Neuropsychology and Traumatic Brain Injury Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards defining core concepts, subdisciplines, mechanisms of injury, clinical outcomes, and rehabilitation approaches in neuropsychology.

Neurology

A branch of medicine that deals with diseases of the nervous system, such as stroke, dementia, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Lupus.

Neurological Exam

A clinical examination that assesses mental status, integrity of the cranial nerves, muscle strength, balance, sensations, and reflexes.

Clinical Neuropsychology

A branch of clinical psychology that deals with the neuropsychological consequences of brain damage, neurological diseases, or psychiatric disturbances.

Neuropsychological Exam

An examination that primarily assesses cognitive status—including sensation and perception, memory, language, and attention—using carefully validated psychometric instruments.

Cognitive Neuropsychology

A branch of cognitive psychology that researches how the structure and function of the brain relate to psychological processes by studying patients with brain injury or trauma.

Experimental Neuropsychology

A branch of experimental psychology that uses laboratory methods to study the relationship between the nervous system and cognitive function in neurotypical individuals.

Comparative Neuropsychology

A branch of neuroscience or neurophysiology that utilizes animal models to investigate brain-behaviour relationships, focusing on the effects of brain damage.

Forensic Neuropsychology

A subfield of neuropsychology involving the performance and evaluation of neuropsychological assessments within a court or legal setting.

Sports Neuropsychology

A branch of neuropsychology dedicated to the research, assessment, and post-injury recovery management of sports-related concussions and brain injuries.

Boston Process Approach

A neuropsychological assessment method that focuses on analyzing errors and the qualitative process by which a patient solves a problem, rather than relying solely on the final test score.

Congenital Brain Injury

Brain damage developing before birth or during the neonatal period, resulting from inherited genetic abnormalities, gene mutations, or foetal exposure to toxins, infections, trauma, or drugs.

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

Brain damage caused by events occurring after birth and the neonatal period, distinct from genetic, congenital, or degenerative brain conditions.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

An acquired brain injury caused by a mechanical external force that disrupts brain function, or arising as a complication from cranial surgery.

Non-traumatic Brain Injury

An acquired brain injury caused by an internal medical event, such as a vascular, anoxic, metabolic, infective, or autoimmune process.

Open Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury in which both the skull and the dura mater are perforated by an external force.

Closed Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury resulting from significant trauma to the head without perforation of the skull or dura mater.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Fluid that flows through the brain's ventricles and bathes the brain and spinal column, maintaining buoyancy, acting as a protective cushion, removing waste, and regulating intracranial pressure.

Cerebral Contusions

Bruising, lacerations, or lesions on or within the surface of the brain that can cause nerve cell death and blood loss, leaving visible yellow and brown scars post-healing.

Coup Injury

A brain contusion or laceration occurring directly at the site of impact.

Contrecoup Injury

A brain laceration or injury occurring at the site opposite to the point of impact.

Closed Head Injury Mechanisms

Specific surface injury mechanisms in closed head trauma, including coup, contrecoup, sphenoidal ridge damage, and vein avulsion.

Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI)

A dynamic brain injury caused by rapid acceleration or deceleration moving the brain around the brainstem, stretching axons, causing swelling and disrupted circulation, and typically resulting in lost consciousness.

Secondary Brain Damage

Brain damage arising secondary to immediate impact complications, such as hypoxia, cerebral edema, or haematoma.

Impairment

A reduced or absent physical, physiological, or psychological function following brain injury or disease.

Disability

Environmental or structural obstacles that limit or restrict an individual's full participation in daily activities following an impairment.

Spasticity

A physical impairment characterized by stiff and weak limbs, restricted range of motion, and associated pain, commonly affecting one side of the body.

Ataxia

A physical impairment characterized by irregular, uncontrolled tremors that impair the coordination of voluntary movements.

Organic Psychosocial Deficit

A term describing persistent post-TBI changes—such as irritability, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, socially inappropriate behaviour, and lack of self-awareness—in patients with no observable physical neurological defects.

Hebbian Theory

Donald Hebb's neural principle ('neurons that fire together, wire together') stating that repeated activation strengthens synaptic connections, forming the theoretical basis for practice-led neurorehabilitation.

Restitution

A rehabilitation strategy operating at the impairment level where a patient repeatedly practices impaired functions to promote neural recovery.

Compensation

A rehabilitation strategy operating at the disability level where a patient learns alternative methods or utilizes assistive technology to circumvent non-recoverable impairments.

Cognitive Retraining

A neurorehabilitation approach based on the 'mental muscle' concept, using structured practice, computer software, or tasks to remediate specific cognitive deficits.

Attention Process Training (APT)

A structured cognitive retraining program created by Sohlberg and Mateer designed to remediate attention deficits ranging from mild to severe through targeted repetitive exercises.

Holistic Rehabilitation Approach

An interdisciplinary rehabilitation model (such as Pamela Klonoff's Patient Experiential Model) that simultaneously addresses physical, cognitive, behavioural, and emotional deficits through awareness, acceptance, and realism stages.

Managed Clinical Rehabilitation Network (MCRN) Model

Ireland's 4-level neurorehabilitation service model comprising Primary Care (Level 1), Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Teams (Level 2), Regional specialist units (Level 3), and Tertiary specialist care at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (Level 4).