Domains of Neuropsychological Function

Question 1

Intelligence: Important Theories

Answer 1

Spearman (1904) - general-factor theory states that all abilities share a general factor (G factor) in common, and a global IQ score summarizes these

Catell-Horn-Carroll (1993) - fluid intelligence vs crystallized intelligence

Carroll’s Three-Stratum Theory - broadly there are multiple distinct intelligences (8 broad, 70 more narrow)

Question 2

Attention/Concentration and Processing Speed

Answer 2

Multiple theories exist (eg., spotlight, filter, capacity, automatic vs. effortful, top-down vs. bottom-up, etc.)

Question 3

Taxonomy of Attention

Answer 3

Simple - Voluntary; capacity; attention to information that is lost if not rehearsed (e.g., Digit Span)

Focused - Ability to allocate and direct attention that is dependent on capacity (e.g., Coding)

Selective - Process by which one chooses some info from amidst other surrounding info/distractors (e.g., Cancellation)

Sustained (Vigilance/Conc.) - Maintaining attention over period of time (e.g., continuous performance)

Alternating - Shifting one’s attention back and forth (e.g., Trails B)

Divided - Concentrating on more than one task at a time, multi-tasking (e.g., Paced Serial Attention)

Question 4

Processing Speed

Answer 4

Speed at which mental activities are performed and is a prominent feature of the brain’s cognitive efficiency, affecting attention as well as other higher-order cognitive processes

Dependent on neural transmission and integrity and volume of white matter making up cortico-cortical connections

Other important brain regions include basal ganglia, frontal regions (DLPFC), and cerebellum

Question 5

Attention: role of Ascending Reticular Activating System (ARAS)

Answer 5

Arousal and attention

Question 6

Attention: role of Anterior Cingulate (and Limbic System)

Answer 6

Determines saliency of stimuli and associated emotion/motivation

Question 7

Attention: role of Prefrontal region

Answer 7

Response selection, control, sustained attention, focus, switching, searching, and alternating attention

Question 8

Attention: role of Orbitofrontal region

Answer 8

Inhibition or responses; sustained attention

Question 9

Attention: role of Dorsolateral Frontal region

Answer 9

Inhibition or responses; sustained attention; shifting attention

Question 10

Attention: role of Medial Frontal region

Answer 10

Motivation; consistency of responding; focused attention

Question 11

Attention: role of Thalamus

Answer 11

Pulvinar Nuclei - Extracting info from the target location and filtering distractors

Superior Colliculus - Shifting attention; eye movements

Inferior Colliculus - Orientation to auditory stimuli

Question 12

Attention: role of Inferior and Posterior Parietal

Answer 12

Underlies disengagement from a stimulus and the representation of space; damage is associated with hemispatial inattention/neglect

Question 13

Attention: role of Right Hemisphere

Answer 13

Spatial attention; appreciation of the gestalt; associated with hemispatial inattention/neglect

Question 14

Associated Disorders of Attention

Answer 14

Delirium, ADHD, hemispatial inattention/neglect, TBI

Others: depression, anxiety, fatigue, poor sleep, environmental factors, medication, etc.

Question 15

Language, 4 components

Answer 15

Phonology - speech sounds
Syntax - rules of word/sentence structure
Semantics - meaning of words, phrases, sentences
Pragmatics - appropriateness of communication; social aspects

Question 16

Areas of Assessment for Aphasia

Answer 16

-Spontaneous Speech (conversational speech)
-Comprehension
-Repetition
-Word finding
-Naming
-Reading and writing

Question 17

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 17

-Spontaneous Speech - Nonfluent
-Comprehension - Intact
-Repetition - Impaired
-Naming - Limited
-Reading - Limited
-Writing - Impaired

Question 18

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Answer 18

-Spontaneous Speech - Fluent
-Comprehension - Impaired
-Repetition - Impaired
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Impaired
-Writing - Impaired

