PG Diploma (Postgraduate Diploma) Applied Neuropsychology (Online)

University of Bristol

This unit comprises two components described as ?Part A - Assessment in Clinical Neuropsychology? and ?Part B - Applied Neuropsychology?. Part A: Assessment in Clinical Neuropsychology Part A aims to develop an advanced understanding of contemporary applied neuropsychological assessment. Students will develop an understanding of psychometric theory and how psychometric principles influence clinical decision making and the meaning of results derived from an assessment. Students will be introduced to contemporary test instruments, both cognitive and non-cognitive as well as non-standardised methods of assessment. Students will learn how to interpret and ?understand? the results of these assessments in relation to brain damage / disease. Students will develop a logical and systematic approach to interpretation of neuropsychological assessment results and will develop the ability to communicate these results. Students will develop the skill of effective report writing for different audiences. Throughout the unit, moral, ethical and legal aspects of clinical practice will be considered. Part B: Applied Neuropsychology Part B provides an opportunity to partake in lectures provided by active clinicians who work in an NHS Neuropsychology Department. The Unit will cover key aspects of neuropsychological practice including teaching on neuroanatomy, neuropathology, neuropsychological assessment and an introduction to rehabilitation. The unit will also provide students with a contemporary neuropsychological understanding of a range of conditions commonly encountered in clinical practice including traumatic brain injury, movement disorders, epilepsy, stroke and dementia. In addition, the unit will examine the manner in which Neuropsychologists can best interact with other professionals (e.g. medical and therapist colleagues as well as professionals outside of health, e.g. social services).

This module requires students to give presentations of a specific clinical case indicating symptoms/reasons for referral, assessment of accompanying medical reports, details of neuropsychological tests administered (and why), implications of the test results, inferences and formulations concerning the patient presentation (including differential diagnosis where relevant), consideration of other factors relevant to patient (e.g. socio-economic, family problems, existence of parallel conditions or pre-conditions), suggestions for therapeutic interventions (and their assessment when tried), details of long term follow up, recommendations for treatment and assessment of treatment regimes.

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the effects of brain damage / disease across the life span. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of biological recovery from brain damage and will experience critical analysis of evidence concerning methods of rehabilitation for acquired neuropsychological disabilities caused by neurological disease / brain damage. Students will be exposed to a variety of perspectives on rehabilitation following brain damage across the different phases following injury, including acute medical, acute rehabilitation, post-acute rehabilitation and social and work integration. Students will gain an understanding of the role of medical input in rehabilitation including pharmacological approaches to symptom management. Students will develop an understanding of contemporary approaches to cognitive rehabilitation, problematic behaviour management and the management of adjustment and emotional symptoms in rehabilitation. Students will develop an understanding of the need for, but complexities associated with, meaningfully evaluating outcome from rehabilitation intervention. Throughout the unit, moral, ethical and legal aspects of clinical practice will be considered.

Students attend peer-delivered evidence-based reviews of the literature linking theoretical issues to applications in neuropsychological practice, and/or critically appraising an aspect of neuropsychological practice on the basis of recent evidence, and/or delivering a case presentation which describes evidence-based assessment of a patient. Students are expected to engage in constructive debate of papers/cases which they observe being delivered by their peers and are also required to give an assessed presentation (30 minutes) and deal effectively with questions from assessors and those posed by peers. The core of the review will focus upon a specific published neuropsychological paper, or published assessment technique, or experience of a specific patient, or review a clinical case report which focuses upon a single patient. Assessed presentations must also include a thorough critical analysis which draws additional theory and evidence from sources beyond the content of the focus article/patient case review. Papers for presentation will be selected by the programme team and the choice will be guided by requirements of the BPS syllabus for the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychological Knowledge Dimension syllabus. The aims are to assist in the development of (1) critical appraisal skills and appreciation of evidence-based practice within clinical neuropsychology, (2) the development of the capacity for continued self-directed professional development, (3) the development of academic and professional presentation skills via examination of a range of peer-reviewed papers.

This module comprises two components described as ?Part A - Issues in Neuropsychology? and ?Part B - Functional neuroanatomy and neuroscience methods?. Part A: Issues in Neuropsychology. Students will develop an understanding of the psychological and neuropsychological impact of living with a neurological disease or disability. The unit will help students understand the common themes of grief, adjustment, depression, anxiety, disability and coping as they pertain to specific neurological diseases and acquired brain injury. The unit will help students to understand abnormal reactions to illness and disability including malingering, factitious disorder, somatoform disorder and conversion disorder. Students will be encouraged to appreciate the wider systemic and psychosocial effects of neurological illness including the effects on an individual?s family, work life, social life and quality of life. Students will be helped to understand rehabilitation and psychological treatment options across different conditions and at different stages of chronic diseases. Throughout the unit, moral, ethical and legal aspects of clinical practice will be considered. Part B: Functional neuroanatomy and neuroscience methods. Part B has two central aims. First, it reviews the functional neuroanatomy of the human brain, and thus provides an absolute core set of knowledge for Neuropsychology. Second, the Unit gives a comprehensive review of the major techniques and methods employed to study the human brain (since these provide information about function at various levels in the brain). These techniques will allow students to appreciate the theoretical interpretation of both spatial and temporal aspects of cerebral activity. The unit will cover the entire brain and will not simply focus upon structures typically associated with higher-order cognitive function.

This module comprises two components described as ?Part A - Clinical Neuropsychology in Practice? and ?Part B - Theoretical Neuropsychology?. Part A: Clinical Neuropsychology in Practice Part A seeks to provide students with a detailed understanding of a diverse range of issues connected to clinical neuropsychology in practice. One component of the teaching provides students with taught content provided by subject matter experts across a range of medically relevant disciplines (e.g. neurosurgery, neurophysiology, dementia, epilepsy, movement disorders, sleep disorders, radiology, MRI). Candidates can discuss and probe the experts? roles and knowledge and in particular explore how these various related disciplines interface with the role of a clinical neuropsychologist in a day to day medical context. Attendance of lectures for Part A is compulsory. Part B: Theoretical Neuropsychology Part B focuses upon key theoretical issues within Neuropsychology. The Unit involves weekly lectures, and each focuses upon a basic function (e.g. attention, memory, emotion) while also focusing upon a major neuropsychological syndrome that is related to that function (e.g. neglect, emotional disorders). This means that students will learn both about theories of brain function and about particular syndromes that might be typically observed following various kinds of brain damage or dysfunction. The Unit will involve coverage of both cortical and subcortical function and will emphasise system-wide contributions to integrated cognition and behaviour.