The Contribution of Patient Case Studies on our Understanding of Cognitive Processes

Cognitive neuroscience is the study of how the brain is able to process and function through the stimulation of neurons. The broad nature of this field allows much involvement in the scientific community including not only psychologists working to further understand the functions of the human brain, but also physicists, mathematicians, and other science related areas of study by bringing knowledge and simulations from the outside world and relating them to the processes of our own minds. In addition to researching the basis of normal cognitive functions in an average brain, cognitive neuroscience studies development of the brain, as well as damage to the brain including how the damage will affect normal operations of that brain in the future. The study of cognitive neuroscience began as a result of a movement to, rather than focus studies on behavioral actions, study the operational characteristics of the brain and how they related to knowledge, memory, understanding, and other processes.

Another key milestone of cognitive psychology is the development of neuroscience. Neuroscience is the study of how the brain and nervous system work together to determine behaviors. This was a big step for cognitive psychology. The ability to be able to study of the brain works during certain behaviors was a great start. Neuroscientists found that there are links between different structures of the brain and different functions. Donald Hebb thought that some functions were constructed of connections over time by sets of cells in the brain. Later Hebb and Wiesel did a study on cats and found that specific cells, in the visual cortex of their brains, were made to respond to specific stimuli (Galotti, 2014, p. 10). This shows that localization of different functions in the brain exists.

The movement to diagnose neurocognitive disorders upstream reflects on emerging literature that confirms both improvement in early diagnostic determinations and the recognition that the neuropathology underlying

The neurocognitive disorder is not attributable to another medical condition and is not better explained by another mental disorder.

In study of neuropsychology we are able to learn about the brain structure and function. Then from that we are able to study the nervous system and the brain through neurobiology. In the study of neuropsychology we are now able to know that

When a traumatic brain injury happens to the frontal “zone”, it is striking the brain’s largest lobe. The frontal lobe is anterior to the left and right cerebral hemispheres, this lobe is in charge for conscious thinking, voluntary responses, and personality traits. When someone is trying to find the right word or phrase to say, it is this part of the brain he or she may rely on. Destruction to this crucial lobe can create destruction to a person’s brilliance, attention span, and organizational efficiency, as well as the failure of

Cognitive dysfunction is a hallmark feature in neuropsychiatric disorders. Especially, domains including working memory, executive function, attention and information processing are defective.Deficits are observed in multiple domains, including working memory, executive function, attention and information processing. Disability caused by cognitive dysfunction are is frequently as debilitating as the prominent emotional disturbances. Interactions between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex are

Neuropsychology is another field in which both psychology and biology play a major role. Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain as it relates to specific psychological processes and behaviors. It is a clinical and experimental field of psychology that aims to study, assess, understand and treat behaviors directly related to brain functioning. Neuropsychology studies and applies research to the functions and the dysfunctions of the brain and how they affect the body as well as the personality. This has helped us to not only define mental disorders and cognitive impairments, but to develop different treatment

Amnesia can occur in many different forms depending on the damage caused to specific areas of the brain. Korsakoff’s syndrome is a memory disorder that is caused by a thiamine deficiency and id usually seen by people with heavy alcohol consumption (Breedlove, Watson & Rosenzweig, 2013). Medial-temporal lobectomy is the cutting of areas of the anterior temporal lobe such as the hippocampus and amygdala and this can cause long-term anterograde amnesia (Salmon, Haymon-Abello, Connolly, & McLachlan, 2014). This paper will examine both Korsakoff’s syndrome and medial-temporal lobectomy to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the two and how they can both impact a person’s life.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) account to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. with an estimated 1.7 million individuals sustaining TBI each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Classifications of brain injury (e.g., mild, moderate and severe) is mostly done using the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) which has gained broad acceptance for the assessment of the severity of brain damage (Bauer & Fritz, 2004). Recent studies suggest that almost all patients with moderate or severe TBI have a period of recovery during which they are responsive but confused. This state is commonly referred to as the post-traumatic amnesia. Post-traumatic

I have experienced things in my life that no one should ever have to endure, I have felt emotions that I never knew existed. My father watched his grandfather shoot himself and I wondered if that could be a cause of why he acts the way he does. I then realized what neuropsychology was. Neuropsychology seeks to discover how the brain correlates with the mind. Well, you may be thinking that the brain and the mind are the same, but they are not. The brain is the physical aspect, an organ, while the mind is the psychological aspect, theories and chemicals. It is a newer form of psychology meaning there is still more to be known. Genetics and neuropsychology are some of the biggest mysteries in the world, which is why they are so captivating to

Neurocognition includes both the cognitive psychology- the study of the mind and neuropsychology- the understanding of cognitive dysfunctions in the brain.

The brain plays a key role in cognitive functioning. Of the many areas in the brain, only certain areas have an impact on cognitive functioning. The case of a man named Phineas Gage showed key elements of specific areas in the brain that support certain cognitive functions. The traumatic brain injury that Phineas Gage suffered in 1848 has aided cognitive and neuropsychologists in making large strides in understanding the human mind. In the following work, the role of the brain in cognitive functioning will be examined and better explained. Examples

The main similarity of cognitive neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience is that they are both interested in brain-damaged patients and believe that different areas of the brain are highly specialised. For example, one of the main theoretical assumptions of cognitive neuropsychology states ‘modularity’, which means the modules in the cognitive system function independently, or separately of each other. (Eysenck and Keane 2015, p.6) In addition, it is also explained that these modules do show ‘domain specificity’, meaning the modules responds only to the specific kinds of stimuli but not the others. Compare to cognitive neuroscience, it is believed that ‘modules’, as well as ‘hubs’ are associated with high-level

“Cognitive psychology is a modern approach to the study of [processes by which people come to understand the world- such processes as memory, learning, comprehending language, problem solving, and creativity. Cognitive psychology has been influenced by developments in language, computer science, and of course, earlier work in philosophy and psychology” – Hayes (cited by Lundin)