Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology

The study of how functions in the brain cause human behavior

Localization of Brain Function

Specific functions are associated with specific brain regions

Dissociation

When one psychological function is lost, but a closely related one is spared (Dissociation is evidence for locatization)

Capgras Delusion

Conviction that a close person is an imposter, face is recognized but the emotional response isn’t, the person doesn’t feel like the person you know

Case Study Method

An intense study of one person rather than a whole group, helpful when used to understand rare or unusual conditions

Limbic System

Overall group or system of structures in the brain involved in emotion, memory, and motivation

Motivated Behavior

Behavior driven by wants or needs

Fregoli

A rare syndrome where a patient keeps seeing the same person everywhere

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer of the brain that handles higher cognitive thinking processes

Lobes

Specific parts of the outer layer of the brain/named regions

Frontal Lobe

The front part of the brain that helps you make decisions, plan things, control impulses, and plan movements

Parietal Lobe

The middle part of the brain that helps you process touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and where your body is spatially

Temporal Lobe

Bottom left part of the brain that helps you process sounds, understand language, and recognize familiar faces and objects, also contains structures important for memory

Occipital Lobe

Bottom right part of the brain that primarily helps you process visual information from your eyes

Amygdala

Structure located in brain’s temporal lobe that quickly detects threats and has a crucial role in triggering emotional responses, particularly fear and anxiety

Basal Ganglia

A group of structures deep inside the brain that helps choose/control movements and form habits

Corpus Callosum

Thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right part of the brain together, making it possible for both parts to share information and work together/coordinate

Fusiform Face Area

Place in the temporal lobe that responds specifically and selectively to faces

Anosognosia

Inability to recognize one’s own impairment/deficit, so that a patient genuinely denies an obvious deficit

Double Dissociation

When two patients show opposite patterns of difficulty, suggesting that two abilities depend on separate brain systems

Galvanic Skin Response

A way to measure emotional arousal by detecting changes in how easily electricity flows through the skin

Hemispatial Neglect

A condition where a person ignores or is unaware of things on one side of their surroundings due to damage to the opposite parietal lobe

Holism (Holist View)

The brain works as a whole, with different areas working together to produce mental functions

Thalamus

A deep brain structure, located in the center of your brain, that receives information from almost all the senses (except smell) and sends it to the correct areas of the cerebral cortex for processing

Hypothalamus

A small brain structure below the thalamus that controls basic needs like hunger, thirst, body temperature, and hormones

Lesion

An area of damaged or destroyed tissue, whether from injury, stroke, disease, or surgery

Modularity

View that the brain has specialized systems, or modules, that handle particular mental functions

Phantom Limb

The vivid sensation that an amputated limb is still present, often including pain

Plasticity

The brain’s capacity to reorganize itself, forming new connections in response to experience or injury

Prosopagnosia

A condition where someone can see normally and recognize objects, but has difficulty recognizing people’s faces

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

A type of epilepsy where seizures begin in the temporal lobe of the brain, sometimes causing intense emotions or unusual religious experiences

Split-Brain

A condition where the connection between the brain’s two halves (the corpus callosum) is surgically cut, preventing them from directly sharing information