AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of Clinical Neuropsychology of adulthood aims to provide basic knowledge on the global functioning of the brain, with particular regard to cognitive functions, in particular on their general organization in terms of networking, and on the terminology inherent in the individual functions and their disturbances. At the end of the course, the main clinical pictures during which neuropsychological disorders represent the most relevant element, or one of the most relevant elements of the symptomatology, will be illustrated. The student will have to acquire a good command of the definitions, the classification and the anatomo-clinical correlations of the functions themselves, both in normal conditions and in pathology. This will also allow to understand the theoretical and practical bases of neuropsychological assessment, to enable students to structure a correct approach with the various forms of disorders of the subjects they will have to interact with.

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons take place in the first semester of the third year through lectures that make use of slide projections
The modality is interactive and also includes projection of films, presentation of clinical cases and reading of fragments of specialized books

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The main cortical syndromes
Clinical neuropsychology and cognitive functions: definitions and general concepts
The prerequisites for neuropsychological assessment; the clinical interview. The global cognitive scales
Attention (definition, classification and main syndromic pictures)
Executive functions. The concepts of intelligence, abstraction, planning, problem solving
Memory (definition, classification and main syndromic pictures)
Aphasias (definition, classification and main syndromic pictures)
Apraxias (definition, classification and main syndromic pictures)
The Agnosias (definition, classification and main syndromic pictures)
The visual-spatial functions
Neglect and disturbances of the body schema
Cognitive deficits in neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system
Cognitive deficits in cerebrovascular disease
Cognitive deficits in demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fondamenti di Neuroscienze, A Siegel & HN Sapru, Italian edition based on the 3rd in English, Piccin Editore

Additional teaching material is provided by the teacher during the lessons and made available on Aulaweb or on the dedicated Team