Neuropsychology: Definitions + History Flashcards
Egyptian outlook on neuropsychology
3 points
- records of head injuries that led to deficits on the opposite side of the body.
- heart was associated with consciousness and intelligence, this is knows as ‘cardiocentric model’.
- brain was not preserved in mummification process
What did Alcmean (5th century BCE) believe
the brain was responsible for sensation and thought
Hippocrates (460 370 BCE) thought the brain’s was…
the controlling organ of the body
Plato (428-348 BCE) theorised what?
That our…
- brain was associated with intellect
- heart with anger, fear and pride
- gut greed desire and lower passions
In the 5th century, due to the Hippocratic Revolution what part of the body was believed to be immortal
The intellectual soul (i.e. brain)
Aristotle 384-322 BCE
- how he disagreed with Plato
- role of heart and brain
- heart was an organ of intellect and function not brain
- Proposed that the heart was warm and therefore - a sign of sensation and animation - primary importance
- brain was cool - an elaborate coding system
Evaluation of Plato
lacked clinical approach - no evidence
- he only studied humans with brain damage
- his dissection was limited to animals - the majority being cold-blooded
Galen (130-200 AD) believed ‘animal spirits’ were…
produced in the left ventricle of the heart and carried to the brain
Galen
- dissected what ?
- worked on what ?
- intellect was what ?
- localisation ?
- dissected only animals
- worked on the role of the nervous system, made a distinction between the sensory + motor nerves
- proposed that the basic components of intellect were, imagination cognition, and memory
- localisation wasn’t to the substance of the brain itself, but to the ventricles of the brain
Bishop Nemesious and the ventricle Doctrine (390 AD).
- Ventricles housed what functions ?
- Supported by ?
Ventricles considered to house these functions:
- Perception = Anterior Ventricle
- Cognition = Middle Ventricles
- Memory = Posterior Ventricles
Possibly supported by lesion studies.
The Renaissance; Versalius
- dissection should be what?
- Noted what about Galen and did what as a result
- rejected what and why
Versalius, anatomist believed dissections should be main tool for teaching physicians
- first to note that Galen would have worked from animal studies, corrected some of the anatomical errors that had persisted as a result
- Rejection of the idea of ventricular doctrine, because human ventricles did not differ greatly from other mammals, who could not be considered to have higher reasoning skills
How is the spinal cord localised
- What Nerves are in the spinal cord
It has two types of nerves emerging from it:
- Dorsal (Posterior) nerve
- Ventral (Anterior) nerve
What is the role of the Dorsal Nerve
To carry sensory information into the spinal cord.
Sensory info —> spinal cord
What is the role of the Ventral nerve
To carry motor signals to the muscles, to produce movement.
Motor signals —> muscles —> produce movement
What is the Bell-Magendie Law (1811-1822)
states that the ventral spinal roots transmit motor impulses and the posterior roots sensory impulses.
Only in one direction.
Split brain operations were carried out in humans to…
Treat severe epilepsy
The first person to identify a difference between sensory and motor nerves was…
Galen
According to Aristotle the reason humans have a large brain is…
so that it can act as a cooling system for the larger human body
Franz-Gall believed what?
That regions of the brain relate to specific functions + traits.
An individual who is skilled in those functions will show well developed brain regions.
What is Phrenology
the study of the conformation of the skull, to draw conclusions about a person’s mental faculties and traits of character
Who criticised Phrenology in the early 1800s and why
Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens.
Cortex functions as a whole are responsible for intelligence.
Used animals to demonstrate that after damage functions of the brain could be recovered.
Worked on animals and could have been young, therefore more plasticity.
What did Paul Broca discover in 1861
A patient with damage to the left inferior frontal cortex showed:
- Intact language understanding
- Impaired speech production
- Patient Tan
*Broca was never an advocate for phrenology which was why the change was noted. He was also well respected in the area
Who was Phineas Gage and what happened to him
Worked as a construction foreman, building a railroad.
Described as responsible, intelligent and socially well adapted.
3cm thick iron bar went through his skull, entering below the left cheekbone and exiting through the top of his head.
After became unreliable, disrespectful, lost his social conventions and responsibility.
Harlow’s first and second report.
Bigelow’s report
Broca’s talk
Harlow’s first report didn’t mention localisation.
Bigelow mentioned full recovery.
Broca’s talk in 1968 is when the shift towards localisation began.
Harlow’s final paper highlights changes in personality, as evidence for localisation of function.
Who is Theodor Meynert
Worked on anatomy of the brain.
studied cellular architecture of the brain and was the first to note variations in the histological structures, according to the regions.
*Histology = The study of tissues and cells under a microscope
What did Franz Nissl develop?
Nissl method.
Process of staining the cell body to highlight different structures.
Camillo Golgi found what ?
Used silver nitrate staining solutions to stain selected cells in their entirety.
Now able to see axon, dendrite and the length of the neuron.
Neuron Doctrine
Brain is made up of…
Provided the basis of modern neuroscience.
Brain is made up of individual units (cells) with specialised features (the axon, dendrites and cell body).
Cells are connected by sites of contact (the synapse).
Where is language localised in the brain
Left Hemisphere
Where is Face recognition localised in the brain
Right Hemisphere
Where is Emotion localised in the brain
Right Hemisphere
