Introduction to Neuropsychology, Winter 2009

Argosy University

Course Syllabus

 

Course Title: Introduction to Neuropsychology (PP8645)

Trimester: Winter 2009

Day & Time: Thursday, 4:00pm – 7:00pm

Instructors: Shelley Peery, Ph.D.

TA: Brandon Adams

Office Hours: Thursday, 7:00pm – 7:30pm, and by appointment in SF or by phone: 415-561-6755

 

Course Description: This is first in a two-semester sequence which prepares you to perform basic neuropsychological assessment under supervision of a neuropsychologist. Many people will use the resulting skills to qualify for a predoctoral internship with a neuropsychological focus; and others may use it to provide additional background and perspective for their existing clinical assessment and treatment skills.

The Fall semester consists of an introduction to neuropsychology, as viewed through the lens of a variety of diseases with neuropsychological sequenale, individual case studies, behavioral syndromes, brief vignettes, use of a neuroanatomy coloring book, and neuroimaging. It is a demanding course requiring a great deal of rote memorization, involving extensive, internet-based flashcard use. The payoff for all this hard work is the opportunity during the spring semester to learn how to administer the most common neuropsychological instruments and write standard reports.

Class lectures will have a relatively structured format, with class interaction strongly encouraged. Each lecture will consist of the following segments, in this general order: 1) discussion of questions from the previous week, 2) quiz, 3) the main lecture regarding a specific neuropsychological topic.

 

Competencies: After completing this semester’s course, students will be competent in the following areas:

Basic neuroanatomical structure of the brain and associated functioning/deficits

  • Basic neuroanatomical terminology

  • Ways of conceptualizing the relationship between structure and function

  • A sampling of common neuropsychological syndromes seen in clinical practice

  • Brief introduction to history, cellular mechanisms, investigational techniques

 

Evaluation Criteria:

  • Quizzes 15% Ten quizzes worth 15 points. Mult. ch., fill-in, diagram, short-answer. (Eleven quizzes will be given and the lowest will be dropped.)

  • Midterm examinations I & II (closed book) Cumulative 10% & 15%

  • Final closed book examination (both objective and essay) Cumulative 50%

  • Presentation 10%

  • Attendance: Students are required to be present for 85% of the time. This means you may miss up to 6 hours of class over the 15 weeks we meet, or else fail the course.

 

 

Required Texts and Resources:

 

Books:

Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology, 6th Ed., Eds. Kolb, B., & Wishaw, I. (a.k.a., “Kolb & Wishaw” or “KW”). We will cover the content of this book almost in full, chapter by chapter.

A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book (2nd Edition) by John P.J. Pinel and Maggie Edwards (a.k.a., “The Coloring Book” or “CB”). This is to be used as a supplement to aid learning. You’ll need colored pencils and a pencil sharpener.

Optional but very helpful:

*INS Dictionary of Neuropsychology by David W. Loring (1999) in dictionary form, provides and easy-to-read list of definitions of terms often used in neuropsychology

Synder, P.J. & Nussbaum, P.D. (2005). Clinical Neuropsychology, A Pocket Handbook for Assessment, 2nd Edition. American Psychological Association. This can help because it is very short, like “cliff notes”. It presents the most important info in a lot of cases in just a few pages.

*Neuropsychological Assessment by Muriel D. Lezak, Diane B. Howieson, David W. Loring, and H. Julia Hannay (2004)

 

Textbook of Clinical Neuropsychology (Studies on Neuropsychology, Neurology and Cognition) by Joel E. Morgan & Joseph Ricker (2008)

 

Darby, D, & Walsh, K (2005). Neuropsychology: A clinical approach 5th Ed. Churchill Livingstone

 

Feinberg, T.E., Farah, M.J. (2003). Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology. This is more useful for the neuropsych assessment, but has a great deal of neuroanatomy interwoven. Perhaps the best single reference I’ve found for neuropsychological syndromes—very concisely, clearly written, and very current.

 

Masulam. M. (2000). Principles of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology. Very authoritative but much more in-depth than required for an introductory course. Especially good for it’s discussion of dementia and memory disorders.

 

*Strub, R.L., & Black, F.W. (2000). The Mental Status Examination in Neurology (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PN: F.A. Davis Company. Excellent introduction to the mental status examination, as practiced by neuropsychologists and neurologists. Highly recommended.

