V5 Neuropsychology,Patient Impact And Family Considerations

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V5 Neuropsychology,Patient Impact And Family Considerations

Neuropsychology

After an individual damages the MT/v5 area of the

occipital lobe, it can be very beneficial for the

individual to go through neuropsychological evaluations to

assess their perceptual and cognitive abilities post-trauma

or surgery. A Neuropsychologist determines what tests are

appropriate to adequately identify the extent of the

cognitive and behavioral consequential effects associated

with the damage sustained by the MT/v5 area.

In the example of SF, the epileptic mentioned earlier

by (Nawrot et al, 2000), SF had a series of motion

perception test administered to determine the effects of

her surgery. In the case of SF, pre and post-surgery tests

were given to measure how the removal of the lesion in the

MT+ area of her occipital lobe effected her perceptual

abilities. The random dot cinematograms (RDC) test, was

selected to measure SF perception and the consequential

effects of damage sustained to her occipital lobe areas.

After these tests were administered, the Neuropsychologist

is able to rank the patients test score against the mean

scores that represent normal performance range. In the

case of SF, the perception tests were able to show the

amount of time it took for her MT/v5 area to adapt to its

new conditions. The Neuropsychologist then compares SF's

perceptual performance to her pre-surgery ranges. These

results helped (Nawrot et al, 2000) suggest that either

dendritic sprouting or the opposite hemisphere compensation

occurred in order to compensate for damage of SF MT/v5

area. The importance of these tests, are to help the

Neuropsychologist determine the necessary steps needed for

the rehabilitation of the patient. In the case of SF,

these results helped conclude that the removal of lesion in

the MT to reduce her seizures was worth it. The amount of

seizures was greatly reduced post surgery and the visual

and perceptual deficits experienced by SF after the surgery

were short lived.

Another example of the types of tests used by

Neuropsychologist to identify the effects of head trauma,

are illustrated in the case study of BC, a 45 year old

women with visual-perceptual deficits. (Vaina et al, 2002,

p. 465) The Performance part of the Wechsler Adult

Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) was administered by the

Neuropsychologist to assess BC's perceptual and cognitive

abilities. Three tests in the Performance IQ set were

administered, Picture Completion, Block Design, and Object

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