Patient studies

• Patient studies

  • major source of knowledge about brains & mind
  • from damaged brains:trauma, stroke/ vascular accidents, tumour, degenerative & infectious disease, epilepsy, Neuropsychiatric diseases, neurosurgery
• Neuropsychological deficits 


  • Agnosia
  • aphasia
  • apraxia
  • amnesia
  • ataxia
• Agnosia

  • loss of ability to recognize objects, people, sounds, shapes, or smells
  • inability to attach appropriate meaning to objective sense-data
  • usually a specific type
• Aphasia

  general term relating to a loss of language ability
• Apraxia

  general term for disorders of action
• Amnesia

  lack of mnemonic abilities
• Ataxia

  Poor coordination & unsteadiness due to failure to regulate body's posture, strength and direction of limb movements
• Behavioural testing 


  • selective deficits = tell way function organised in brain
  • goals = relate brain anatomy to behaviour & investigate mental processes
• Behavioural testing - tasks

  • Requires behavioural tasks
  • Tasks should tell about patient’s deficits =what functions are compromised or spared?

  = find + identify limits