neuropsychology

n. Study of the brain organization of cognition and behavior under normal and abnormal conditions. The major topics included in neuropsychology are aphasia, alexia, agraphia, acalculia, apraxia, amnesia, agnosia, visuoperceptual impairments, executive functioning disorders, dementia, developmental disorders, and the like. Neuropsychology is in consequence the study of the brain organization of language (perception, memory, etc.) under normal and abnormal conditions. As in any scientific area, two major objectives can be distinguished: (1) a fundamental objective (i.e., acquiring knowledge and understanding the phenomena under study; in the case of neuropsychology, how cognition and behavior organization are represented in the brain and how they can be impaired in cases of brain pathology) and (2) an applied objective (i.e., the use of this basic knowledge for assessment and rehabilitation in cases of brain pathology). Two major approaches in neuropsychology can be separated: experimental neuropsychology and clinical neuro psychology. Most neuropsychologists, however, work in clinical areas. Neuropsychological assessment and cognitive rehabilitation have represented the two major professional activities of clinical neuropsychologists. – AA