NEUROPSYCHOLOGY |
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DEFINITION Neuropsychology is a specialty within the field of psychology that focuses on the relationship between brain function and behavior. In addition to their training in psychology, neuropsychologists have additional training in neuroanatomy and cognitive neuroscience. They use this training to assess, diagnose, and treat a variety of medical, neurological, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric conditions that can affect cognition. Cognition can refer to different areas of brain function such as language, memory, visuospatial function, and decision making. |
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| Conditions Assessed Epilepsy – A neuropsychological evaluation can be critical to patients with epilepsy who very often experience difficulties with such functions as memory, language, and concentration. A thorough evaluation can pinpoint their cognitive deficits and direct the patient for the proper rehabilitative treatment. For patients who are possible epilepsy surgical candidates the evaluation serves as a critical aspect of the pre-surgical workup as it can assist in localizing the area of the brain where the seizures originate and help to determine any possible post-operative cognitive declines. Movement Disorders – Patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease often complain of various cognitive difficulties even early on in the course of the disease. A neuropsychological evaluation can serve as a baseline measure of cognitive performance and can track disease progression and help guide treatment. Patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's disease should receive pre-operative evaluations to rule out any cognitive factors (e.g. early onset dementia) that may be predictive of increased post-surgical cognitive and psychiatric side effects. Brain Tumors – Tumors can lead to cognitive difficulties for a number of reasons. The tumor itself may be in or affecting an area of the brain that is important for functions such as language or decision making. Pre and post-surgical neuropsychological evaluations can help to clarify these deficits and help to inform and prepare the patient for what they can expect post-operatively. Non-surgical treatments such as chemotherapy can also impact cognitive function. Evaluation during and and treatment is useful for elucidating the specific difficulties that an individual patient is experiencing and planning rehabilitative treatment or dictating specialized accommodations for both school and work environments. Dementia – People often experience various changes in cognitive function as they age, however these perceived changes can occur for different reasons. A neuropsychological evaluation can assist in determining whether these changes are the result of the normal aging process, psychiatric factors such as depression, or if they represent an abnormal neurodegenerative condition such as dementia. A full evaluation can be critical not only for the patient, but also for the caregivers and extended family who often do not fully understand the changes they are witnessing and are not sure how to care for their loved one or plan for the future. Other Conditions – Many other neurological and medical conditions facilitate cognitive, behavioral, or psychiatric changes and a neuropsychological consultation can help to clarify these changes and possibly improve treatment options. An evaluation can also be critical for those with developmental disorders such as ADHD or learning disabilities to help guide medical or behavioral treatments, and to help make recommendations for school or work accommodations when warranted.
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