Neuropsychologist

Many disorders of behavior and cognition have come to be recognized as manifestations of physiological aberrations in the brain. This recognition has led to the psychological specialty of neuropsychology. A neuropsychologist is someone who uses the methods of psychology to evaluate, and sometimes treat, brain and spinal cord disorders. Neuropsychologists are psychologists who have had additional specialized training and have professional board recognition.

Neuropsychologists evaluate cases where a physiological brain-based process is suspected to be the root of a cognitive or behavioral impairment. For example, knowing that different parts of the brain can serve specific functions, an otherwise normal person who suddenly cannot speak might be evaluated for a stroke (interruption of the blood supply) to one of the language centers of the brain. It is important to know that the cause of not speaking is a stroke versus another diagnosis, such as depression, because the treatments and prognoses are very different. Another example would be an elderly person whose family notices he or she is having memory problems and seems to be behaving strangely; the neuropsychologist would determine if changes in behavior and memory are due to normal aging or if the person has Alzheimer's disease. Other common cases besides stroke and Alzheimer's disease that a neuropsychologist might evaluate include traumatic brain injury, other dementing diseases, seizure disorders, toxic chemical exposure, substance abuse, developmental learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and autism.

Neuropsychological evaluation is based in performing standardized tests that usually involve talking with the patient and having the patient perform simple tasks. These tests are designed to evaluate specific cognitive processes and help give a prognosis or treatment plan for the condition. Other tools that are useful to the neuropsychologist include brain imaging to detect structural or functional abnormalities and electroencephalograms (EEG) to detect changes in the electrical patterns or brain waves.