Neuropsychological Studies of Nonfocal Brain Damage

Neuropsychological Studies of Nonfocal Brain Damage PDF

Author: Harry Whitaker

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1461387515

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In summary, considerable controversy and research have been generated from the automatic/effortful distinction. Hasher and Zacks (1979) initially stated that all manipulations (e. g., practice, individual differences such as age, orienting instructions) must produce null effects in order to satisfy the criteria that a process is "automatic. " However, Zacks et al. (1984) have more recently noted that automatic processes may range in degree from relative insensitivity to task and subject variables (e. g., frequency processing) to those that are more vulnera ble to disruptive effects (e. g., temporal processing). A review of the literature reveals that individuals are sensitive to frequency information even if manipUla tions alter the slope of the judgments. Perhaps the application of dual-task metho dology to the measurement of capacity demands will be useful in classifying processes along an attentional continuum. Moreover, there has been a tendency to dichotomize automatic/effortful processes rather than to characterize them as ranging from low to high attentional demands. Recent evidence (Maki & Ostby, 1987) suggests that attention may be important only in the initial (early) stages of processing frequency information. Therefore, a major difference that may emerge between automatic and effortful processing could be the degree of sus tained attention required from individuals. In the following section, we review the findings obtained in the application of the automatic/effortful framework to the elderly and neurological/psychiatric populations."

Fractured Minds

Fractured Minds PDF

Author: Jenni A. Ogden

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2005-02-17

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0198038275

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Fractured Minds introduces the reader to clinical neuropsychology through vivid case descriptions of adults who have suffered brain damage. At one level, this is a book about the courage, humor, and determination to triumph over illness and disability that many "ordinary people" demonstrate when coping with the extraordinary stress of a brain disorder. On another level, it is a well-referenced and up-to-date textbook that provides a holistic view of the practice of clinical neuropsychology. Included are reader-friendly descriptions and explanations of a wide range of neurological disorders and neuroscientific concepts. Two introductory chapters are followed by 17 chapters that each focus on a specific disorder and include research, clinical assessment, rehabilitation, and a detailed case study. Disorders range across the full spectrum from common ones such as traumatic brain injury and dementia, to rare disorders such as autotopagnosia. Each of the 16 chapters retained from the first edition has been revised to reflect current research and clinical advances. Three new chapters on multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease incorporate discussion of important current topics such as genetically-transmitted diseases, genetic counseling, gene transplantation, functional neurosurgery, and the complex ethical issues that go hand-in-hand with these new techniques. This informative and engaging book will be of interest to students of clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and neurology, health professionals who work with neurological patients, neurological patients and their families, and lay readers who are simply fascinated by the mind and brain.

Neuropsychology and the Law

Neuropsychology and the Law PDF

Author: Jane Dywan

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-11

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 146123106X

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We have had a number of interesting cases come to our attention over the years. The following are illustrative of some of the issues that can emerge at the interface between neuropsychology and the law. The first involved a patient suffering from a debilitating fear of heights. The fear seemed a reasonable consequence of the fact that he had been a passenger on a plane that crashed while attempting take off. Given that many of the passengers and crew died or were seriously injured, this man was quite fortunate. In fact, he could be said to have lived a charmed life. It had been just a year since he had been involved in an industrial accident in which he could have easily died. He came away from that accident with injuries to his legs and a concussion. That accident had also involved him falling from a considerable height so that there was some discussion among clinic staff about how well the patient's circumstances and symptoms fit the diagnostic category of "posttraumatic stress disorder. " Supportive psychotherapy was used as an aid in dealing with his re curring memories of the plane crash and systematic desensitization was quite successful in reducing the most disruptive consequences of his fear of heights. However, during the course of treatment, it became apparent that there were a number of problems that had not been addressed.

Neuropsychological Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Neuropsychological Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury PDF

Author: Sarah A. Raskin

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1999-11-11

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 019028210X

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Despite the importance of the problem, strikingly little has been written about effective approaches to the treatment of individuals with mild to moderate brain injury. This book is designed for neuropsychologists, counseling and rehabilitation psychologists, and other rehabilitation professionals who work with individuals who have sustained brain injuries of mild to moderate severity. It provides a context for understanding and evaluating the common consequences of such injuries and offers both theoretical perspectives and practical suggestions for helping individuals to adjust to and compensate for residual difficulties. Early chapters focus on different domains of cognitive functioning, while later chapters describe clinical approaches to helping clients manage common emotional reactions such as depression, irritability, and anxiety. While the book acknowledges and discusses the controversy about the origins of persistent symptoms following mild brain injures, it does not focus on the controversy. Rather, it adopts a "what works" approach to dealing with individuals who have persistent symptoms and perceptions that contribute to disability and to emotional distress. Many of these individuals benefit significantly from neuropsychological intervention. Case examples throughout the book illustrate the adaptation of cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and traditional psychotherapeutic approaches to individuals with mild to moderate brain injury. Self-regulation and self-management of both cognitive failures and emotional responses are described as appropriate and effective in this population.

Case Studies in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation

Case Studies in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation PDF

Author: Barbara A. Wilson

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 9780195065985

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After a discussion of current theory and research findings relating to rehabilitation of brain injury, this book presents 20 case studies of adults with severe brain injuries sustained several years earlier. The causes of their brain damage include traumatic head injuries, encephalitis, stroke and hypoxia. Problems that follow such injuries including loss of self-care skills, memory impairment, language, reading, visuoperceptual and behavioural difficulities, are analysed in detail. The book describes the premorbid lifestyle of each of the 20 individuals, the onset of their brain damage, subsequent symptoms, neuropsychological assessment, rehabilitation, and long-term outcome. Most chapters include a report by the patient and/or family member, thus providing an extra dimension that helps to increase the reader's understanding of the predicaments faced by brain-injured individuals as they learn to cope with traumatic changes in lifestyle. Although improvement for most brain-injured people is slow and limited, all those described in this book made some progress after their admission to rehabilitation services. The exhaustive analysis of each case and step-by-step description of treatment will encourage professionals and other care-givers that much can be done for this severely injured group. For students of neuropsychology and rehabilitation, the book should serve as an inspiring and informative supplementary text.

The Behavioural and Emotional Complications of Traumatic Brain Injury

The Behavioural and Emotional Complications of Traumatic Brain Injury PDF

Author: Simon F. Crowe

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2008-02-28

Total Pages: 522

ISBN-13: 1136678239

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It is difficult to imagine what it must be like for someone following the personal crisis and catastrophe that ensues as a result of a serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). The individual is confronted with a huge range of alterations in his or her normal functioning, operating at the biological, psychological and social levels. All of these c

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury PDF

Author: Harvey S. Levin

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 0199737525

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Progress in research on traumatic brain injury is presented in this book encompassing translational and clinical investigations. Observational and interventional studies are discussed by leading investigators of TBI in adults and children. Contributors from various countries provide a global perspective on this worldwide health problem.