Course Syllabus

Neuropsychology of Brain Injury

Description of Course

Acquired brain injury leads to significant changes in cognition, emotion, behavior and experience of self and others. This course focuses on these changes in relation to brain systems and the psychosocial context. Key disorders such as agnosia, amnesia, and unilateral neglect are explored as regards brain-behavior relationships. Emphasis is placed on case studies to explore the complex and integrative aspects of  key disorders and treatment challenges. Research perspectives are included to address key elements in rehabilitation.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course students demonstrate a clear understanding of acquired brain injury as regards (a) cognitive, emotional and social implications (b)  assessment  approaches (c) neuropsychological rehabilitation and (d) the ability to integrate research findings and clinical challenges.

Faculty

Carla Caetano, Ph.D. Fuller Graduate School of Psychology Pasadena, CA.(1992).Post Doctorate (Adult Neuropsychology), UCLA/Cedar Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles CA. (2000-2002). Licensed Psychologist (2002, California, USA), Specialist  & Supervisor in Clinical Neuropsychology (Denmark).

Currently working at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. Previously Senior Consultant in Research Development (2019- 2020) Program Director of Psychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Department. Ph.D. (2012-2019). With DIS 1999-2000 and since 2003.

Readings

 Book Chapters  (required)

Selected chapters available on canvas and physical textbook available on reserve in Student Hub)

Kolb, B & Whishaw I.Q. (2021) Fundamentals of Neuropsychology  (8th Ed). New York: Worth

Chapter available on canvas

Wade, D. T. (2005) . Applying the WHO ICF framework to the rehabilitation of patients with cognitive deficits. (pp. 31-42) In P.W. Halligan & D. T. Wade. (Eds. ) Effectiveness of Rehabilitation for Cognitive Deficits. Oxford University Press

Recommended  Reading

Examples:

• Ownsworth, T. (2014). Self-Identity after Brain Injury (Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: A Modular Handbook) . Taylor and Francis. 
• Parsons, M. W.  , &   Hammeke, T. A. (2014)Clinical Neuropsychology: A Pocket Handbook for Assessment, Third Edition.  American Psychological Association.
• Ramachandron, V. S. & Blakeslee, S. (1998). Phantoms in the brain: Human nature and  the architecture of the mind. London: Fourth Estate
• Sacks, (1998) O. The man who mistook his wife for a hat and other clinical tales. London: Touchstone Books
• Wilson, B. A., Gracey, F., Evans, J.J., Bateman, A. (2009). Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: Theory, Models, Therapy and Outcome . Cambridge University Press

Articles :  (Required  or  Recommended) - see canvas 

• Arnould A, Dromer E, Rochat L, Van der Linden M^,Azouvi P. (2016). Neurobehavioral and self-awareness changes after traumatic brain injury: Towards new multidimensional approaches. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2016 Feb;59(1):18-22. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2015.09.002.

• Chang, E. F., Kunal P. Raygor, AB, and Mitchel S. Berger, M (2015) Contemporary model of language organization: an overview for neurosurgeons J Neurosurg 122:250–261
• Corbetta, M. Shulman, G. L  (2011). Spatial Neglect and Attention Networks. Annual review of neuroscience. , 2011, Vol.34 (1), p.569-599
• Davey, C. G., Pujol, J. Harrison, B. J. (2016). Mapping the self in the brain's default mode network. NeuroImage 132 (2016) 390–397
• Davis, K. L., & Panksepp, J. (2011). The brain's emotional foundations of human personality and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales.Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(9), 1946-1958.
• De Gutis, J. M., Chiu, C. Grosso, M.E: & Cohan, S. (2014) Face processing improvements in prosopagnosia: successes and failures over the last 50 years. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (8), 1-14
• Fonseca, J., Ferreira, J. & Pavão Martins, I. (2016) Cognitive performance in aphasia due to stroke: a systematic review. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 16(2), pp. 127-139.Gasquoine, G. (2016)Blissfully unaware: Anosognosia and anosodiaphoria after acquired brain injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation . Vol. 26, 2 Issue 2, 261-285 
• Hanna, K. L. Hepworth, L. R., J. Rowe, F. J  (2017) The treatment methods for post-stroke visual impairment: A systematic review (2017) Brain and Behaviour 7, 1-26

