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| Clinical Neuropsychology |
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Clinical Neuropsychological Assessment of Adults with Neurological Disorders such as:
- Learning Disorders (e.g. dyslexia) and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
- Degenerative conditions of the central nervous system (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis)
- Dementias (e.g. Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease)
- Stroke
- Traumatic Brain Injury or Spinal Cord Injury
- Epilepsy
- Brain tumor / brain cancer
- Infectious Diseases of the central nervous system (e.g. meningitis)
- Neurological Conditions (e.g. cerebral palsy, narcolepsy, Tourette syndrome, spinal bifida, hydrocephalus)
- Health conditions with potential neurological implications (e.g. leukemia, HIV)
- Developmental disorders (e.g. Autism, Asperger's Syndrome)
- Chronic headaches / migraines
Information on Neuropsychology:
Behavioral neuroscience studies the relationship between brain and behavior
The science of cognitive neuropsychology studies advanced cognitive abilities, such as memory, learning, language, and attention / concentration.
Clinical neuropsychology applies this knowledge to the problems presented by humans. It combines knowledge and findings from neuropsychological assessments, neurological findings (e.g. functional neuroanatomy, neuropathology), neuroimaging techniques (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging), and clinical psychology.
The neuropsychological assessment aims to quantify advanced cognitive functioning in order to determine whether there is loss of functions as a result of neurological deficits. The individual's performance on measures assessing advanced cognitive abilities is compared to norms of healthy individuals of the same gender, age, and educational level. Measures of various cognitive domains are also compared to each other in order to determine whether there are strengths and weaknesses among different cognitive abilities.
Neuropsychological findings can assist with: a) diagnosis of the type and degree of neurological deficits, b) decisions regarding therapy intervention (e.g. suitability for surgical or pharmacological interventions or potential effectiveness/consequences of the intervention), and c) rehabilitation and daily functioning - for example, determination of the individual's ability to continue to live independently, drive safely, or strategies that can help compensate for loss of functioning. In the case of learning disorders, the neuropsychological assessment helps determine the type and severity of the learning disorder, and the most appropriate compensation strategies.
In the U.S. and most Western European countries, neuropsychological services are widely offered as most medical settings employ clinical neuropsychologists. Neuropsychological services are also offered within many educational settings, as neuropsychological assessments are necessary for the diagnosis of learning disorders and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. In Greece, the number of professionals who have adequate qualifications and appropriately normed tools and can offer neuropsychological services is limited. However, as the value of these services is increasingly recognized, the needs continue to grow. It is critical that the tools used for neuropsychological evaluations are normed on the Greek population. This is an area of specialty for our office and we continue to actively conduct research in this area for further development of Greek norms and standardization of test procedures in the Greek population.
Further information on neuroscience:
Further information on neuropsychology:
Information on neuropsychology professional organizations:
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