Course Overview
In this course, a study will be made of the behavioral, physiological, and psychological effects of brain damage in the human being, and the assets and limitations of the methods used to assess such damage. Explored will be cases in which the effects are permanent, as well as reversible or progressive. Topics will include the effects of stroke, tumors, biochemical changes, and other neurological disorders upon the senses, perception, learning, memory, attention, and personality. Extant theories of brain function will be discussed in light of the effects of brain damage. Students will also be required to spend 3-5 hours each week working with brain injured people at a placement designated by the instructor. Prerequisite: 001, 111, and permission of the instructor. Spring.
Required Readings
A.R. Luria. The Man With a Shattered World (W)
A.R. Luria. The Mind of a Mnemonist (M)
Oliver Sacks. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat (S)
Articles: A series of articles are also required for this course. Click to see a full list of those from Spring 1998.
Course Requirements & Grading
Journal & Volunteer Work(15%): You will be required to keep a day-by-day journal of your experiences at the Adult Day Care Center. The journal should include the date on which the entry is made and your entry should include what you observed (as in Kitwood·s indicators of Relative Well-Being along with problems that people seem to have) along with your own reactions to what you are experiencing. When writing about the behavior of a participant, if you make a qualitative statement, such as “I think that Mr. Smith was bored”, be sure to indicate EXACTLY what Mr. Smith·s behavior was at the time that led you to make that judgment.
Paper (25%): You will write a paper (10-15 pages, approx.) on a topic of your choice: you may choose from among the following options:
* A review of the recent research literature (last 3 years) on a topic of your choice.
* A case study on a participant at the Adult Day Care Center. There is a format for such work and you are to check with me as to format if you choose this option.
* You can choose one or two participants at the Day Care Center and describe the individuals from the point of view of Classical and of Romantic Science.
* You are required to meet with me concerning the topic of your paper so that your choice and an introductory paragraph can be submitted before the set deadline.
2 Exams (40%)
Final (25%)
Assignments/Lecture Schedule
Class Topic Readings
1 General Orientation
2 Orientation re: Placement Luria (W), p. vii-41
3-6 Visual Dysfunction Sacks, Preface, Ch. 1 Eyes Right; Article #1
7-11 Somatosensory Dysfunction Luria (W), p. 41-61 Articles #2, 3 ,4, 20, 22; Sacks, Disembodied Lady, Man Who, Hands, Phantoms, On the Level; Excesses, Ch. 10, 14
12 EXAMINATION
13-17 Learning and Memory Luria (W), p. 61-101, (M) entirety, Articles 5-8, 17, 21, 27, 30; Sacks, Ch. 2, 12; Transports (intro.), 15, 16, 17, 19
18-20 Language and Thought Luria (W), 101-160, Sacks, Ch. 9, 13; Articles #9-13, 19, 23, 25
21 EXAMINATION
22-25 Dementia Sacks, Part Four; Articles #14-16, 18, 24, 26-29, 31-3
26 Conclusion
Additional Information
Required Articles
1. Battersby, W.S. The cerebral basis of visual space perception.
2. Bowers, D., and Heilman, K.M. Pseudoneglect: Effects of hemispace on a tactile line bisection task. Neuropsychologia, 1980, 18, 491-498.
3. Heilman, K.M.& Valenstein, E. Mechanisms underlying hemispacial neglect. Annals of Neurology, 1979, 5, 166-170.
4. Denny-Brown, D. & Banker, B.Q. Amorphosynthesis from left parietal lesion. Archives of Neural. Psychology, 1954, 71, 302-313.
5. Teuber, H.L. & Milner, B. Persistent anterograde amnesia after stab wound of the basal brain. Neuropsychologia, 1968, 6,267-282.
6. Warrington, E.K. & Weiskrantz, L. Amnesic syndrome: Consolidation or retrieval? Nature, 1970, 228, 628-630.
7. Warrington, E.K. & Weiskrantz, L. Further analysis of the prior learning effect in amnesic patients. Neuropsychologia, 1978, 16, 169-177.
8. Weiskrantz, L. & Warrington, E.K. Conditioning in amnesic patients. Neuropsychologia, 1979, 17, 187-194.
9. Glass, A.V., et.al. Artificial language training in global aphasics. Neuropsychologia, 1973, 11, 95-103.
10. Goldstein, K. The problem of the meaning of words based upon observations of aphasic patients. Journal of Psychology, 1936, 2, 301-316.
