Week 11 Summary - Brain and Behaviour PDF

Week 11: Neuropsychology Neuropsychology—a subfield of psychology—aims to explore and understand the relationship between brain processes, human behaviour and psychological functioning. This week you will look at how brain processes and disruptions of those processes affect a wide range of human abi...

Week 11: Neuropsychology Neuropsychology—a subfield of psychology—aims to explore and understand the relationship between brain processes, human behaviour and psychological functioning. This week you will look at how brain processes and disruptions of those processes affect a wide range of human abilities. Key objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: • • • describe neuropsychology and outline the different methods of investigating and assessing brain function describe the different causes of brain dysfunction compare and contrast the symptoms associated with different neuropsychological disorders. Introduction to neuropsychology Relevant Objectives • describe neuropsychology and outline the different methods of investigating and assessing brain function Neuropsychology is the subfield of psychology whose goal is to explore and understand the relationships among brain processes, human behaviour and psychological functioning. Neuropsychologists are interested in how brain processes and disruptions of those processes affect a wide range of human abilities, including cognitive functioning, motor functioning, emotional functioning, and social functioning. They are also interested in how dysfunctions in the brain relate to changes in personality and psychological disorders. Many complicated mental tasks, such as memory or decision-making, involve many subtasks that can be tested and studied separately. If any of these subtasks fail, it could cause the entire task to fail. Therefore, neuropsychologists must not only figure out what complicated tasks a person can and cannot do, but also identify the failure of one or more subtasks that may or may not be at the root of the problem. Different or Multiple Brain Regions Relevant Objectives describe the different causes of brain dysfunction • Different psychological processes are controlled by different brain regions or by different combinations of brain regions. After deciding what the problems are, neuropsychologists ‘work backward’ to infer what brain region or regions may not be working properly. This is valuable because many kinds of brain damage or disease are too subtle to be identified by physical examination or by brain scanning procedures. One of the main causes of brain damage and dysfunction is a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), which occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked, causing the death of brain cells in that region and the loss of that brain region’s ability to exercise its normal control over some aspect of behaviour or mental processing. Strokes can be disabling and sometimes deadly. Damage and dysfunction can also result from traumatic brain injury (trauma), a sudden impact on the brain caused by a blow to the head, sudden and violent head movements, or other events that literally shake the brain inside the skull. The amount of damage and dysfunction following such events depends mainly on the amount of force involved and the degree to which the impact is cushioned by the action of the cerebrospinal fluid. Neurodegeneration is the gradual process of damage to brain cells caused by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s, or by infections, nutritional deficiencies or genetic abnormalities. Video Introduction to Neuropsychology Identification of Neuropsychological Disorders: Cases Relevant Objectives • compare and contrast the symptoms associated with different neuropsychological disorders. Case 1: Anterograde amnesia (damage to hippocampus) Julie, a teenage child, acquired a brain disorder in which part of her brain started to deteriorate. As a result, she cannot ever say what happened to her only moments ago. She may work with her mother to learn how to skip rope, an activity she had never attempted before her disease began. However, she does not seem aware of the times she has done this with her mother. Case 2: Ideomotor apraxia (left hemisphere pathways involved in motor skills) Sheila, an accomplished baker, can no longer make her famous deli-style rye bread. She can still remember what all the steps are, but she cannot seem to make the correct hand movements to knead the bread and shape it properly. However, Sheila has no weakness, she is not forgetful, and she is not confused or disoriented. Case 3: Agnosognosia (right hemisphere damage, causing left hemiparesis) As a result of shrapnel wounds sustained while he was stationed in Iraq, Chad had his left leg paralysed. However, he still thinks his leg is fine. In fact, he refuses to use crutches or a walker and keeps falling down. Case 4: Korsakoff’s syndrome (low levels of thiamine in a region of the thalamus) Lucas is a homeless, Vietnam War veteran who suffers from alcoholism. His ability to form new memories is deteriorating but, in addition, he is also beginning to have memories about things that never happened. For example, Lucas recalls receiving the US Purple Heart from the President on the White House lawn. The military has no record of any such award or ceremony. Case 5: Left hemineglect (damage to the parietal lobe on the right side of the brain) As a result of a brain infection, Cecil now only pays attention to the right side of his world. In fact, he only shaves the right side of his face. Case 6: Prosopagnosia (damage to temporal lobe structures on both sides of the brain) After suffering a brain infection, Alicia no longer recognises herself in a mirror. She can recognise the sound of her voice, though. When she looks at other people she should know, she also cannot recognise them. If they call her on the phone, though, she knows them. Case 7: Primary progressive aphasia (frontotemporal degeneration - left frontal and temporal lobes) Hiram has frontotemporal degeneration, and thus, he is gradually developing problems with language. Case 8: Persistent vegetative state (damage to the reticular activating system) Michelle had a small stroke that damaged part of her brain. She seems to be almost, but not quite, conscious. She’ll open her eyes at times and smile at times, but she never wakes up. Case 9: Delirium (side effects of the various medication) Nursing home resident, John, 70 years old, takes numerous drugs to treat various chronic conditions. He has begun to alternate between periods of nodding off and periods of being extremely lucid and aware of even the slightest environmental changes. Case 10: Visual agnosia (cerebrovascular accident - damaged cortical regions along pathways underneath and on the outer part of the temporal lobes) After her stroke, Nancy could no longer perceive animals when she looked at them. For example, she knows what a dog is, she can describe its features, and she can recognise a dog by touch. However, Nancy cannot tell that she is looking at a dog when she is presented with a visual image of one. Additional Resources These additional resources will be helpful in completing this week's discussion. Try to read at least some of the following: Elsevier (2020). Learning disorder. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-a nd-dentistry/learning-disorder Help Guide (2019). Learning disabilities and disorders. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learni ng-disabilities/learning-disabilities-anddisorders.ht m Mental Health Foundation (2020). Learning disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/learning-disabil ities/a-to-z/l/learning-disabilities The University of Queensland (n.d.). Learning disorders. Retrieved from https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/learning-m emory/learning-disorders UWGB Psychology (2016, December 7). Introduction to Neuropsychology [video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkiu_P9xLW w