EXAM ONE Flashcards
Definition of human neuropsychology.
Definition: How structure and function of the brain controls cognition and behaviors. Emphasis on localizing areas of the brain that underlie psychological function. Influenced by interesting neurological case studies. At first descriptive, then scientific.
The field includes a merger of
- Neurology (medical discipline): pathology of the nervous system 2. Cognitive Psychology: the study of higher mental processes: Assess limitations after trauma, such as stroke. May consult for a neurology department.
Historical significanCE of case studies.
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Four basic schemes for localization:
- Discrete anatomical area and discrete function. 2. Several anatomical areas, and discrete function 3. Group of elemental systems (anatomical and functional) working together, 4. Completely distributed system
- Massed action
(completely distributed system) No particular damage interferes with particular function. Damage causes percentage loss of all function.
- Discrete anatomical area Discrete function.
Example: motor cortex for specific movements. One muscle on one finger.
- Several anatomical areas Discrete function
not independent region spread out across many areas connected by microscopic connections.
- Group of elemental systems (anatomical and functional) working together
Control a variety of higher functions which use each system to a different degree. Analogy, letters in the alphabet. The neural systems are the letters, and working together, arise the words.
- Completely distributed system
Throughout the entire brain, no localized area. Example: level of alertness. A true psychological phenomena. These types of things were used as example by those who advocated diffuse function.
Historical Figures in the Field Animal lesion studies
technique: animal lesions conclusion: distributed system (no localized function) Pierre Flourens (1794 - 1867) (French) Friedrich Goltz (1834 - 1902) (German)
Historical Figures in the Field: Animal lesion studies
technique: animal lesions conclusion: distributed system (no localized function) Pierre Flourens (1794 - 1867) (French) Friedrich Goltz (1834 - 1902) (German)
Pierre Flourens
(1794 - 1867) (French) challenged the idea that brain functions are localized. created animal models of human clinical cases by removing small regions of cortex. expected animals to lose specific functions. Found instead that with the passage of time animals recovered from initial impairments to the point that they behaved typically.
Friedrich Goltz
(1834 - 1902) (German) challenged the idea that brain functions are localized. Removed almost entire cortex of dogs, and studied until each dog died (56 days, 92 days, 18 mo.) 18mo dog = more active; periods of sleep and wake=shorter; could walk and correct posture; orientations not very accurate; response threshold elevated (not acute) — suggests the brainstem could substitute for the cortex.
Historical Figures in the Field: Electrical stimulation studies
technique: micro-electrical stimulation of the brain surface conclusions: Localization of function Gustav Fritsch (1838 - 1927) (German) Eduard Hitzig (1838 - 1907) (German) David Ferrier (1843 - 1928) (Scottish)
Gustav Fritsch
Electrical stimulation studies technique: micro-electrical stimulation of the brain surface conclusions: Localization of function, very specific movements. interesting experiment demonstrating that information flow in the brain has an electrical basis comes from studies in 1870 by Gustav Theodor Fritsch (1838–1929) and Eduard Hitzig (1838–1907). Their technique consisted of placing a thin, insulated wire, an electrode, onto or into the cortex and passing a weak electrical current through the wire’s uninsulated tip, thus exciting the tissue near it (Fritsch and Hitzig, 1960). Hitzig may have derived the idea of electrically stimulating the cortex from an observation he had made while dressing the head wound of a soldier during the Prussian war: mechanical irritation of the soldier’s brain on one side caused twitching in the limbs on the opposite side. (Kolb 19) Stimulation of restricted parts of the frontal lobe elicited movement of particular body parts—for example, neck, forelimb, and hind limb (Figure 1.12)—suggesting that the cortex forms topographic neural–spatial representations of the body’s different parts. The study of this topographic organization in many brain functions remains a central focus of research to this day. (Kolb 20)
Eduard Hitzig
(1838 - 1907) (German) Electrical stimulation studies technique: micro-electrical stimulation of the brain surface conclusions: Localization of function, very specific movements.Electrical stimulation studies technique: micro-electrical stimulation of the brain surface conclusions: Localization of function, very specific movements. interesting experiment demonstrating that information flow in the brain has an electrical basis comes from studies in 1870 by Gustav Theodor Fritsch (1838–1929) and Eduard Hitzig (1838–1907). Their technique consisted of placing a thin, insulated wire, an electrode, onto or into the cortex and passing a weak electrical current through the wire’s uninsulated tip, thus exciting the tissue near it (Fritsch and Hitzig, 1960). Hitzig may have derived the idea of electrically stimulating the cortex from an observation he had made while dressing the head wound of a soldier during the Prussian war: mechanical irritation of the soldier’s brain on one side caused twitching in the limbs on the opposite side. (Kolb 19) Stimulation of restricted parts of the frontal lobe elicited movement of particular body parts—for example, neck, forelimb, and hind limb (Figure 1.12)—suggesting that the cortex forms topographic neural–spatial representations of the body’s different parts. The study of this topographic organization in many brain functions remains a central focus of research to this day. (Kolb 20)
David Ferrier *** ASK ABOUT FERRIER
(1843 - 1928) (Scottish) Electrical stimulation studies technique: micro-electrical stimulation of the brain surface conclusions: Localization of function, very specific movements.
John Hughlings-Jackson
John Hughlings-Jackson (1835–1911) English *hierarchical processing *(increasingly complex) An explanation for the apparent disconnect between experiments that support functional localization and those that observe recovery of function is hierarchical organization. English neurologist John Hughlings-Jackson (1835–1911) proposed this principle of cerebral organization in which information is processed serially and organized as a functional hierarchy (1931). Each successively higher level controls more-complex aspects of behavior and does so via the lower levels. hierarchical organization. Principle of cerebral organization in which information is processed serially, with each level of processing assumed to represent the elaboration of some hypothetical process.
Historical Figures in the Field: Human Neurology cases
technique: effects of brain injury in humans conclusion: some functions are localized, either in areas, or collections of areas that work together Paul Broca (1824 - 1880) (French) Carl Wernicke (1848 - 1905) (German) John Hughlings-Jackson (1835 - 1911) (English)
Paul Broca
(1824 - 1880) (French) Broca’s aphasia, Broca’s area, left anterior damage. paralysis on right side of body normal intelligence intact vocal mechanism normal comprehension can’t speak
Broca’s Area is the area of the brain responsible for producing speech. If it is damaged, you can understand what someone says, but their speech is disjointed.
Helpful mnemonic:
“Broca’s speech is broken” or “Broca’s banter is broken”
Carl Wernicke
(1848 - 1905) (German) Wernicke’s aphasia, Wernicke’s area left temporal damage -no paralysis -could speak, but it made no sense -could hear, but couldn’t understand. -damage area that stores and interprets sounds
Wernicke’s Area is responsible for the comprehension of speech. If you have an aphasia in this area of the brain you are unable to understand and respond to what people are saying to you.
Helpful mnemonic:
In other words, “Wernicke’s comprehension is crappy”.
Cellular components of the brain
Neurons, glia
Brain Organization brain protection:
skull, meninges, CSF, Blood Brain Barrier (VASCULAR)
*csf and bbb — do we need to expand?
