“What is neuropsychology?”

Neuropsychology may contain primarily original, empirical research on the relation between brain and human cognitive, emotional, and behavioral function. Sought are submissions of experimental, cognitive, behavioral, and neuroimaging research with implications for neuropsychological theory, research, and practice.

A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who specializes in understanding the relationship between the physical brain and behavior. The brain is complex. Disorders within the brain and nervous system can alter behavior and cognitive function.
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, the role of a neuropsychologist is to understand how brain structures and systems relate to behavior and thinking.
Neuropsychologists have a doctorate in psychology and training in neuropsychology. They often work in research or clinical settings. Neuropsychologists evaluate and treat people with various types of nervous system disorders. They work closely with doctors, including neurologists.
Illnesses, injuries, and diseases of the brain and nervous system can affect the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves. Symptoms that may call for a neuropsychologist include:
memory difficulties
mood disturbances
learning difficulties
nervous system dysfunction
If other doctors can’t identify the cause of a symptom, a neuropsychologist can help determine a diagnosis. If a diagnosis is already known, an assessment can still be helpful.
A neuropsychologist can help determine what impairments you might have and how severe they are. The following are examples of conditions they evaluate and treat:
A stroke can affect behavior, thinking, memory, and other brain functions in obvious or subtle ways. They can perform an evaluation to help determine the degree of stroke impairment.
Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder, can cause several neurological problems. A neuropsychologist’s exam can provide a baseline to help them determine disease progression and decreased function.
Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia can interfere with memory, personality, and cognitive abilities. A neuropsychologist can perform an exam to help them identify it in its early stage.
Traumatic brain injuries can cause a wide variety of symptoms. A neuropsychologist can help determine how an injury affects functions like reasoning or problem-solving skills.
A neuropsychologist can help determine which of the many types of learning disabilities someone has and develop a treatment plan.

A neuropsychologist is licensed psychologist with specialized training in neuropsychological testing. This means they are able to conduct a clinical interview with you to ask questions about your brain injury, how you were functioning before and after the injury, give you a series of tests, and then make a diagnosis (if appropriate). The cool aspect about them is that they can also tease out any true cognitive problems from perceived cognitive problems that may be stemming from psychiatric illnesses like depression or anxiety. What many patients find helpful are the recommendations they provide based on their examination.

A neuropsychologist would be able to assess what your cognitive abilities are, including your strengths, and what cognitive functions may have been affected by the head injury. Best of luck!

Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology that is concerned with how the brain and the rest of the nervous system influence a person's cognition and behaviors. More importantly, professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of the brain affect cognitive functions and behaviors. Your visit will comprise of a diagnostic interview to determine previous functioning and current level of functioning since your brain injury. You will then undergo hours of neurocognitive testing to assess brain function regarding attention, memory, language, visual-spatial, and motor skills. It is essential that you be evaluated by a neuropsychologist within the first year of your injury.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your appointment.

Brandi Buchanan, PhD

Dear Sir/Madam:
 
Sorry to hear about your brain injury.
Alan J. Parkin in his book "Memory and Amnesia an Introduction"  states that this subdiscipline of Psychology is "...concerned with the relationship between brain damage and psychological processes. The term is sometimes used more broadly to include any scientific investigation of the the nervous system's role in controlling behavior."   Neuropsychologists usually administer psychological tests and interpret the test results.
Not knowing what functions are impaired as a result of your brain trauma, it would be difficult for me to say how it would help. You need to ask the referring physician of their concern. You also need to convey your concerns to the neuropsychologists and they would be able to answer your question regarding how the tests that they administer would help you. Unfortunately, this is not my specialty.

Take care,
Dr. Sonpal

A neuropsychologist will evaluate the extent of the injury structurally and functionally and can detect soft signs of injury that are not seen on imaging surveys. Good luck, Dr. Hirshfeld

A neuropsychologist is a specialized psychologist with expertise in brain functioning. Most likely they would conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current functioning then make recommendations based on the test results.

Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology allied with neurology. It is not my specialty. I encourage you to contact a neuropsychologist for a response.



Peace,



Marian

Neuropsychologists utilize a variety of cognitive and personality tests to measure the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of patients. Frequently, patients are referred to neuropsychologists after having experienced a head injury in order to determine the new cognitive deficits they may have developed as a result of the injury. A patient will arrive for the first appointment for a diagnostic interview. This will be followed by cognitive testing. The neuropsychologist will subsequently write a report that will include information from the diagnostic interview and the results from the cognitive testing. The report will also include recommendations for what the patient can do to either improve performance or make lifestyle accommodations when deficits cannot be improved.

They specialize in traumas of the brain and the brain activity. I am a clinical psychologist, and I specialize in the behavior of the brain, meaning what makes us tick, what makes us do and think the way we do, etc.

In coordination with medical procedures to identify the nature of the injury, a psychologist will do testing to determine the nature and degree of cognitive impairment resulting from the injury.

Please keep in mind this reply is for information only and does not constitute treatment.

Neuropsychology is a sub-specialty of clinical psychologist focused on assessing and treating people with certain kinds of brain injuries and diseases. They have a lot of specialized training in testing, and in some cases, treatment of brain injury. Depending on your referral, the neuropsychologist may conduct testing to better understand your brain injury and make recommendations on how to treat and manage it better. Some neuropsychologists provide treatment customized for brain injury, often called cognitive rehabilitation, that would be specific to your injury and the effects of the injury.

Basically, this person would likely either do testing to help describe what you need and how to make your situation better or starting doing treatment to address issues caused by your head injury.

Neuroscience works with how your neural networks connect and interact with each other. If neuroscience existed when I was getting my degree, I would have been a cognitive neuroscientist instead of a psychologist. We now understand how human beings work in a way that we just did not have the ability to understand previously.