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Neuropsychology: from theory to practice quiz
Neuropsychology essay
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Neuropsychological testing is used to assess and diagnosis brain impairments, such as a head injury, dementia, or Alzheimer’s (Gregory, 1999). Purposes of neuropsychological assessments include determining if the problem is physiological (e.g., brain damage or lesion), the nature of the dysfunction (e.g., location or type), and cognitive deficits caused by the problem (Class Notes VIII). For example, following a brain injury, a neurological battery of tests may be given in order to assess the individual to see if there has been any change in cognitive functioning. Results from neurological assessments can provide information on the individual’s current mental capacities, which allows for the development of a specific diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan (Gregory, 1999). Additionally, these tests help document the effects of a progressive illness (i.e., Alzheimer’s) or can confirm the individual’s recovery (Gregory, 1999). Furthermore, if suspicion or referral questions about cognitive functioning are presented, then screening tests are often given beforehand to assess whether or not a neurological test battery or flexible battery is required. These screening tests are shorter versions that are easier to administer and interpret than the long intensive neurological test batteries (Gregory, 1999). A neuropsychological battery of assessments examines areas that are sensitive to brain trauma or disorders, such as intelligence, memory, language, visuospatial and motor abilities, and frontal lobe functioning. The WAIS is specifically useful to neuropsychological testing because it can be used to examine these same areas. The intelligence aspect is generally measured by a standard intelligence test like the WAIS-III or WAIS-I... ... middle of paper ... ...r-level concept formation. Furthermore, reading ability on the WAIS-III can predict the score on the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WRAT). Some problems with using this approach is that reading is dependent on education and verbal abilities and brain damage can cause problems with reading ability (e.g., aphasias), so another test would have to be administered in the neuropsychological evaluation (Schoenberg et al., 2002). Overall, the WAIS can be a useful tool to include in a neuropsychological battery. It can help estimate a person’s premorbid IQ and some of the individual subtests can provide insight into the section of the brain that may be dysfunctional. However, the WAIS may also be a difficult test to use to estimate cognitive decline, because there are so many tasks involved in the WAIS tasks that it is hard to separate out what they real problem may be.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) account to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. with an estimated 1.7 million individuals sustaining TBI each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Classifications of brain injury (e.g., mild, moderate and severe) is mostly done using the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) which has gained broad acceptance for the assessment of the severity of brain damage (Bauer & Fritz, 2004). Recent studies suggest that almost all patients with moderate or severe TBI have a period of recovery during which they are responsive but confused. This state is commonly referred to as the post-traumatic amnesia. Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is defined as “a failure of continuous memory” (Artiola et al., 1980; p.377). PTA is often cited as the best method for codifying the degree, level of recovery and outcome after a closed head injury (e.g., Artieola et al., 1980; Tate, Pfaff, & Jurjevic, 2000). PTA duration is a better indicator of outcome than early injury scales such as the GCS score (Richardson et al., 2009).This analysis will examine the limitations of the general PTA assessment scale, and investigate the benefits and limitations of both retrospective and prospective methods used to measure the duration of PTA.
The brain is an incredibly complex organ, but also vulnerable to damage from outside forces. “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death, especially in young adults, and a major cause of disability” (Mayer, 2005, p. 483). Accidents can result in forces that jar the skull, causing the brain to strike the skull walls causing bruising or hemorrhaging. In some cases, swelling can lead to herniation in the brain and restricted blood flow that can lead to cognitive impairment. In more severe cases, the result is either a vegetative state or death. Two scales used to measure the severity of TBI are the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which measures from 3 being comatose to 15 indicating minor trauma based on eye, verbal, and motor responses, and the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), whose last number indicates severity from 1, which indicates minor injury, to 6, indicating certain death. Violence, car accidents, work accidents, and sports injuries are well known causes of TBI.
Developed by Linda Brown, Rita Sherbenou, and Susan Johnsen and published by pro.ed The Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-Fourth Edition (TONI-4) is an assessment that uses abstract reasoning and figural problem solving to estimate general intellectual ability. The Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Fourth Edition (TONI-4) is a measure of general intelligence relying heavily on a nonverbal format and limited motor responses. The TONI-4 is designed to assess abstract/figural problem-solving skills of children and adults varying from ages 6 to 89 who have language, hearing, and motor difficulties. The TONI-4 has two equivalent versions, Form A and Form B, each of which consists of 60 items listed in
Many of the studies involve the participants sitting a neuropsychological test and compared their results. Neuropsychological tests are designed to examine cognitive abilities, such as speed information processing, memory, language attention and executive functions. Neuropsychological testing is important for assessing and treating traumatic brain injury, but also important for testing and examining the effects of medical conditions on brain functioning (Iverson et al., 2004). A Neuropsychological test that is frequently used through out these studies is known as ImPACT.
DEFINING AND DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA. (2005). In The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing. Retrieved from https://hodges.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.hodges.
Richards, T. (2001). Website of the week: Testing intelligence. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 323(7308), 348.
Applicable populations: Mental status exams are utilized with a variety of populations, but are most commonly utilized with older populations to detect signs of dementia and alzheimer’s.
Worldwide, 35.6 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year (WHO 2012). There are ma...
... WJ III DRB is a quality test that can help examiners gain insight of examinees reading abilities and identify their weakness.
Twenty-eight individuals agreed to participate in this longitudinal clinical pathological study of gaining in Alzheimer’s disease. They agreed to annual clinical evaluations as well as to donate their brain to the research once they had died. The average age of the participants was 85 and the range was from 66 to 103. The annual clinical evaluation was to assess what group the participant belonged to. Obviously there was a specific criterion to check for if a person fell under the early Alzheimer’s category. There was no official criterion for those with mild cognitive impairment so those who fell under that category w...
Neuropsychology is the strongest and exciting area of science and psychology to date by applying principles of scientific evaluation and intervention derived from the study typical and irregular performance of the brain and central nervous system. Neuropsychologists are devoted to understanding the relationship between human behavior and the brain and understanding the application of neuropsychology to issues that society face everyday. With medical technology at it disposal neuropsychologist are able to use brain scan devices to evaluate neurological disorders from the brain response to individual behavior. Many neuropsychologists are employed via grant work, but many have salary jobs with research facilities associated with hospitals, university, clinics, labs and large medical pharmaceutical
There are four main types of dementia with AD being the most widespread form. It ac...
Dementia is defined by the World Health Organization as a syndrome due to damage of the brain cells that most often chronic and progressive in nature. Some of the cortical functions that become impaired include memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgment. Other manifestations that may accompany this disease are deterioration in emotional control, social behavior or motivation (Ouldred & Bryant, 2009) Dementia is not a normal part of aging, however it occurs most frequently in the older population. Fifteen percent of Americans over the age of sixty-five have dementia, and as the average life span continues to increase, so will the number of those affected by dementia (Fredman, James, Johnson, Scholz, & Weuve, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pathophysiology, risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options for different types of dementia.
In today’s highly competitive job market it is extremely challenging and important for businesses to fill a vacancy with the right candidate (Cann, 2013). Due to high demand of potential candidates, developing a portfolio of employability skills which include psychometric testing is considered important in every workplace (Mills et al., 2011). Thus, I recently took three practice psychometric tests on verbal, numerical and inductive/logical reasoning. This essay is a reflection of my personal experience of psychometric testing. First, I will talk about what the literature comments on in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of psychometric testing. Then, I will assess whether literature reflects
KS Santactuz, M. a. (2011, January ). Dementia | Overview. Retrieved November 2013, 2013, from Dementia: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/brain/disorders/662.html