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The brain is rightfully considered the most complex system of the human body: it controls all our activities. Neuropsychology helps to trace the connection between his work and mental behavior of a person.
What is neuropsychology?
Neuropsychology is a young direction in science that studies the formation and development of the cognitive processes of the brain, its properties, the ability to quickly or long-term memorization of information, for example, numerical exercises and a foreign language.
The subject of research in neuropsychology is the attention of a person, the possibilities of his concentration and switching. Also under the scope of study are speech, emotions, types of thinking, the ability to make decisions and wills independently, the ability to control any activity. Neuropsychology associates all these mechanisms with the maturation of brain structures that are responsible for one or another physical or mental action performed by a person.
The human brain lives and develops according to its own biological laws. The mechanisms of the brain are studied by neuropsychologists. By studying the processes of brain activity, specialists can see the zones of human development and identify the causes of his difficulties in professional activities, if we are talking about an adult, or in school, if we are talking about a child. Understanding how the brain functions helps not only to correct “weaknesses”, but also to plan further work aimed at increasing its efficiency.
Exist:
- Clinical neuropsychologystudying deep brain lesions.
- Diagnosticinvolved in the assessment of mental functions before and after treatment.
- rehabilitationaimed at resuming the work of the mental functions of the brain after its damage.
- Environmental, which studies the relationship between environmental problems and brain damage.
Natalya Bogdan, candidate of psychological sciences, practicing psychologist:
“Neuropsychology is the most objective and evidence-based direction in the field of sciences about the inner world of a person. She is mainly engaged in the study of the laws by which thinking and other cognitive processes work – memory, attention, imagination. A neuropsychologist will not be able to tell you what to do to forgive the offense or what decision to make – to save the marriage or end it. But this specialist will give a scientifically reliable answer, where the information processing fails, and what can be done to restore the normal functioning of the brain systems, which means that new ways will appear to make, for example, the child speak or become more diligent, and an adult recovered memory faster after an injury or illness.”
Who turns to neuropsychologists for help?
Most often – parents when they realize that the development of their child does not correspond to generally accepted age characteristics. They may be alerted by delays in the development of speech (for example, if a child does not speak before the age of five); autism spectrum disorders (reluctance of the child to talk to anyone while playing in kindergarten and on the playground); hereditary genetic diseases (Down syndrome, cerebral palsy).
Adults also turn to a neuropsychologist. It’s just that in the case of a child, the doctor works with plastic material and focuses on the development of the mental functions of the brain. In an adult, a neuropsychologist reveals disturbances in the work of already mature brain structures and restores either lost or weakened functions.
A neuropsychologist’s consultation may be necessary for a child or an adult if:
- has poor visual memory, hearing and speech;
- gets tired quickly, is in a bad mood most of the time, lethargic, sleeps a lot;
- emotionally unstable, prone to colds, often sick, poorly oriented in space;
- has a large handwriting, writes unevenly, does not read well, does not hear the speech addressed to him, cannot redraw the drawing, does not finish the words;
- shows reactions of a neurotic nature, is often distracted, has increased excitability.
If a person, and as experience shows, more often his environment, has such complaints, then this is a reason for neuropsychological diagnostics. And the task of a neuropsychologist is to take the strengths of the brain (resource) and the weak (deficient) and bring them to balance.
Natalya Bogdan:
“Age psychologists observe and study the dynamics in which cognitive processes develop in children and adolescents, see the connection between the development of certain brain structures and new speech or thinking skills, and help “catch up” with age norms. Adults, when making decisions or experiencing events, rely on an already formed mental apparatus, while children and adolescents are still in the process of becoming, and if there are any disturbances in the brain, neuropsychologists can find the reasons and indicate what exactly and how to correct “.
When did neuropsychology begin?
Understanding and predicting people’s behavior, influencing the thoughts and feelings of others is a task that mankind has been trying to solve throughout its entire history of existence. In the pre-scientific period, these were observations, the results of which were passed on to the next generations in proverbs, sayings and signs. And although ancient philosophers have already given a lot of useful for understanding, the birth of psychology as a science is attributed to the time of Freud. But until people gained the opportunity to study the work of the psyche with the help of complex technical devices, we could only speculate and observe.
