Neuropsychology. The subject, objectives and main branches of neuropsychology.

Lecture



Neuropsychology was formed in 30-40 years of 20 centuries. The founder - A.R.Luria.

Neuropsychology is a branch of clinical psychology that studies the brain foundations of mental activity , or the brain organization of mental activity.

Neuropsychology - studies the brain and psyche, biological and social (in a broader sense).

Neuropsychology is currently a broad branch of knowledge, which is divided into a number of branches. Modern branches of neuropsychology:

  1. clinical neuropsychology - the study of symptoms, syndromes and diagnosis for brain damage. The main material is patients with local brain damage. Also considered and somatic patients.
  2. childhood neuropsychology - the formation of the brain organization of mental processes, the relationship of brain development and psyche.
  3. experimental neuropsychology
  4. psychophysiological direction - the study of the brain organization of mental processes using physiological processes
  5. the neuropsychology of individual development - the neuropsychology of the norm (motor sphere, emotional and personal ...)
  6. neuropsychology of senile age.

The basic theoretical position of domestic neuropsychology.

The theoretical foundations laid by Luria, Vygotsky.

The main problem (when it comes to brain organization) is the localization of higher mental functions. The brain is associated with the psyche. The brain is a substrate of mental activity. Each area of ​​the brain contributes to the implementation of mental activity.

There were 2 historical points of view - in 20-30 years:

  1. Narrow Localizationism (Broca)
  2. Equipotentiality - Sherrington - the brain as a whole contributes to every mental function. Antilocalization.

Luria revised the concept - the highest mental function - it is not some indivisible ability for something - it is a whole system consisting of various links. VPF - also mediated. Localization - this concept was revised - it is not localized VPF as a whole, but only the links of the PF . To correlate these links or factors not directly with the morphological substrate (brain tissue), but with those mental processes that take place in the brain.

To localize a function is to understand the structure of this function, break it up into links, and understand what physiological processes provide this factor, a link. The brain is not a collection of nerve centers that rigidly perform a particular function. The brain works as a whole, each area of ​​the brain contributes to the implementation of mental functions. Localization itself is not rigidly fixed. For example, a person has a bullet wound to the left temple. Speech disturbed. With special work, a speech therapist and a neuropsychologist can restore speech. Perhaps not so clean. Therefore - localization has changed. Localization is dynamic, not fixed.

With the defeat of the right hemisphere in children under 12 years of age, the speech was disturbed, and with the defeat of the left hemisphere - speech was not disturbed - therefore - dynamic localization.

Luria proposed a structural-morphological model.

3 blocks of brain . Dynamic localization only inside blocks.

Luria's structural brain model.

1st block of the brain. Energy or block regulation of tone and wakefulness. Anatomical structures of the first block of the brain:

  • brainstem - reticular formation of the trunk
  • limbic system (thalamus, pituitary, hypothalamus)
  • diencephalic nuclei (subcortical nuclei). Stem and subcortical structures.
  • cortex - media-basal cortex of the frontal and temporal regions (in the middle between the hemispheres, basal base, in the middle below).

The functions of the first block of the brain.

1. The main function - activation of the big hemispheres - maintaining a certain level of wakefulness.

Temporary activation - change of periods of sleep and wakefulness, short-term activation - to maintain attention.

2. modal non-specific memory - episodic, personal, memory for events.

3. providing basal emotions - fear, pleasure. There are more negative centers than positive ones.

4. the function of maintaining life in the body - a vital function. Neurohumoral regulation, endocrine system - at the level of the pituitary, hypothalamus; regulation in the activity of internal organs (cardiovascular contractions), regulation of such functions as respiration, thermoregulation, immunity, etc. ...

5. regulator of (instinctive) genetically fixed forms of behavior. For example, behavior in a situation of stress, affect, sexual behavior, a regulator of addiction systems.

6. regulation of muscle tone (for motor activity).

2nd block of the brain . The unit for receiving, processing and naturally storing exteroceptive information - from the outside from receptors, from the senses, as well as from proprioceptors - from the inside.

Damage to organs - work 2 blocks of the brain. Proprioceptors - are responsible for the position of parts of the body, the state of the muscles.

Anatomically, brain block 2 includes: convexital (superficial cortex of the parietal, temporal, occipital regions of the brain. Cortical link of the analyzer system, temple of the auditory system, nape of the visual system, crown of the skin-kinesthetic system.

The function is information processing.

