threat and reward neural function, 2020, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
  • Association of Childhood Violence Exposure With Adolescent Neural Network Density, 2020, JAMA Network Open
  • Childhood violence exposure and social deprivation predict adolescent amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex white matter connectivity, 2020, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Clarifying the Link Between Amygdala Functioning During Emotion Processing and Antisocial Behaviors Versus Callous-Unemotional Traits Within a Population-Based Community Sample, 2020, Clinical Psychological Science
  • The roles of comorbidity and trauma exposure and its timing in shaping HPA axis patterns in depression, 2020, Psychoneuroendocrinology

Their work in clinical psychology encompasses the study of developmental psychological processes and brain function, especially under conditions of trauma and adversity experienced in childhood. This includes investigating neural connectivity patterns and stress-related neuroendocrine responses.

Within neuroscience, their research has utilized advanced neuroimaging methods to better understand brain networks involved in emotional and behavioral regulation during adolescence.

Medicine-related research by Lopez-Duran integrates psychoneuroendocrinology to explore how trauma and comorbid conditions interact to influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in depressive disorders.

Research topics consistently emphasize the neural and psychosocial consequences of childhood adversity, with implications spanning behavioral neuroscience and experimental cognitive psychology.

Best Publications

  • Hypothalamic―pituitary―adrenal axis dysregulation in depressed children and adolescents: A meta-analysis

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Maria Kovacs;Charles J. George

  • Individual differences in the development of early peer aggression: Integrating contributions of self-regulation, theory of mind, and parenting

    Sheryl L. Olson;Nestor Lopez-Duran;Erika S. Lunkenheimer;Hyein Chang

  • Differential associations between childhood trauma subtypes and adolescent HPA-axis functioning

    Kate R. Kuhlman;Elisa G. Geiss;Ivan Vargas;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

  • Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis Functioning in Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Children

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Sheryl L. Olson;Nastassia J. Hajal;Barbara T. Felt

  • Chronic stress, hair cortisol and depression: A prospective and longitudinal study of medical internship.

    Stefanie E. Mayer;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Srijan Sen;James L. Abelson

  • Prodromal symptoms and atypical affectivity as predictors of major depression in juveniles: implications for prevention

    Maria Kovacs;Nestor Lopez-Duran

  • Facebook use and depressive symptomatology

    Teague E. Simoncic;Kate R. Kuhlman;Ivan Vargas;Sean Houchins

  • Developmental trajectories of positive and negative affect in children at high and low familial risk for depressive disorder

    Thomas M. Olino;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Maria Kovacs;Charles J. George

  • Brief cognitive intervention can modulate neuroendocrine stress responses to the Trier Social Stress Test: Buffering effects of a compassionate goal orientation

    James L. Abelson;Thane M. Erickson;Stefanie E. Mayer;Jennifer Crocker

  • Frontal EEG asymmetry moderates the effects of stressful life events on internalizing symptoms in children at familial risk for depression

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Robin Nusslock;Charles George;Maria Kovacs

  • Giving Voice to Vulnerable Children: Machine Learning Analysis of Speech Detects Anxiety and Depression in Early Childhood

    Ellen W. McGinnis;Steven P. Anderau;Jessica Hruschak;Reed D. Gurchiek

  • Developmental influences on stress response systems: Implications for psychopathology vulnerability in adolescence.

    Andrea G. Roberts;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

  • Stress sensitivity and stress sensitization in psychopathology: an introduction to the special section.

    Kate L. Harkness;Elizabeth P. Hayden;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

  • Modeling neuroendocrine stress reactivity in salivary cortisol: adjusting for peak latency variability.

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Stefanie E. Mayer;James L. Abelson

  • Facial emotion expression recognition by children at familial risk for depression: high‐risk boys are oversensitive to sadness

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Kate R. Kuhlman;Charles George;Maria Kovacs

  • Age of Trauma Onset and HPA Axis Dysregulation Among Trauma-Exposed Youth.

    Kate Ryan Kuhlman;Ivan Vargas;Elisa G. Geiss;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

  • Dissecting the impact of sleep and stress on the cortisol awakening response in young adults

    Ivan Vargas;Nestor Lopez-Duran

  • HPA-axis stress reactivity in youth depression: evidence of impaired regulatory processes in depressed boys.

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Ellen McGinnis;Kate Kuhlman;Elisa Geiss

  • Individual differences in cortisol responses to fear and frustration during middle childhood.

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran;Nastassia J. Hajal;Sheryl L. Olson;Barbara T. Felt

  • Rapid detection of internalizing diagnosis in young children enabled by wearable sensors and machine learning.

    Ryan S. McGinnis;Ellen W. McGinnis;Jessica Hruschak;Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

Frequent Co-Authors

Christopher S. Monk
Christopher S. Monk University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Luke W. Hyde
Luke W. Hyde University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Maria Kovacs
Maria Kovacs University of Pittsburgh
James L. Abelson
James L. Abelson University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Maria Muzik
Maria Muzik University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Katherine L. Rosenblum
Katherine L. Rosenblum University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
Jeanne Brooks-Gunn Columbia University
Sheryl L. Olson
Sheryl L. Olson University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Vonnie C. McLoyd
Vonnie C. McLoyd University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Jennifer Crocker
Jennifer Crocker The Ohio State University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Pursuing a psychology degree in the USA opens doors to a variety of rewarding career pathways, including the role of a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). The requirements for becoming an MFT can vary by state and city, so it is important to understand the specific educational and licensing criteria in your desired location.

For example, if you are interested in working on the West Coast, you can learn about Santa Ana mft education requirements or check the how to become an mft in Seattle page for guidelines in Washington state. For those looking towards Arizona, the mft requirements in Scottsdale provide details on education and clinical experience.

Thinking about opportunities in the Pacific Northwest? Explore the mft requirements in Spokane for another perspective on licensing and degree requirements.

Online degrees in psychology or counseling can help you begin this journey, offering flexibility and access to accredited programs. Always ensure your chosen degree aligns with state licensing requirements for greater career mobility and success.

Best Scientists Citing Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

Trending Scientists