Question 19

Conduction Aphasia

Answer 19

-Spontaneous Speech - Fluent
-Comprehension - Intact
-Repetition - Impaired
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Intact
-Writing -Impaired

Question 20

Global Aphasia

Answer 20

-Spontaneous Speech - Nonfluent
-Comprehension - Impaired
-Repetition - Impaired
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Impaired
-Writing -Impaired

Question 21

Anomic Aphasia

Answer 21

-Spontaneous Speech - Fluent, empty
-Comprehension - Intact
-Repetition - Intact
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Intact
-Writing -Impoverished content

Question 22

Subcortical Aphasia

Answer 22

-Spontaneous Speech - Fluent or nonfluent
-Comprehension - Intact
-Repetition - Intact
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Intact or impaired
-Writing - Intact or impaired

Question 23

Transcortical Motor Aphasia

Answer 23

-Spontaneous Speech - Nonfluent
-Comprehension - Intact
-Repetition - Intact
-Naming - Limited
-Reading - Intact
-Writing - Impaired

Question 24

Transcortical Sensory Aphasia

Answer 24

-Spontaneous Speech - Fluent, echolalic
-Comprehension - Impaired
-Repetition - Intact
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Impaired
-Writing - Impaired

Question 25

Transcortical Mixed Aphasia

Answer 25

-Spontaneous Speech - Nonfluent, echolalic
-Comprehension - Impaired
-Repetition - Intact
-Naming - Impaired
-Reading - Impaired
-Writing -Impaired

Question 26

Nonlangauge auditory processing syndrome: Auditory Agnosia

Answer 26

inability to recognize the meaning of nonverbal environmental sounds or music

Sounds - usually associated with bilateral lesions to primary auditory cortex
Music - usually associated with lesion in the right or bilateral temporal lobes

Question 27

Nonlangauge auditory processing syndrome: Aprosodias

Answer 27

Disorder of prosody, 2 types:

expressive - inability to properly convey the inflection and tonal quality of emotion
receptive - difficulty interpreting emotional prosody, rhythm, pitch, stress, intonation, etc. (inability to recognize sarcasm)

Question 28

Visuospatial Processing: Ventral and Dorsal

Answer 28

Ventral (“What”) - identifies form of visual stimuli (color, objects, faces, letters)

Dorsal (“Where”) - spatial relationships; locating and analysis of objects in space

Question 29

Visual Object Agnosia

Answer 29

involves the inability to visually recognize and appreciate the meaning or character of an object

Apperceptive agnosia - inability to perceive visual objects
Associative agnosia - inability to recognize visual objects

Question 30

Prosopagnosia

Answer 30

inability to recognize, identify, or re-visualize holistic face representation of familiar or unfamiliar people

Question 31

Color agnosia

Answer 31

inability to recognize colors, even though ability to discriminate between colors is intact

Question 32

Constructional Apraxia

Answer 32

loss or impairment of the abilities to carry out purposeful movements (apraxia) that signals the inability to construct shapes and geometric designs or assemble block arrangements (constructional)

Neuroanatomical findings: usually frontal and parietal systems; right or left hemisphere, but more commonly with right parietal and bilateral parietal lobe regions

Question 33

Dressing Apraxia

Answer 33

form of constructional apraxia; due to difficulty localizing objects in space, refers to isolated disturbance in dressing

Neuroanatomical findings: usually implies a lesion in the right parietal-occipital region

Question 34

Achromatopsia

Answer 34

impairment in color perception, cannot see colors (‘black and white world’)

Neuroanatomical findings: either unilateral or bilateral, involving posterior medial regions and the calcarine cortex more on the left than right

Question 35

Spatial Acalculia

Answer 35

(not always spatial) acquired deficit in calculation from spatial confusion

Neuroanatomical findings: subsumed by the right parietal lobe

Question 36

Stopped on pg 74

Answer 36

too tired