The fields of the second block of the brain are divided into:

  • primary
  • secondary
  • tertiary

1. Primary fields - primary processing of impulses that come from the analyzer, directly from the receptor. With the destruction of the primary fields comes cortical blindness.

2. Secondary fields - are responsible for the further processing of information: form, depth, analysis of the information received.

With the destruction of the secondary fields, agnosia occurs, apraxia - a violation of the objectiveness of perception. Auditory analyzer in the secondary fields: analysis of phonemes, sounds.

3. Tertiary fields - associative - are responsible for the highest level of information processing.

Function - the synthesis of information. Associative zones in the upper parietal cortex. Separate sites of the lower parietal cortex. The TPO zone also applies to tertiary fields. This is the overlap zone of the temporal, parietal and occipital regions.

3rd brain block. Unit programming, regulation and control of the course of mental activity . Convexital frontal cortex.

Tertiary cortex - associative. one third of the brain is the frontal part. Animals have one sixth or one tenth. That is why possible VPF in humans.

The functions of the third block of the brain - provides a series of movements. For example, a letter. Smooth switching from one action to another. Targeting, control over all functions of mental activity.

Motor cortex - precentral cortex, motor cortex, projection cortex.

The concept of Luria is the concept of the system dynamic localization of an HMF.

Neuropsychology - one of the areas of psychological knowledge - solves both theoretical and practical problems. In theoretical terms, its subject is the brain organization of mental functions, the study of the role of individual structural and functional units of the brain in the implementation of differences in the types of mental activity. In the practical field, neuropsychology contributes to the solution of such tasks of medical psychology as diagnosis and rehabilitation. United by a common methodological approach - a method of syndromic analysis of violations of higher mental functions in various forms of cerebral insufficiency - the theoretical and clinical components of neuropsychology are in close and inseparable unity, the initial and main condition for the formation and development of this discipline.
At the same time, the need for practice (especially the practice of training and retraining specialists) in a more focused and focused presentation of the diagnostic capabilities of neuropsychology is clearly articulated.
The present stage of development of neuropsychology is characterized by its emergence into new clinical areas, provided, on the one hand, by advances in neurosurgery and neurology, on the other, by the accumulated data on the adequacy of the neuropsychological approach to various mental diseases (dementia of late age, schizophrenia, epilepsy). , alcoholism, mental retardation) and even to the assessment of the functional state of the brain of healthy people in special or extreme conditions of life and activities (adaptation to new environmental factors, sports, left-handedness, bilingualism, stressful influences, etc.).
Dysfunctions or functional reorganizations in the cerebral organization of mental processes, which are revealed at the same time, can be the result of changes in brain activity not at the structural level, but at the neurophysiological, neuronal or biochemical levels of brain activity support. At the same time, not only and not so much the task of establishing a topical diagnosis, but the possibility of identifying safe and impaired links in mental activity and a description of the structure of its changes based on the factors forming the syndrome, acquire independent significance. The data obtained in this case ensure the improvement of differential diagnosis and provide an opportunity to assess the course of the disease (including in the process of pharmacological influence) and prognosis. The latter circumstance is very important for preventive, corrective and rehabilitation measures.
The authors of the textbook "Clinical Psychology" are aware of the conditional division of this field of psychology into theoretical and clinical. Nevertheless, a generalization of the clinical diagnostic aspect of the application of the method of A.R. Luria in modern conditions, the need for its wide distribution, the task of practical training of psychology students to work in various fields of medicine urgently demanded the creation of such a methodological guide. The two most important areas of modern neuropsychology, which have an independent practical meaning, have not been reflected in it: neuropsychological rehabilitation and neuropsychology of childhood. The strategy and tactics of neuropsychological rehabilitation are exhaustively developed and presented in the works of the professor of the department of neuro-and pathopsychology L.S. Tsvetkova and her team led the Problem Laboratory. Pediatric neuropsychology is a relatively new area of ​​research, fruitfully carried out under the guidance of the doctor of psychological sciences E.G. Symernytska, a leading researcher of the same department, in scientific and practical terms is a large independent area of ​​neuropsychology, which, in our opinion, requires the creation of a separate methodological guide.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the new areas of application of neuropsychology and the achievements of neuropsychological practice with distinct brilliance show truly inexhaustible opportunities inherent in the created by A.R. Luria area of ​​psychological science, the success of which is largely due to its formation in close connection with practice and interdisciplinary interaction with general psychology, neurology, neurosurgery, functional anatomy, physiology of higher nervous activity and psychophysiology.

created: 2014-10-08
updated: 2021-03-13
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Neuropsychology

Terms: Neuropsychology