Neuropsych (Quiz 8) Flashcards
Define neurology
A branch of medicine that focuses on the nervous system and its disorders
How does Beaujean define neuropsychology?
How does the textbook define it?
How does Beaujean perceive other textbooks to define it?
How neurology impinges on the psyche.
Relationship between brain functioning and behavior
Behavioral expression of neural (dys)function
How is specificity and sensitivity important in neuropsych assessment?
sensitivity reduces false negatives by identifying condition when it is there, and specificity reduces false positives.
What is equifinality and multifinality with levels of relations?
Equifinality: different regions produce the same outcome
Multifinality: same region produces different outcomes.
What’s black box model in neuropsych assessment?
We know that there’s a relation, but we don’t know how exactly they’re connected (eg. many to many connections, but a black box blurring each connection)
How can neurologists simplify and get to one-to-one?
If multifinal, can collapse behaviors and call them one thing (eg. working memory)
Or can find relations between the brain regions (eg. additive, multiplicative, parallel)
What is a parallel relation?
The parts are each sufficient to produce the same result.
What is the purpose of neuropsychological assessment?
To connect nervous system to behavior, so that we can look at behavior to infer what’s happening in the nervous system.
What’s a battery in assessment?
A group of similar instruments (to get a comprehensive assessment)
2 types of batteries
Flexible: can choose which exact instruments to use
Fixed: specific instruments must be used.
Cons of flexible and fixed batteries
Flexible: hard to compare norm samples because they might use different scales
Fixed: use the same scale, so can compare norm samples.
What are the 2 ways to make fixed points?
1) map value onto something in the world. (criterion)
2) use normative (norm)
Neurotology
Branch of medicine focusing on problems related to hearing/balance/facial nerves
contralateral control
we control motor responses on the opposite side of our body
Organicity
mental disorders that are result of organic cause (brain injury)
Brain damage vs. Organicity
Evidence that they’re not unitary concepts. For example, people can have brain damage but not be affected because other parts of the brain take over. This case would not be organicity.
Hard sign vs. Soft sign
Hard sign: Some behavior indicates a definite neurological deficit (eg. reflex performance, cranial nerve damage from neuroimaging)
Soft sign: Some behavior indicates a suggestion of neurological deficit (eg. cannot copy a stimulus figure in drawing, minor motor or sensory deficits)
Most common group that refers people to neuropsychologists. Why?
Neurologists.
They might find no NS basis for the dysfunction and want to see the degree of impairment or see cognitive changes.
Functional vs Organic deficit
Functional: psychological deficit without known physical cause
Organic: deficit with known structural origin
What happens in a neuropsych evaluation?
Case history data examination (history taking), preliminary evaluations/tasks, mental status examination, other necessary tests
Assessing developmental milestones is what part of a neuropsych evaluation?
The history taking part.
Dementia example: why might a good history taking be important here?
Can be actual dementia or pseudodementia, which results from severe depression.
Knowing background would help with answering that.
Noticing one side of mouth is slower to curl than the other when patient smiles can suggest what?
Damage to 7th facial cranial nerve.
Who is the final arbiter of medical questions? Physician or neuropsychologist?
Physician.
