History of Neuropsychology

Question 1

Medieval Cell Doctrine

Answer 1

Ventricular Localization Hypothesis: Many dissections done of the human brain; gross dissection prominent with empty spaces in the brain that control mental function and movement (“where the spirit is”); 3 “cells” in the brain (thought for 2000 yrs)

Question 2

In the 4th century what did they think the ventricles did?

Answer 2

-Anterior cell for
imagination.
-Posterior cell for memory.
- Middle cell for reasoning.
- Mental functions in solid
portions of the brain

Question 3

Thomas Willis

Answer 3

Studied blood circulation in the brain (Circle of Willis); carotid and vertebral arteries at base of brain; placed significant functions in the cortex (memory and will, voluntary movement) cerebellum (involuntary) corpus striatum (mental faculties, sensory signals, common sense) corpus callosum n elaborated into perceptions and imagination in
corpus callosum (perceptions and imagination)

Question 4

Franz Gall

Answer 4

Phrenology - 35 affective and intellectual faculties; The Theory: Wanted to associate different personality and cognitive traits with the size of the relevant brain organ; Prominence was function of activity

Question 5

Fritsch and Hitzig

Answer 5

Localization (used dogs and rabbits)

Question 6

Paul Broca (Broca’s Area)

Answer 6

Lesions of the left frontal lobe.
Contralateral paralysis, Motor speech deficits, Indicated that specific behaviors (brain functions) reside in particular locations in the brain

Question 7

Carl Wernicke (Wernicke’s Area)

Answer 7

still fluent But speech makes no sense; Could not understand speech; Lesion in the left posterior temporal lobe; Language is NOT strictly localized in the brain

Question 8

Four features distinguish Wernicke from Broca

Answer 8

Damage to first temporal gyrus (left posterior), No contralateral hemiplegia or paralysis, Patients speak fluently, but make no sense, Patients can hear, but not understand

Question 9

Karl Lashley’s Principles

Answer 9

-Mass Action Principle: entire brain involved in all activities relation between
dysfunction and extent of damage
-Principle of Equipotentiality: all brain cells have
potential to carry out any of the functions
-Principle of Vicarious Function: if one area damaged
the other areas will pick it up.

Question 10

Teuber’s principle of double dissociation

Answer 10

Destruction of an area causes a specific behavioral deficit, Destruction of other areas does not cause that behavioral
deficit( ex. Damage to occipital lobes does not cause nonfluent
aphasia)

Question 11

Hebb’s Law

Answer 11

Interested in cerebral changes following learning; “Neurons that fire together wire together.”; Combinations of neurons form a processing unit- referred to as “cell assemblies.

Question 12

Alexander Luria

Answer 12

• 3 principle Functional unit: Regulation of muscle tone and arousal (MRF - brainstem), Reception, analysis, and storage (Auditory and visual areas) Programming, regulation, and verification (frontal lobes)
  – All behavior requires interaction of these functional units but No single area exclusively associated with any given
  behavior.
  – Pluripotentiality: Any given area of the brain can be involved in just a
  few or in many different behaviors

Question 13

What is coup and contrecoup?

Answer 13

Coup- site of impact
Contrecoup- where the brain hit inside the skull (opposite side of impact)

Question 14

What are Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes?

Answer 14

Ischemic: blood vessels become clogged
Hemorrhagic: bleeding

Question 15

Who is the Father of Neurology?

Answer 15

Hughlings Jackson

Question 16

What is the difference between an a- and dys- prefix?

Answer 16

a: absence of
dys- abnormal