• Heutink, J., Indorf, D. L  & Cordes, C. (2019) The neuropsychological rehabilitation of visual agnosia and Balint’s syndrome, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 29 (10,) 1489-1508, DOI: 0.1080/09602011.2017.1422272

• Joost H, Indorf , D-.L & Cordes, C. (2019) The neuropsychological rehabilitation of visual agnosia and Balint’s syndrome, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 29 (10,) 1489-1508, DOI: 0.1080/09602011.2017.1422272

• Johnston, M. V., Vanderheiden, G. C., Farkas, M. D., Rogers, E. S., Summers, J. A., & Westbrook, J. D.,The NCDDR Task Force on Standards of Evidence and Methods. (2009). The challenge of evidence in disability and rehabilitation research and practice: A position paper. Austin, TX: SEDL. pp 1-7
• Karnath, H.-O., & Rorden, C. (2012). The anatomy of spatial neglect. Neuropsychologia, 50(6), 1010–1017. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.06.027
• Kerry Louise Hanna | Lauren Rachel Hepworth | Fiona J. Rowe (2017)The treatment methods for post-stroke visual impairment: A systematic review. Brain and Behaviour, 7, 1-26
• Kim,Y.M.,Chun,M.H.,Yun,G.J.,Song,Y.J.,andYoung,H.E.(2011).The  effect of virtual reality training on unilateral spatial neglect in stroke patients. Ann.Rehabil.Med. 35, 309–315.
• Lee,B., Pyun, S-B.  (2014) Characteristics of Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Post-stroke Aphasia. Ann Rehabil Med.;38(6):759-765
•  Gary KW, Neimeier JP, Ward J, Lapane KL (2012) . Randomized controlled trials in adult traumatic brain injury. 26 (13-14):1523-48.
• Neumann D, Babbage DR, Zupan B, Willer B. (2015). A randomized controlled trial of emotion recognition training after traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. May-Jun;30(3):E12-23
• Ochsner, K. N. , Silvers, J.A. and Buhle, J.T. (2012) Functional imaging studies of emotion regulation: A synthetic review and evolving model of the cognitive control of emotion. Ann N Y Acad Sci. March; 1251: E1–24.
• Pedroli, E., Serino, S., Cipresso, P., Pallavicini, F., & Riva, G. (2015). Assessment and rehabilitation of neglect using virtual reality: a systematic review. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 226. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00226
• Pessoa, L. & Mc Menamin, B. (2016) Dynamic Networks in the Emotional Brain. The Neuroscientist 1–14.
• Petersen, S. E., & Posner, M. I. (2012). The Attention System of the Human Brain: 20 Years After. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 35, 73–89. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-062111-150525
• Price CJ¹.(2010). The anatomy of language: a review of 100 fMRI studies, Ann N Y Acad Sci.2010 Mar;1191:62-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05444.
• Ramachandran V. S. & Blakeslee S. (1998).  Phantoms in the Brain: Nature and the Architecture of the Mind. London: Harper Collins
• Richter, K. M., Mödden, C., Eling, P., & Hildebrandt, H. (2018). Improving Everyday Memory
  Performance After Acquired Brain Injury: An RCT on Recollection and Working Memory Training.
  Neuropsychology. . Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/neu0000445
•  Rivest, J.  Svoboda, E.  McCarthy, J.  & Moscovitch , M. (2016): A case study of topographical disorientation: behavioural intervention for achieving independent navigation, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2016.1160833
• Shirley A Thomas1, Marion F Walker1, Jamie A Macniven2, Helen Haworth3 and Nadina B Lincoln1 Communication and Low Mood CALM): a randomized controlled trial of behavioural therapy for stroke patients with aphasia. (2012) Clinical Rehabilitation 27(5) 398–408
• Schrijnemaekers, A-C., et al  (2014) Treatment of Unawareness of Deficits in Patients With Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review. Journal  Head Trauma Rehabilitation. Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. E9–E30
• Spikman, J. M., Timmerman, M. E., Milders, M. V., Veenstra, W. S., & van der Naalt, J. (2012). Social cognition impairments in relation to general cognitive deficits, injury severity, and prefrontal lesions in traumatic brain injury patients. Journal of Neurotrauma, 29(1), 101-111.
• Squire LR, Wixted JT. (2011) . The cognitive neuroscience of human memory since H.M. Annual Review Neuroscience 11;34:259-88. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-061010-113720.
• Spreij L. A., Visser-Meily, J., van Heugten, C.M., Nijboer, T. (2014) Novel insights into the rehabilitation of memory post acquired brain injury: a systematic review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience  Vol 8, Article 993 , 1-19  DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2014.00993 
• Terneusen, A., Winkens, I., van Heugten, C. et al. Neural Correlates of Impaired Self-awareness of Deficits after Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-022-09535-6
• Tornås, S.  et.  al (2016). Rehabilitation of Executive Functions in Patients with Chronic Acquired Brain Injury with Goal Management Training, External
  Cuing, and Emotional Regulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 22, 436–452
• Tracy, J.L. & Randles, D. (2011).Four Models of Basic Emotions: A Review of Ekman and Cordaro, Izard, Levenson, and Panksepp and Watt. Emotion Review Vol. 3, No. 4 (October) 397–405
• Turner-Stokes L, Pick A, Nair A, Disler PB, Wade D. (2015) TMulti-disciplinary rehabilitation for acquired brain injury in adults of working age (Review).The Cochrane Library, 2015, Issue 12. 1-67
• Vossel, S. Geng, J.J.,& R. Fink, G. R  (2014) Dorsal and Ventral Attention  Systems: Distinct Neural Circuits but Collaborative Roles. The Neuroscientist 2014, Vol. 20(2) 150 –159

