Neuropsychology Exam Flashcards

Flashcards for Neuropsychology Exam (PSY6015M)

ADHD Affected Brain Areas:

Prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, fronto-striatal circuits.

ADHD Symptoms:

Inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, poor executive control

ADHD Spared Functions:

Language, general intelligence

ADHD Case Insight:

Studies suggest it reflects deficits in inhibitory control, illuminating prefrontal cortex functions in attention regulation

Tourette’s Syndrome Affected Brain Areas:

Basal ganglia, particularly the caudate nucleus

Tourette’s Syndrome Symptoms:

Motor and vocal tics, compulsive behaviours

Tourette’s Syndrome Spared Functions:

Language, memory, overall cognition

Tourette’s Syndrome Case Insight:

Provides insight into motor control circuits and the role of basal ganglia in behavioural regulation.

Epilepsy (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) Affected Brain Areas:

Temporal lobes, hippocampus

Epilepsy (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) Symptoms:

Memory impairment, auras, emotional disturbances

Epilepsy (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) Spared Functions:

Procedural memory, attention

Epilepsy (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) Case Insight:

highlights the hippocampus' role in episodic memory encoding.

Alzheimer’s Disease Affected Brain Areas:

Medial temporal lobes (hippocampus), spreading to parietal and frontal lobes.

Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms:

Progressive episodic memory loss, language difficulties, disorientation

Alzheimer’s Disease Spared Functions:

Procedural memory early on

Alzheimer’s Disease Case Insight:

Illustrates the sequence of memory system deterioration

Parkinson’s Disease Affected Brain Areas:

Substantia nigra (dopaminergic loss), basal ganglia

Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms:

Bradykinesia (slowness of movement), tremor, executive dysfunction, mood disorders

Parkinson’s Disease Spared Functions:

Language, some aspects of memory

Parkinson’s Disease Case Insight:

Clarifies dopamine's role in movement and executive control

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) 3 Sub Types:

behavioural variant FTD

non-fluent aphasia

semantic dementia

Behavioural Variant FTD Affected Brain Areas:

Frontal lobes

Behavioural Variant FTD Symptoms:

Apathy, disinhibition, poor judgment

Behavioural Variant FTD Spared Functions:

Memory and spatial processing early on

Behavioural Variant FTD Case Insight:

Sheds light on frontal lobe role in social cognition

Non-Fluent Aphasia Affected Brain Areas:

Left inferior frontal gyrus

Non-Fluent Aphasia Symptoms:

Non-fluent, effortful speech, agrammatism

Non-Fluent Aphasia Spared Functions:

Comprehension (early), semantics

Non-Fluent Aphasia Case Insight:

Highlights syntax and speech production circuitry

Semantic Dementia Affected Brain Areas:

Anterior temporal lobes (esp. left).

Semantic Dementia Symptoms:

Loss of word meaning, fluent but empty speech

Semantic Dementia Spared Functions:

Grammar, repetition

Semantic Dementia Case Insight:

Demonstrates role of anterior temporal lobes in semantic memory

Huntington’s Disease Affected Brain Areas:

Caudate nucleus, putamen (striatum).

Huntington’s Disease Symptoms:

Chorea (involuntary, irregular or unpredictable muscle movements), personality change, executive and memory deficits

Huntington’s Disease Spared Functions:

Early language skills

Huntington’s Disease Case Insight:

Shows importance of striatum in cognition and movement

Prosopagnosia Affected Brain Areas:

Fusiform face area (FFA), occipito-temporal cortex

Prosopagnosia Symptoms:

Inability to recognise faces

Prosopagnosia Spared Functions:

Object recognition, memory

Prosopagnosia Case Insight:

Highlights face processing as distinct cognitive system

3 Types of Amnesia:

Anterograde

Retrograde

Developmental

Anterograde Amnesia Affected Brain Areas:

Hippocampus, medial temporal lobes

Anterograde Amnesia Symptoms:

Inability to form new episodic memories

Anterograde Amnesia Spared Functions:

Working memory, procedural memory

Anterograde Amnesia Case Insight:

E.g., H.M. revealed hippocampus' role in memory consolidation

Retrograde Amnesia Affected Brain Areas:

Widespread cortical damage, often temporal

Retrograde Amnesia Symptoms:

Loss of past memories, temporally graded

Retrograde Amnesia Spared Functions:

New learning may be possible

Retrograde Amnesia Case Insight:

Supports the idea of memory consolidation over time

Developmental Amnesia Affected Brain Areas:

Hippocampal damage from early life

Developmental Amnesia Symptoms:

Poor episodic memory, preserved semantic learning

Developmental Amnesia Spared Functions:

Working memory, IQ

Developmental Amnesia Case Insight:

Shows dissociation between episodic and semantic memory systems

Broca’s Aphasia Affected Brain Areas:

Left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca’s area).

Broca’s Aphasia Symptoms:

Non-fluent speech, good comprehension.

Broca’s Aphasia Spared Functions:

Comprehension, semantic memory

Broca’s Aphasia Case Insight:

Key evidence for left frontal lobe's role in speech production

Wernicke’s Aphasia Affected Brain Areas:

Posterior superior temporal gyrus

Wernicke’s Aphasia Symptoms:

Fluent but nonsensical speech, poor comprehension

Wernicke’s Aphasia Spared Functions:

Grammar, prosody

Wernicke’s Aphasia Case Insights:

Shows importance of posterior temporal lobe in comprehension

Dysexecutive Syndrome Affected Brain Areas:

Prefrontal cortex (esp. dorsolateral)

Dysexecutive Syndrome Symptoms:

Poor planning, decision-making, inhibition

Dysexecutive Syndrome Spared Functions:

Memory storage, language skills

Dysexecutive Syndrome Case Insight:

Shows PFC's central role in executive control and flexible thinking