neuropsychology Flashcards
neuropsychology
the subfield of psychology whose goal is to explore and understand the relationships among brain processes, human behavior and psychological functioning
clinical neuropsychologists
neuropsychologists who use tests and other methods to try to understand neuropsychological problems and intact functions in individual patients
localization of function
the idea that specific psychological functions can be affected by damage to specific brain areas
stroke
a loss of blood supply to some part of the brain, resulting in brain damage that disrupts some aspects of behavior or mental processes
lesion
an area of damaged tissue in the brain
modules
regions of the brain that perform their own unique kind of analysis of the information they receive
neuropsychological assessment
testing a patient’s intelligence, memory, reading, motor coordination, and other cognitive and sensory functions in an effort to locate problems in the brain responsible for neuropsychological symptoms
traumatic brain injury
an impact on the brain caused by a blow or a sudden, violent movement on the head
cerebrospinal fluid
a clear liquid that surrounds and buffers the brain against vibration
neurodegenerative diseases
conditions in the brain that result in a gradual loss of nerve cells and of the cognitive or other functions in which those cells are normally involved
syndrome
a pattern of symptoms associated with a specific disorder
amnestic disorders
neuropsychological disorders that involve memory loss
anterograde amnesia
a loss of memory of events that occur after a brain injury
Korskaoff’s syndrome
an amnestic condition in people whose thiamine level is depleted by inadequate nutrition of alcoholism
confabulation
a characteristic of some neuropsychological disorders in which patients report false memories
consciousness disturbances
neuropsychological disorders in which there are impairments in the ability to be aware of the world
reticular formation
a collection of cells and fibers in the hindbrain and midbrain that are involved in arousal and attention
delirium
periods of abnormally impaired or abnormally elevated levels of consciousness
perceptual disturances
neuropsychological disorders in which there are impairments in the ability to organize, recognize, interpret, and make sense of incoming sensory information
language disorders
neuropsychological disorders in which there are disruptions in the ability to speak, read, write, and understand language
Broca’s aphasia
a language disorder in which there is a loss of fluent speech
Wernicke’s aphasia
a language disorder in which there is a loss of ability to understand written or spoken language and to produce sensible speech
apraxia
neuropsychological disorder in which there are impairments in the ability to perform or coordinate a previously learned motor skills
dementia
neuropsychological disorders in which there are significant and disruptive impairments in memory, as well as in perceptual ability, language, or learned motor skills
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia resulting from a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of cognitive functions
vascular dementia
a form of dementia caused by multiple restricitions of the brains’s blood supply
