Week One - Introduction to NP and CN Flashcards
What is Neuropsychology?
Study of how the brain operates to produce behaviours and thought processes.
What is Clinical Neuroscience?
Scientific study of mechanisms that underlie disorders and diseases of the brain and CNS.
What does Clinical Neuroscience focus on?
Identifying the underlying molecular and neural substrates of psychopathology and neurological disease.
What do Clinical Neuropsychologists do?
Assess persons through clinical testing in order to describe the psychological and behavioural impairments associated with brain damage.
What do Clinical Neuropsychologists aim to decribe?
The patient’s strengths and weaknesses in order to give advice concerning management and rehabilitation
What is the role of experimental neuropsychologists?
Assess both non brain-impaired and impaired patients in order to model and further understand how the brain functions.
Assessments can be used to predict and enhance what?
Social, educational and vocational outcomes
How long do neuropsychological treatments range from?
A few short sessions to multiple extended sessions.
What are the 2 models of brain function?
Localizationist position
Holistic position
What did the Localisationist view propose? (Gall)
That each part of the brain performs a different and separate function - psychological traits such as courage, friendliness.
Brain area sizes correlated with personality/cog traits
What did the Holistic view propose?
That the whole brain involved in all mental functioning.
What is phrenology?
Proposes that if a given brain area is enlarged then the corresponding area of the skull will also be in enlarged
What 2 positives influences did Gall have?
1) He drew attention to the possibility that localisation could exist
2) his prenology concept was used a means of diagnosis and a better guide to treatment of mental illness
What is aphasia?
An inability to talk because te speech organs do not receive appropriate brian signals
What is fluent aphasia?
Able to talk, but speech makes no sense
What did Flourens propose?
The loss of function depends on the extent of the damage, not on the localisation of the lesion
What did Flourens propose about cerebral material and mental functions?
It is equipotential and mental functions depend on the brain functioning as a whole - the size of the injuring (over location) determines the effects of brain injury
What is multipotentiality of brain tissue?
The idea that each part of the brain participates in more than one function
What did Jackson propose about theories of brain function?
The loss of a specific area of the brain would cause the loss or impairment of all higher skills dependent on that one area.
Who is considered the father of neuropsychology?
Alexander Luria
Alexander Luria proposed 3 basic functions that each area of the CNS is involved in - what are they called and what do they do?
- unit for regulating tone, walking, and mental states (brain stem and associated areas - regulates the arousal level of the brain and maintenance of muscle tone)
- unit got receiving, analysing and storing information (posterior areas of the cortex - reception, integrating and analysis of sensory info)
- unit for programming, regulation and verification of activity (frontal and prefrontal lobes - planning, executing and verifying behaviour)
Luria proposed that all behaviour requires what?
The interaction of the three functions
What is the principle of pluripotentiality?
Where any given brain area can be involved in few or many behaviours - emphasises the multifunctional role of the brain
