Neurology – the branch of medicine that focuses on the Brain damage – it is a general reference to any physical or
nervous system and its disorders. functional impairment in the central nervous system that
Neuropsychology – the branch of psychology that focuses results in sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional, or related
deficit.
on the relationship between brain functioning and
behavior. Organicity - the factors differentiating organically
Neuropsychological Assessment – the evaluation of impaired from normal individuals included the loss of
abstraction ability, deficits in reasoning ability, and
brain and nervous system functioning as it relates to
inflexibility in problem-solving tasks.
behavior.
Goldstein and his colleagues developed
Behavioral Neurology – a subspecialty of neurology
psychological tests that tapped these factors and
with more biochemical and less behavioral emphasis.
were designed to help in the diagnosis of
Neurotology – it is a subspeciality of behavioral organic brain syndrome.
neurology that focuses on problems related to The tests included tasks designed to evaluate
hearing, balance, and facial nerves. testtakers’ short-term memory and ability to
abstract.
Neurological Damage and the
Concept of Organicity
Neurological Damage – it may take the form of a lesion in
the brain or any other site within the central or peripheral
nervous system.
Lesion – it is a pathological alteration of tissue, such as
that which could result from injury or infection.
Neurological lesions may be physical or
chemical in nature, and they are characterized
as:
Focal – relatively circumscribed at one site
Diffuse – scattered at various sites
Because different sites of the brain control
various functions, focal and diffuse lesions at
different sites will manifest themselves in varying
behavioral deficits.
A partial listing of the technical names for the The Neuropsychological Evaluation
many varieties of sensory and motor deficits is
Generally, there are two types of exams: one by a
presented in Table 14–2.
general practitioner and the other by a specialist.
The terms brain damage, neurological damage, and
organicity have unfortunately been used The specialist exam is more detailed and uses
interchangeably in much of the psychological different tools. The same thing happens with
literature. neuropsychological evaluations.
Neurological Damage – it is the most inclusive because it Non-specialist psychologists may do a basic
covers not only damage to the brain but also damage to evaluation to screen for neurological problems,
the spinal cord and to all the components of the but if they find anything, they refer the patient to
peripheral nervous system. a specialist.
, Battery of Tests – it is used to evaluate patients for neurologists being the largest source of referrals for
neurological problems, and if there are signs of neuropsychologists.
impairment, the patient is referred for more detailed Neuropsychologists – they may help assess the degree of a
evaluation. neurological patient's impairment in functioning and
→ This referral may be prompted by various monitor subtle cognitive changes that result from
conditions, such as a concussion or a known treatment.
disease that affects cognition. → Patients may be referred to a neuropsychologist
for an in-depth evaluation if they have
complaints such as headaches or memory loss
that cannot be explained by medical reasons.
→ Neuropsychologists may also receive referrals
from attorneys, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and
school systems.
Neuropsychological Tests
Researchers may employ neuropsychological tests to
gauge change in mental status or other variables as a
result of the administration of medication or the
onset of a disease or disorder.
Forensic evaluators may employ tests to gain insight
into the effect of neuropsychological factors on
issues such as criminal responsibility or competency
to stand trial.
TESTS OF GENERAL INTELLECTUAL ABILITY
Wechsler Tests – these occupy a prominent position
among the diagnostic tools available to the
neuropsychologist.
The varied nature of the tasks on the Wechsler
scales and the wide variety of responses required
make these tests potentially very useful tools for
neuropsychological screening
There are "hard" and "soft" signs that suggest a
Pattern Analysis – when certain patterns of test
neurological problem.
response indicate particular deficits and the examiner
Hard Signs – these are indicators of definite looks beyond performance on individual tests to a
neurological deficit, such as abnormal reflex study of the pattern of test scores
performance or cranial nerve damage.
For example:
Soft Signs – these are indicators that suggest a Extremely poor performance on the Block Design and other
neurological deficit, such as an apparent inability performance subtests might be telling in a record that
to accurately copy a stimulus figure or a contains relatively high scores on all the verbal subtests. In
significant discrepancy between verbal and combination with a known pattern of other data, the poor
nonverbal test scores. Block Design performance could indicate damage in the right
Neurologists – they often refer their patients to hemisphere
neuropsychologists for further evaluation, with Deterioration Quotient (DQ) – also referred to by
some as a deterioration index; it is a definitive sign
nervous system and its disorders. functional impairment in the central nervous system that
Neuropsychology – the branch of psychology that focuses results in sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional, or related
deficit.
on the relationship between brain functioning and
behavior. Organicity - the factors differentiating organically
Neuropsychological Assessment – the evaluation of impaired from normal individuals included the loss of
abstraction ability, deficits in reasoning ability, and
brain and nervous system functioning as it relates to
inflexibility in problem-solving tasks.
behavior.