Research  Report:

• National Board of Health Brain Injury – A Health Technology Assessment
  Copenhagen: National Board of Health, Danish Centre of Health Technology Assessment (DACEHTA),
  2011

Field Studies

E.g., Therapies for brain injury, alternate approaches to treatment

See course schedule for details

Guest Lecturers

E.g. Experts in the field will be invited to discuss Danish/European perspectives pertaining to clinical practice and  conducting research.  Implications  and challenges within the field will also be considered

 See course schedule for details

Approach to Teaching

This class will place emphasis on interactive, collaborative learning with students allocated to leadership teams.

The classes may  consist of any of the following formats pertaining to the  selected  topic:

Type A :

• Lecture
• Team based discussion 

Type B:  

• May be based on flipped classroom preparation. This may include video reviews or case studies/dilemmas in conjunction with  required readings. Students will prepare answers to selected questions, considering assessment and treatment considerations, within the ICF framework
• During the class, the aforementioned information will be included in cooperative learning team based discussions and analysis
• Written assignment by responsible team

Type C:

• Analysis of current research or case analysis with ABI rehabilitation, led by the class leadership team of the day which will include interactive team based discussions
• Written assignment by responsible team

I am available to you for any further information, clarification, question or observation before and after class. You can also contact me via e-mail, on canvas which I will try to answer within 24 hours (excluding weekends).

Expectations of the Students

The neuropsychology of  ABI is a wonderful, complex field  that addresses multiple levels of functioning. As such, class participation is important because as we will be working  together to understand and develop insights into  the material we encounter.  It also helps us to share experiences and information and to explore questions associated with our topics.

I expect students to have done  the readings for each class  and want to encourage each and every student to contribute in every class session even though I recognize that students vary in how comfortable they are speaking up  in class.   Hopefully, we will create a classroom environment that is inclusive and supportive  encouraging  curiosity and creativity!

Class attendance is mandatory and students are expected to be punctual. Students must inform the instructor if they will be missing class  prior to the start of class. Except for documented illness, absences will be considered unexcused absences and will affect the student's participation grade.

Use of cell phones/ laptops to be used ONLY for class related activities (this is part of showing respect and attentiveness to one another) Failure to do so will affect participation grade.

Assignments:  it is expected that students hand in their assignments on time -  late assignments  will not be accepted  except for instances of documented illness. 

Class representatives

Each semester DIS looks for class representatives to become an official spokesperson for their class group, addressing any concerns that may arise (in academic or related matters), suggesting improvements and coming up with new ideas. Class representatives are a great way for DIS faculty to ensure better and timelier feedback on their courses, assessments, and teaching styles, and as such perform an invaluable role in connecting student needs with faculty instruction during term time.

Class Representatives will be elected in class at the beginning of the semester.

Evaluation and Grading

For further details on each assignment, please see the Assignments tab on the left.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations. on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading.
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code.

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