ABSTRACT
The ideographic, syndrome analysis and the nomothetic, standardized test battery approaches to neuropsychological assessment are compared and contrasted within the context of advances in noninvasive technology readily available for use within the examiner's office. By demonstrating the relative strengths and benefits of syndrome analysis, it is suggested that this approach provides a thorough and efficient method of neuropsychological assessment. Subsequently, the utility of an a priori hypothesis testing process approach as a critical technique in syndrome analysis will be supported. It will be proposed that QEEG procedures provide a useful method for further substantiating conclusions generated from a syndrome analysis approach to neuropsychological assessment. Two cases are described demonstrating the utility and flexibility of the QEEG as a confirmatory test of localization following syndrome analysis. In summary, the contributions that neuropsychologists make to the understanding of brain-behavior relationships may be strengthened by combining neuropsychological and neurophysiological assessment methods.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Electroencephalography , Neurocognitive Disorders/diagnosis , Neuropsychological Tests , Adult , Brain/physiopathology , Brain Mapping , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neurocognitive Disorders/complications , Neurocognitive Disorders/physiopathologyABSTRACT
The present case study utilizes neuropsychological procedures, quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify neural substrates of "autism" in a 25 year old Caucasian male. A priori hypotheses formed from a neuropsychological evaluation were supported by data from QEEG and MRI. Specifically, the neuropsychological evaluation was suggestive of left anterior deactivation and right frontal activation. Consistent with these results, QEEG data revealed relative activation of the right frontal region, while MRI results were suggestive of multiple small focal areas over the left frontal region and a teardrop shaped area of low attenuation across the right frontal region. The possible relation of right cerebral dysfunction and autism is discussed.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/diagnosis , Electroencephalography , Neuropsychological Tests , Adult , Autistic Disorder/psychology , Delta Rhythm , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , MaleABSTRACT
The present study assessed the usefulness of the affective list alternatives to the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVL) in the induction of physiological arousal. It was anticipated that affective verbal learning would lead to arousal patterns characteristic of different emotions (Izard, 1977), with significant increases in blood pressure following negative list learning and significant decreases following positive list learning. Since diastolic blood pressure increased significantly following the learning of negatively valanced words and decreased significantly following the learning of positively valanced words, this was supported. Given the abundance of research on lateral asymmetries in emotional and verbal processing, the affective list alternatives to the RAVL may provide an objective means for evaluating individual differences in affective verbal learning as well as the induction of emotion. The Affective Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AAVL) may potentially provide a tool for assessment of cerebral dysfunction in the clinic or in the assessment of affective disorders.