Alexander Luria
Neuropsychology as a science based on the study of medicine (physiological processes in the human body) and psychology (higher mental functions) was first discussed by psychologist, neuropathologist Alexander Luria. He is the founder of neuropsychology in the USSR. Luria proved the existence of a connection between “neuro” – the structural and functional structure of the human brain, and psychology. In the course of his work, he sought to identify the affected areas of the brain, determine what mental process caused the failure and, relying on healthy areas of the brain, restore the lost function.
Luria conventionally divided the brain into three interconnected functional blocks.
Failure of one unit will inevitably affect the performance of the other two. According to the scientist, the functioning of all three blocks ensures stable mental behavior of a person.
Evgenia Khomskaya
A follower of the scientific ideas and views of Alexander Luria was his student, Evgenia Khomskaya. She studied the mental functions of people affected by various man-made disasters, in particular people with the “Chernobyl syndrome”, who are afraid of radiation. Chomskaya is the author of research on the relationship between the brain and emotions. She founded a new direction – the psychophysiology of local brain lesions. The scientific works of Luria and Chomsky are still relevant and in demand among psychologists.
Pediatric neuropsychology
The development of the brain is greatly influenced by how the pregnancy of the expectant mother proceeded. One of the reasons why the cognitive functions of a child may be impaired are complications during pregnancy or difficult childbirth (fetal hypoxia, traumatic brain injury, infectious diseases).
In the first year of a child’s life, they are shown to a neurologist. If there are symptoms that alarm him, then the doctor refers to a neuropsychologist. This specialist observes children from infancy to 12 years of age. Very often, children are shown to a neuropsychologist at the age of 8 or 9, when he moves from first to second grade. By this age, the school curriculum becomes more complicated and more attention and diligence is required from the child. If a child cannot memorize a poem, and the learned lessons are forgotten in the morning, there is reason to consult a doctor who will find out why the brain is not coping with the tasks and determine whether this is a systematic story or episodic cases. Assistance will be assigned depending on the results of the study.
A pediatric neuropsychologist is contacted when a child of 6–7 years old:
- unbalanced;
- does not know how to cope with tasks aimed at developing fine motor skills;
- has difficulty remembering numbers and letters, mirrors letters and reads poorly in the second and third grades.
There is an age gradation: for the first time, neuropsychological testing should be done at the age of 5-6 years, the second – before school, the third – if necessary and with the direction of other specialists. Children’s brains are very plastic. And it can be adjusted up to 10 years. Until this age, it is necessary to observe the child and consult doctors in time.
Neuropsychology in speech therapy
Human speech is a way of expressing thoughts. If it is broken, then there are problems in communication and understanding, and it is often broken due to pathologies or local damage in the brain. Neuropsychology analyzes the affected brain function and develops a program to restore the ability to speak.
For the correct development of speech, all three blocks that Alexander Luria spoke about must work: the organs of the human body and senses, as well as the musculoskeletal system. There is a special science – kinesiology, closely related to neuropsychology, but responsible for the development of mental abilities through motor exercises.
Methods of neuropsychology
There are two groups of methods in neuropsychology:
Natalya Bogdan:
“On the one hand, the field of application of neuropsychological knowledge is quite narrow, compared, for example, with Gestalt psychology, cognitive behavioral or psychoanalysis. But on the other hand, here all the conclusions are exclusively subjective, it is possible to measure the results in specific digital indicators, it becomes possible to really influence the work of some brain structures and be sure that changes – improvements or deterioration – are associated precisely with therapy. And not always you will need medicines for this, a lot can be achieved with special exercises.
How to become a neuropsychologist?
To become a neuropsychologist, you need to graduate with a degree in neuropsychology or psychology. Then the qualifications can be improved in graduate school, defend a candidate’s and doctoral dissertations. After getting a job as a clinical psychologist in the neurosurgical department. One of the options for career growth may be the post of head of the department. You can open a private practice and engage in scientific activities at the international level. The salary of neuropsychologists starts from ₽20 thousand (beginning specialist) and can reach several hundred thousand rubles.