Week 11

Question 1

Describe neuropsychology

Answer 1

Aims to explore and understand the relationship between brain processes, human behaviour and psychological functioning.

Question 2

How do neuropsychologists investigate and assess brain function?

Answer 2

They investigate how the brain processes and asses how disruptions of those processes affect a wide range of human abilities, including cognitive functioning, motor functioning, emotional functioning and social functioning.
Also interested in how dysfunctions in the brain relate to changes in personality and psychological disorders/

Question 3

Describe how neuropsychologists investigate complicated mental tasks.

Answer 3

Tasks such as memory or decision-making are investigated by separately investigating their subtasks, determining the root of the problem by assessing one or more failures of the subtasks.

Question 4

Describe different causes of brain dysfunction

Answer 4

Neuropsychologists work backwards to infer what brain regions may not be working properly.

Question 5

What s one of the main causes of brain damage and dysfunction?

Answer 5

Cerebrovascular accident (stroke) occurs when the bloody supply to a part of the brain is blocked, causing the death of brain cells in that region and loss of ability to exercise normal control.

Question 6

What is another cause of brain damage and dysfunction?

Answer 6

Traumatic brain injury, a sudden impact on the brain caused by a blow to the head. The amount of damage depends on the amount of force, impact is cushioned by the action of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Question 7

Describe neurodegeneration

Answer 7

The gradual process of damage to brain cells is caused by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s or by infections, nutritional deficiencies or genetic abnormalities.

Question 8

Describe anterograde amnesia

Answer 8

Damage to hippocampus, unable to create new memories.

Question 9

Describe Ideomotor apraxia

Answer 9

Left hemisphere pathways are involved in motor skills.. Characterised by deficits in properly performing tool-use pantomimes and communicative gestures.

Question 10

Describe Agnosognosia

Answer 10

right hemisphere damage, causing left hemiparesis. Damage to the thinking, doing, understanding and perceiving areas of the brain. (unaware of illness)

Question 11

Describe Korsakoff’s syndrome

Answer 11

low levels of thiamine in a region of the thalamus. Alcoholism. Deteriorating ability to form new memories, having memories of things that never happened.

Question 12

Describe Left Hemineglect

Answer 12

damage to the parietal lobe on the right side of the brain. Failure of awareness of items to the left side of space. e.g only shaves the right side of face.

Question 13

Describe Prosopagnosia

Answer 13

Damage to temporal lobe structures on both sides of the brain. Can no longer recognise themselves or others (face, body) however, can recognise voices.

Question 14

Describe Primary progressive aphasia

Answer 14

frontotemporal degeneration - left frontal and temporal lobes. Gradual development of problems with language

Question 15

Describe Persistent vegetative state

Answer 15

damage to the reticular activating system. Almost conscious, can sometimes open eye and smile, never wakes up.

Question 16

Describe Delirium

Answer 16

side effects of the various medication. Alternate states, between sleeping and being extremely lucid and aware.

Question 17

Describe Visual agnosia

Answer 17

cerebrovascular accident - damaged cortical regions along pathways underneath and on the outer part of the temporal lobes. Total or partial loss of the ability to recognize and identify familiar objects (people, animals) by sight.