 

*Strauss, E., Sherman, E.M.S., Spreen, O. (2006). A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary (3nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Includes a description of standard neuropsychological tests, as well as instructions and norms. Will be required next semester.

 

* Owned by most practicing neuropsychologists.

** Textbook used in many other university courses.

 

Suggested Internet Resources:

 

http://www.anatomical.com/ (Anatomical Chart Company—sells various charts, plastic brain models, etc. The charts are relatively inexpensive—the models are not).

 

www.redreef.com/brainiac.html (“Braniac” software, approximately $50. Excellent way to learn and self-test regarding basic neuroanatomy. However, be sure to check whether the software runs on your operating system).

 

www.csuchico.edu/~pmccaff/syllabi/SPPA336/ (CSU, Chico Web-based course on “Neuropathologies of Cognition and Language). Very useful when we consider structures related to aphasia or to acquire more indepth knowledge of specific language disorders than is provided in the current course sequence.

 

medstat.med.utah.edu/neurologicexam/html/home_exam.html (University of Utah resource, which provides an advanced study course for neurologists. The URL is best used to provide insight into the content of a standard neurological evaluation and how it’s conducted, rather than for specific information regarding neuroanatomy, neuroanatomical structure, or assessment techniques.

 

www.nanonline.org. Highly recommended, both for basic information on the theory and practice of neuropsychology and for links. If you are member, you have access to more information. They also offer on-line courses in various aspects of neuropsychology.

LECTURE SCHEDULE:

Week 1: January 15. Orientation: Individual introductions (background, interest in neuropsychology, previous experience); email sign-in; overview of the course and neuropsychology as a profession; useful study methods/principles; how to access materials on-line. KW:ch. 1, 3; CB 1, 2, 4- 7

 

Week 2: January 22. Quiz. KW 4, 5; CB 3

 

Week 3: January 29. Quiz. KW 6, 7;

 

Week 4: February 5. Quiz. KW 8, 9; CB 8, 9

 

Week 5: February 12. EXAM: In-class, closed-book midterm examination.

Week 6: February 19. KW 10 (p. 256-274), 11; 12 (p. 309-339); CB 7.5

 

Week 7: February 26. Quiz. KW 13, 15

 

Week 8: March 5. Quiz. KW 18, 19; CB 10, 12

Week 9: March 12. Quiz. KW 14, 16

 

Week 10: March 19. EXAM: In-class, closed-book midterm examination. Presentation Topic must be finalized today.

 

Week 11: March 26. KW 17, 20; CB 11; Presentations 1 & 2

 

Week 12: April 2. Quiz. KW 21, 22; Presentations 3 & 4

 

Week 13: April 9. Quiz. KW 23, 24, 25; Presentations 5 & 6

 

Week 14: April 16. Quiz. KW 26, 27; Presentation 7 & Review

 

Week 15: FINAL EXAM (April 23).

 

 

 

STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

 

  1. All students will present on a disease relevant to neuropsychology.

  2. Up to two presentations will be made per class during the last 4 lectures.

  3. Length: 10-12 minutes.

  4. Format: Any: powerpoint, transparencies, handouts, verbal, video, etc

  5. Topics

    1. Must be selected by Midterm II.

    2. Will be on a first come, first choice basis

    3. May be any of the following

      1. Strokes

      2. Traumatic Brain Injury
      3. Epilepsy
      4. Brain Tumors

      5. Multiple Sclerosis

      6. Substance use/abuse

      7. Fragile X and other genetic disorders

      8. Learning Disabilities (Dyslexias or NVLD)

      9. ADHD

      10. Autism, Asperger’s

      11. the Dementias (Alzheimer’s, other cortical dementias, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, HIV, other subcortical dementias)

      12. Schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders

  6. Content: presentations should touch on the following areas as appropriate. However, given such a brief period to present, you should make use of written material to allow you to touch on some topics quickly, while you simply will not have time to touch on all aspects.

    1. Prevalence, incidence
    2. Definition, diagnosis, symptoms
    3. Course, age of onset, prognosis
    4. Cause, etiology
    5. Neuroanatomy, neurotransmitter systems involved
    6. Neuropsychological and cognitive symptoms
    7. Treatments and interventions (medication, therapy, rehabilitation)
    8. Demographic notes (gender differences, cultural considerations, etc)
    9. Other

Certainly include #2. Make #4, 5, or 6 the core of your presentation. Try to touch on the other aspects to the extent you can, but do not over-do your presentation with information, but teach us something useful about the disease.

 

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