Goldstein and his colleagues developed
Behavioral Neurology – a subspecialty of neurology
psychological tests that tapped these factors and
with more biochemical and less behavioral emphasis.
were designed to help in the diagnosis of
Neurotology – it is a subspeciality of behavioral organic brain syndrome.
neurology that focuses on problems related to The tests included tasks designed to evaluate
hearing, balance, and facial nerves. testtakers’ short-term memory and ability to
abstract.
Neurological Damage and the
Concept of Organicity
Neurological Damage – it may take the form of a lesion in
the brain or any other site within the central or peripheral
nervous system.
Lesion – it is a pathological alteration of tissue, such as
that which could result from injury or infection.
Neurological lesions may be physical or
chemical in nature, and they are characterized
as:
Focal – relatively circumscribed at one site
Diffuse – scattered at various sites
Because different sites of the brain control
various functions, focal and diffuse lesions at
different sites will manifest themselves in varying
behavioral deficits.
A partial listing of the technical names for the The Neuropsychological Evaluation
many varieties of sensory and motor deficits is
Generally, there are two types of exams: one by a
presented in Table 14–2.
general practitioner and the other by a specialist.
The terms brain damage, neurological damage, and
organicity have unfortunately been used The specialist exam is more detailed and uses
interchangeably in much of the psychological different tools. The same thing happens with
literature. neuropsychological evaluations.
Neurological Damage – it is the most inclusive because it Non-specialist psychologists may do a basic
covers not only damage to the brain but also damage to evaluation to screen for neurological problems,
the spinal cord and to all the components of the but if they find anything, they refer the patient to
peripheral nervous system. a specialist.
, Battery of Tests – it is used to evaluate patients for neurologists being the largest source of referrals for
neurological problems, and if there are signs of neuropsychologists.
impairment, the patient is referred for more detailed Neuropsychologists – they may help assess the degree of a
evaluation. neurological patient's impairment in functioning and
→ This referral may be prompted by various monitor subtle cognitive changes that result from
conditions, such as a concussion or a known treatment.
disease that affects cognition. → Patients may be referred to a neuropsychologist
for an in-depth evaluation if they have
complaints such as headaches or memory loss
that cannot be explained by medical reasons.
→ Neuropsychologists may also receive referrals
from attorneys, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and
school systems.
Neuropsychological Tests
Researchers may employ neuropsychological tests to
gauge change in mental status or other variables as a
result of the administration of medication or the
onset of a disease or disorder.
Forensic evaluators may employ tests to gain insight
into the effect of neuropsychological factors on
issues such as criminal responsibility or competency
to stand trial.
TESTS OF GENERAL INTELLECTUAL ABILITY
Wechsler Tests – these occupy a prominent position
among the diagnostic tools available to the
neuropsychologist.
The varied nature of the tasks on the Wechsler
scales and the wide variety of responses required
make these tests potentially very useful tools for
neuropsychological screening
There are "hard" and "soft" signs that suggest a
Pattern Analysis – when certain patterns of test
neurological problem.
response indicate particular deficits and the examiner
Hard Signs – these are indicators of definite looks beyond performance on individual tests to a
neurological deficit, such as abnormal reflex study of the pattern of test scores
performance or cranial nerve damage.
For example:
Soft Signs – these are indicators that suggest a Extremely poor performance on the Block Design and other
neurological deficit, such as an apparent inability performance subtests might be telling in a record that
to accurately copy a stimulus figure or a contains relatively high scores on all the verbal subtests. In
significant discrepancy between verbal and combination with a known pattern of other data, the poor
nonverbal test scores. Block Design performance could indicate damage in the right
Neurologists – they often refer their patients to hemisphere
neuropsychologists for further evaluation, with Deterioration Quotient (DQ) – also referred to by
some as a deterioration index; it is a definitive sign
