The DNPU is a component of the Kennedy Krieger/Johns Hopkins Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) Behavioral Phenotyping Core and is housed within the Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment at Kennedy Krieger.
The DNPU provides specialized neuropsychological and psychological research consultation and assessment services to investigators within the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the broader Johns Hopkins research community. The unit is led by neuropsychologist Dr. Natasha Ludwig and is staffed by licensed, master’s-level psychometrists with extensive experience administering standardized assessments with high fidelity across the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood.
Contractual Research Services:
The DNPU offers neuropsychological and psychological testing (data collection) services to funded investigators within the Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins communities. Neuropsychological and psychological assessments represent non-invasive means of measuring functional development of the nervous system and can be useful alone or in conjunction with other diagnostic methods (e.g., neuroimaging, electrophysiology, genetics, movement analysis).
Consultation Services:
In addition, the DNPU provides consultation throughout the research lifecycle to investigators within the Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins communities:
- Consultation regarding research protocol development
- Assistance with grant and IRB submissions
- Data management support
- Interpretation of neuropsychological and psychological data
- Investigators requiring a cost estimate for assessment data collection in support of a grant application are advised to contact the DNPU no later than two weeks in advance to ensure adequate time for consultation.