BPS306 Neuropsychology

A fascinating insight into the field of neuropsychology. The nervous system allows humans to adapt to changes. Changes can occur inside (e.g. too little oxygen while running) or outside (e.g. the anticipation of food or the chill of a winter wind). The nervous system will perceive the change and will take actions to adjust to it. The nervous system is rather like the look-out on a river boat - it monitors conditions and gives warnings when something unusual or dangerous is ahead. Once the warning is received, the body is able to take steps to avoid or correct the situation. The nervous system has to be highly complex to be able to perform such sophisticated services.

Develop your understanding of the way a person’s psychology is affected by anatomical and physiological characteristics of that person’s neurological system.

Pre-requisites
A basic understanding of human biology is desirable, though not essential.

EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU MAY DO IN THIS COURSE

• Learn about the development of Neuropsychology and techniques used in human neuropsychological studies;
• Describe the Neuroanatomy of -
- Brainstem
- Cerebellum and cerebral cortex
- Organisation of the cerebral cortex
- Cranial nerves , brain covering, ventricular system, arteries
- Brain malfunction
- Visual system
- Other systems;
• Determine why there is laterality;
• Discuss callosal syndrome;
• Discuss and compare theories of frontal lobe function;
• Contrast normal aspects and abnormal aspects of emotion from a neuropsychological perspective;
• Develop a diagnostic table of perceptual disorders;
• Determine how the brain perceives faces;
• Discuss language formation;
• Describe language disorders;
• Develop a table of kind of dementia;
• Learn how recovery of function is affected across age spans.
Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

Foundations of Neuropsychology
Neurophysiology
Neuroanatomy
Laterality and Callosal Syndromes
Cognition, personality and emotion
Perception Disorders
Motor Disorders
Language
Dementia
Neurodevelopment

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

EXTRACT FROM COURSE NOTES



NEUROTRANSMITTERS

Neurotransmitters are chemicals synthesised by a neuron from blood, and released by a neuron to transmit a message to another neuron, muscle or gland cell. Some neurotransmitters are synthesised in the presynaptic terminal, but others are synthesized in the soma and transported to the terminal thought the axon, in which case, the supply can be exhausted and it may take hours or days to replenish the supply. It seems that neurons release a limited number of neurotransmitters, and only in certain combinations, from their axons. However, a neuron might receive a number of different neurotransmitters at different synapses.

When a neuron sends a signal, synaptic vesicles in the terminal button of the neuron move toward the presynaptic membrane. Some of these stick to the membrane, then break open, releasing neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. Some of these neurotransmitters then bind with special protein molecules in the postsynaptic membrane. These proteins are called receptors. The neurotransmitter molecules separate from the receptors and may be converted into inactive chemicals. Sometimes, the molecules are recycled back into the presynaptic cell.

Receptors are only activated by the appropriate neurotransmitters. When the neurotransmitter binds with the receptor, there is a change in both the chemical structure and electrical balance in the postsynaptic neuron, producing a graded potential. The affect of the neurotransmitter will vary according to the receptor it fits with.

Each neurotransmitter is able to activate any of a number of different receptors, to produce any of a number of different effects:

a. Excitatory neurotransmitters excite the neuron by depolarizing the postsynaptic cell membrane;

b. Inhibitory neurotransmitters inhibit neural firing by hyperpolarizing the membrane.

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