Khosha Kue Jesse Broulette Janelle Gunnels PHY/310

Neuropsychology is a specialty that applies the principles of assessment and intervention based upon the scientific study of human behavior as it relates to normal and abnormal functioning of the central nervous system

Measure functional brain development using a battery of specially designed neuropsychological tests

Types of testing
attention and concentration memory language executive functioning (planning and organization) visual processing fine motor skill processing speed adaptive functioning emotional and behavioral functioning intellectual functioning academic achievement

CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

Clinical neuropsychologists work in healthcare settings, assessing and treating patients in cases of head injury, stroke, or other neurological disorders

Cognitive neuropsychologists work for public and private research institutions conducting experimental studies on those with brain function deficits

FORENSIC NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST

PEDIATRIC

MRI PET EEG

THE DESIRE TO UNDERSTAND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

EARLY CONTRIBUTORS

The Field of neuropsychology was developed by several contributions, and is broken into two main areas clinical and cognitive neuropsychology .

Rene Descartes and Thomas Willis began studying the human nervous system and how it worked in the 17th century.

RENE DESCARTES

THOMAS WILLIS
The first detailed 'Anatomy of the Brain' was by Thomas Willis. It was published in 1664. Willis had a different view of the brain than did Descartes.

(1596-1650) he was the first scholar of note to make inclinations about the brain having an effect on behavior.

FRANZ JOSEF GALL

Another offshoot of neuroscience was phrenology. Phrenology translates to 'science of the mind' and is the study of the topography of a person's skull in relation to their brain anatomy.

PAUL BROCA
From the ideas of phrenology came the theory of localization. This theory postulates that there are specific areas of the brain that perform specific jobs. This theory was supported by the likes of Paul Broca (1824-1880).

JEAN-BAPTISTE BOUILLAUD

Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud expanded upon the ideas of Gall and took a closer look at the idea of distinct cortical regions of the brain each having their own independent function.

Armed with the new understanding that the brain has independent structures responsible for both voluntary and involuntary functions, the next steps made were in developing this new discipline called neuropsychology.

The bridging of the two disciplines meant studying and applying research to the functions and dysfunctions of the brain and how it affects the body as well as personality. This led to defining mental disorders and cognitive impairments that were characterized by different models of treatment.

Over the years, different treatment plans and tests have been developed with the intention to help those with dysfunctions of the mind cope in daily living. Neuropsychology is a constantly evolving field that relies heavily on research and the ability for the neuropsychologist to be multidirectional and experimental in nature.

What is Neuropsychology?. (2008-2013). Retrieved from http://www.allpsychologycareers.com/topics/neuropsycholo gy.html Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Finger, Stanley (2000). Minds Behind the Brain: A History of the Pioneers and their discoveries. New York: Oxford. pp. 22