11. Moody, E.J. Sign language acquisition by a global aphasic. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1982, 17, 113-116.
12. Goldstein, K. The mental changes due to frontal lobe damage. Journal of Psychology, 1944, 17, 187-208.
13. Teuber, H.L. Kurt Goldstein·s role in the development of neuropsychology. Neuropsychologia, 1966, 4,299-310.
14. Neville, H.J. & Folstein, M.F. Performance on three cognitive tasks by patients with dementia, depression, or Korsakoff·s syndrome. Gerontology, 1979, 25, 285-290.
15. Sabat, S.R., Wiggs, C.L., and Pinizzotto, A.J. Alzheimer·s disease: Clinical vs. observational studies of cognitive ability. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Gerontology, 1984, 337-349.
16. Bayles, K.A. & Tomoeda, C.K. Confrontation naming impairment in dementia. Brain and Language, 1983,19, 98-114.
17. Milner, B., et.al. Further analysis of the hippocampal amnesic syndrome: 14 year follow up study of H.M. Neuropsychologia, 1968, 6, 215-234.
18. Robinson, R.G. et.al. Mood disorders in stroke patients. Brain, 1984, 107, 81-93.
19. Tranel, D. & Damasio, A. Knowledge without awareness: an automatic index of facial recognition by prosopagnosics. Science, 1985, 228, 1453-1454.
20. Diller, L. & Weinberg, J. Hemi-inattention in rehabilitation: The evolution of a rational remedial program. Advances in Neurology, 1977, vol.18.
21. Heindel, W.C., et.al. Neuropsychological evidence for multiple implicit memory systems.
22. A comparison of Alzheimer·s, Huntington·s, and Parkinson·s disease patients. Journal of Neuroscience, 1989, 9 582-587.
23. Battersby, W.S., et.al. “Unilateral spatial agnosia” (Inattention) in patients with cerebral lesions. Brain, 1956,79, 68-93.
24. Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE)
25. Folstein, M.F., Folstein, S., and McHugh, P. Mini-mental state test.
26. Boston Naming Test
27. Kasniak, A.W. Cognition in Alzheimer·s disease: Theoretic models and clinical implications. Neurobiology of Aging, 1988, 9, 92-94.
28. Knopman, D.S. & Nissen, M.J. Implicit learning in patients with probable Alzheimer·s disease. Neurology, 1987, 37, 784-788.
29. Grosse, D.A. et.al. Preserved word-stem completion priming of semantically encoded information in Alzheimer·s disease.Psychology and Aging, 1990, 5, 304-306.
30. Freed, D.M., et.al. Selective attention in Alzheimer·s disease: Characterizing cognitive subgroups of patients, Neuropsychologia, 1989,27, 325-329.
31. Schacter, D.L. & Glisky, E.L. Memory remediation: Restoration, alleviation, and the acquisition of domain-specific knowledge. In B. Uzzell and Y. Gross (eds.) Clinical Neuropsychology of Intervention, Boston: Martinus Nijhoff.
32. Sabat, S.R. Turn-taking, turn-giving, and Alzheimer·s disease: A case study of conversation. Georgetown Journal of Language and Linguistics, 1991, 161-175.
33. Sabat, S.R. Facilitating conversation via indirect repair: A case study of conversation. Georgetown Journal of Language and Linguistics, 1991, 284-296.
34. Sabat, S.R. & Harre, R. The construction and deconstruction of self in Alzheimer·s disease.
35. Aging and Society, 1992, 12, 443-461.
36. Sabat, S.R. Excess disability and malignant social psychology: A case study of Alzheimer·s disease. J. Community and Applied Social Psychology, 1994, 4, 157-166.
37. Sabat, S.R. Recognizing and working with remaining abilities: Toward improving the care of Alzheimer·s disease sufferers. American J. Of Alzheimer·s Care, 1994, 9, 8-16.
38. Sabat, S.R. Language functions and Alzheimer·s disease: A critical review of selected literature. Language and Communication, 1994, 14, 331-351.
39. Sabat, S.R. and Harre, R. The Alzheimer·s disease sufferer as a semiotic subject. Philosophy, Psychiatry, Psychology,1, 145
School: Georgetown University
Professor: Dr. Steven R. Sabat