WK4_Clinical neuropsychology

Where?
- Provide examples of areas/careers for applying psychological literacy.
What?
- Identify and articulate skills and competencies obtained through studies.
Application:
- Understand how psychological literacy applies to various careers.
History/Impact:
- Understand contributions of psychologists to career development with real-world examples.

Neuropsychology: Studies links between brain damage and changes in thinking, feeling, and behavior.
Clinical Neuropsychology: Applies neuropsychological knowledge to assess and treat individuals with brain injuries and conditions affecting brain function.
Focus on the relationship between the physical brain and mind/behavior.
Conditions of interest: Brain injuries, epilepsy, and other disorders.

Neurology:
- Medical specialization with a medical degree; focuses on diagnosing and managing patients.
Clinical Neuropsychology:
- Specialization in clinical psychology; requires a doctorate in clinical/educational psychology and BPS Qualification in clinical neuropsychology.
- Involves psychological assessment, treatment planning, and evaluation.
Cognitive Neuropsychology:
- A subfield of cognitive psychology focused primarily on research, typically requiring a PhD.

Localization of Function:
- Concept that specific areas of the brain are responsible for particular functions.
Notable Figures:
- Paul Broca: Known for Broca's area, linked with speech production.
- Carl Wernicke: Associated with language comprehension, Wernicke's aphasia.
- Phineas Gage: Case study demonstrating changes in personality following a frontal lobe injury.

Development of standardized tests post-WWI and WWII for assessing head injuries.
Early assessments focused on the localization of function concepts.

Accident involving a large iron rod through his left frontal lobe led to significant personality change.
After the accident, he reportedly lost his former personality and rationality.

Evaluated by John Martyn Harlow.
Noted cognitive impairments, such as poor money estimation despite perfect memory.
Varied interpretations of his cognitive changes and personality post-accident.

Non-fluent aphasia characterized by impaired speech production (e.g., saying "tan").
Comprehension remains relatively intact despite expressive difficulty.

Fluent yet meaningless speech production.
Patients exhibit deficits in understanding both written and spoken language due to lesions in the superior temporal lobe.

Defined as a brain disorder with a tendency to have epileptic seizures due to abnormal neuronal activity.

Important for diagnosis, monitoring progress, and pre-post surgical evaluations.
Tools include standardized diagnostic tests, interviews, and computerized assessments.
Assess cognitive functions including general intellect, memory, attention, and language functions.

Treatments were often spiritual, involving exorcism or divine explanations.
Hippocrates (400BC) postulated natural causes for diseases, moving away from divine explanations.

Evolution towards physical explanations; Thomas Willis linked epilepsy to "explosion of animal spirits."
Early pharmacological treatments began to emerge; a shift from spiritual to scientific explanations.

The field of clinical neuropsychology emphasizes the relationship between brain function and psychological outcomes.
It incorporates historical knowledge and modern scientific approaches to facilitate treatments.
Psychologists enhance career opportunities via psychological literacy—skills in statistics, communication, and evidence-based practice.