History of

Neuropsychological
Assessment
Learning Objectives
1. Obtain an appreciation for the historical aspects of
neuropsyc, from antiquity to the decade of the brain, in
order to understand the progression of how scholars at
various times have conceptualized the brain
2. Understand early theories of brain functioning, especially as
they relate to early theories promoting the specific
localization of functioning in the brain, as apposed to those
that promote a more generalized approach to brain
functioning
3. Learn about integrated approaches to neuropsychology,
particularly the function model suggested by Alexander
Luria
History
 Your beliefs, past experience, and
expectations all influence what you think
about the brain and how it functions
 Many of you may have various
misconceptions about how the brain works
and functions
 Popular press and media also feed into
this misconception
History
 Consider amnesia
 How many of you have seen these movies?
 The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
 50 First Dates

 The Bourne Identity

History
 In these and other movies, amnesia is used as a popular
cinematic device, yet several profound misconceptions
have emerged
1. Most films make no distinction between amnesias
resulting from a psychiatric bias or neurological
cause…there is a huge difference
2. Most common “cure” for cinematic amnesia that
results from severe head injury is another head injury
3. Post traumatic amnesia is common after head injury,
but in the movies the capacity for new learning is
usually left completely intact
History
 It isn’t all bad though
 One of the most neuro-psychologically accurate
portrayals of amnesia in the cinema is the
movie…
 Finding Nemo (2003)….Dory has profound
memory disturbance (learning/retaining new
information, recalling names, knowing where
she is going or why)…and the frustrations of
those around her also accurately reflects the
feelings of those who live with amnesic patients
History
 Other misconceptions as well
 Are women smarter than men?
 Do we only use one brain hemisphere?
 Do memory enhancers work?
 But where has all the misconception come
from? In other words how has history shaped
what we think we know about
neuropsychology?
History
 If people act strange, must be a problem with the
brain…evil spirits need to be
evacuated…Trephining
 Or does the heart control behavior?
 Mind body problem (Descrates) common in
philosophy…localization important
 Is the brain an integrated whole or a collection of
distinct organs that are specialized?
History
 Much time past and the 19th century was
really when modern neroupsychological
theories evolved
1. Gall/Spurzheim
 Phrenologists, bumps on the head, localization of
function as different brain regions are
responsible for different mental function,
quackery but popular, and still practiced today
History
Broca
 Localization of function, famous patient Tan (that
is all he could say), across 8 patients noticed at
autopsy that same damage region (posterior part
of left frontal lobe) resulted in language problems
(called Broca’s aphasia), still highly influential
History
Wernicke
 Stronger support for localization, but not a strict
localizationalist, identified other speech areas
different from Broca (production vs.
understanding), relates to what is now called
DISCONNECTION SYNDROME (anatomical
disconnection between 2 brain area; Split Brain,
Alien Hand, etc.)
History
Flourens
– Discredited phrenology, against localization,
removed bird brain parts and observed resulting
behavior, claimed birds recovered regardless
damage location, claimed brain was an
integrated whole, loss of function correlated with
extent of brain tissue damage
History
Integrated Theories (Jackson, Luria)
 Behavior results from interactions among all
levels of the brain, hierarchial organization, 3
basic systems/units (brain stem, posterior areas
of the cortex frontal/prefrontal lobes), brain
operates as a whole, accounts for most
observations of brain-damaged patients, explains
that certain lesions yield consistent deficits, can
account for how individuals recover from brain
damage, suggests possible
rehabilitation/treatment options
History
 Modern Day
 WWI had an impact (penetrating missile wounds,
soldiers that did not die as a result)
 Imaging Technology advances
 Cognitive Neuroscience (1970s)
 Hubel & Weisel Nobel Prize (neuron>perception)
 Roger Sperry Nobel Prize (Split Brain)
 Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Psychology