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Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition

Neuropsychology

by Bryan C. Auday, , PhD, Elaine Hong

Category: Specialty

Anatomy or system affected: Brain

Specialties and related fields: Neurology, neuroscience, pharmacology, psychiatry, psychology, rehabilitation

Definition: The scientific study of the biological underpinnings of behavior such as emotion, awareness, memory, language, and cognition.

Key terms:

amnesia: a condition exhibited by memory problems

aphasia: a condition exhibited by language problems

neuropsychological tests: standardized assessments used to evaluate a person’s strengths and weaknesses of cognitive functioning

occupational therapy: the use of treatment programs to help people learn or recover skills associated with activities of daily living or work

traumatic brain injury: injury to the brain that usually results from an accident

SCIENCE AND PROFESSION

Neuropsychology is an interdisciplinary field that emerges from the study of biological mechanisms underlying psychological phenomena such as emotion, language, memory, perception, movement, and consciousness. In contrast to the discipline of cognitive psychology, which explores the conceptual and theoretical processes of the mind, neuropsychology investigates the relationship between brain function and behavior.

Most neuropsychologists have earned doctorates, with degrees coming from programs specifically in the area of neuropsychology or a general experimental program that includes postdoctoral work in neuropsychology. Neuropsychologists work in academia (colleges and universities), in private industry, for federal and state government agencies, and in private practice. They should not be confused with neurologists and psychiatrists who are physicians with medical degrees (MD’s). Those who study neuropsychology find that knowledge in the field opens up a variety of occupational choices, such as biomedicine, nursing, psychiatric health care, cognitive rehabilitation, occupational therapy, physical therapy, neurology, psychiatry, neuroscience, laboratory technician, and pharmacology.

Neuropsychology is typically broken down into two areas of inquiry: experimental neuropsychology (also known as cognitive neuroscience) and clinical neuropsychology (sometimes referred to as human neuropsychology). Experimental neuropsychologists most often work in university settings and conduct laboratory studies using either nonhuman animals (mice, rats, etc.) or humans who suffer from head trauma, neurological disease, or illness. A common goal of empirical research is to learn more about the basic neurological or neurophysiological mechanisms associated with specific behaviors, with an emphasis on understanding more about brain/behavior relationships. In contrast, clinical neuropsychologists usually work in health care settings (hospital, health clinic, rehabilitation center), where they assess and evaluate clinical populations such as those who suffer from traumatic brain injury, amnesia, aphasia, and other brain-based problems. More importantly, the clinical neuropsychologist wants to help patients by developing treatment protocols that will help them either improve or maintain their current level of functioning. The U.S. Department of La-bor/Employment and Training Administration, which sponsors the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), lists some of the major tasks of neuropsychologists as follows:

  • Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensory-motor function, language, learning, and memory.

  • Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports using data from psychological or neuropsych- ological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.

  • Diagnose and treat conditions involving injury to the central nervous system such as cerebrovascular accidents, neoplasms, infectious or inflammatory diseases, degenerative diseases, head traumas, demyelinating diseases, and various forms of dementing illnesses.

  • Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.

  • Establish neurobehavioral baseline measures for monitoring progressive cerebral disease or recovery.

  • Diagnose and treat psychiatric populations for conditions such as somatoform disorder, dementias, and psychoses.

  • Distinguish between psychogenic and neurogenic syndromes, two or more suspected etiologies of cerebral dysfunction, or between disorders involving complex seizures.

One of the largest patient populations that a clinical neuropsychologist works with comprises those who suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The range of therapeutic needs for a TBI patient can vary greatly. A neuropsychologist will begin to assess cognitive and behavioral deficits by conducting a series of neuropsychological tests. Once an assessment has been completed, a treatment plan can then be developed to help the individual progress as far as they are capable. Since a brain injury can influence several systems in the body, it is common for a neuropsychologist to work in conjunction with an interdisciplinary team. A TBI patient can receive several supportive therapies such as cognitive therapy, sensory-motor therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, among others.

PERSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTS

Neuropsychology is a subspecialty of the discipline of psychology. It is difficult to pinpoint when scientists and physicians first began to study behavior as a method to explore brain functioning; however, by the late 1800s, definite evidence supporting localization theory began to emerge. This theory hypothesized the brain was composed of separate areas that were responsible for different functions. In competition with localization theory was the concept of equipotentiality, which held the belief that mental abilities depended on the whole brain rather than just a single localized area. Thus, when those who subscribed to equipotentiality encountered a brain injury, the amount of brain damage that occurred was more important than the specific area that was compromised.

In 1861, Paul Broca, a French surgeon, treated a patient who had been unable to speak for several decades. After the patient’s death, Broca performed an autopsy and discovered a lesion in the left frontal lobe near the lateral fissure that demarcates the frontal lobe from the temporal lobe of the brain. After studying several additional cases of patients with a similar language disturbance, Broca published his results in 1865. This paper supported localization theory since language processes were localized to specific brain structures. This language disturbance is now known as Broca’s aphasia.

The discipline of neuropsychology continued to gain acceptance as additional brain structures that mediated specific behaviors were discovered. The development of neuropsychological tests along with the introduction of functional brain imaging technologies (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography) were also pivotal in the growth of neuropsychology.

See also Concussion; Glasgow coma scale; Neurology; Neuroscience; Traumatic brain injury

For Further Information:

1 

Brain Injury Association of America: www.biausa.org/. Kalat, James W. Biological Psychology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2013.

2 

Kolb, Bryan, and Ian Q. Whishaw. Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology. 6th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 2009.

3 

Horton Jr, Arthur MacNeill, and Danny Wedding. The Neuropsychology Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2008.

4 

Lambert, Kelly G., and Craig H. Kinsley. Clinical Neuroscience: Psychopathology and the Brain. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

5 

Zillmer, Eric A., Mary V. Spiers, and William C. Culbertson. Principles of Neuropsychology. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Auday, Bryan C., and Elaine Hong. "Neuropsychology." Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition, edited by Anubhav Agarwal,, Salem Press, 2022. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=MMG2022_0950.
APA 7th
Auday, B. C., & Hong, E. (2022). Neuropsychology. In A. Agarwal, (Ed.), Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Auday, Bryan C. and Hong, Elaine. "Neuropsychology." Edited by Anubhav Agarwal,. Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2022. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.