Rob Davis

NEUROANATOMY Human brain filled w/ nervous tissue, glial cells, and vasculature, weighing avg 1400 grams Estimated 100 billion neurons, each makes contact w/ at least 10,000 others About 50% of adult cerebral volume is occupied by white matter Great majority of white matter in white matter tracts, though some found in gray matter Distinction between … Read more

CAROTID SODIUM AMOBARBITAL INJECTION: GENERAL INFORMATION Jun Wada pioneered the technique of injecting sodium amobarbital into the carotid artery to produce a brief period of anesthesia of the ipsilateral hemisphere Injections are now normally made through a catheter inserted into the femoral artery This procedure results in an unequivocal localization of speech, because injection into … Read more

Eyes and Retina Lens – as light enters the lense, the image is inverted and reversed (so information from the upper visual space is projected to the lower and vice versa; R-L inversion occurs as well) Fovea – central fixation point; region of retina with highest visual acuity; central 1-2 degrees of visual space Macula … Read more

Quick Facts Open Head Injury – discrete, focal lesions; higher risk for seizures Closed Head Injury – generalized/diffuse cerebral involvement Highest incidence males 16-24 Common Causes MVA, falls (also, industrial, assault, sports) Risk Factors LD Previous hospitalization for TBI Chronic alcoholism Heart disease and hypertension ADHD Psychiatric illness Seizures Drug abuse Divorce Boxing/soccer Low SES/education … Read more

Definition Test= systematic method for measuring a sample of behavior Test construction specifying the test’s purpose Generating test items Administering the items to a sample of examinees for the purpose of item analysis Evaluating the test’s reliability and validity Establishing norms Item analysis Relevance– extent to which test items contribute to achieving the stated goals … Read more

Note: methodological problems are common in studies of neuropsychological outcome of substance use due to high rate of co-morbidities and polysubstance use. Cocaine Acute Effects One of the most widely investigated and abused illicit drugs in the US. High doses can create rapid motor activity, rambling speech, impaired judgment, paranoid and psychotic behavior, irritability, and anxiety. … Read more

Basic Facts Somatosensory: bodily sensations of touch, pain, temperature, vibration, and proprioception (limb or joint position sense) Two main pathways: See Table 7.1, Figure 7.1, 7.2 Posterior column – medial lemniscal pathway: conveys proprioception, vibration, fine/discriminative touch Anterolateral pathways: include spinothalamic tract and other associated tracts that convey pain, temperature, crude touch Some aspects of … Read more

Olfactory Disturbances (4 Types): Quantitative Abnormalities Loss or reduction of sense of smell (anosmia or hyposmia) Can be from the nasal, neuroepithelial, or central level if bilateral, patient usually complains of ageusia (loss of taste) Increased olfactory acuity (hyperosmia) very rare, if exists Qualitative Abnormalities distortions or illusions of smell (dysosmia or parosmia) May be … Read more

Stages of Sleep Sleep staging is done via an overnight sleep study or polysomnogram (PSG) that includes, at a minimum, EEG, an electro-oculogram (looking at eye movement), and an electromyelogram (looking at skeletal muscle movement, usually on chin). Most PSGs have additional leads to examine limb movement and respiration. As of 2007, the American Academy … Read more

We sometimes use tests to try to detect diseases, setting a cutoff value on the test to indicate whether or not the individual has the disease. Of course, our tests are not perfect, so test results may not match reality/truth. As shown in the table below, a person can either truly have (+) or not … Read more