WHAT IS NEUROPSYCHOLOGY?

Neuropsychology is the study of the relationships between the brain and behaviour, cognition, mood, and personality. We study how injury or diseases that affect the brain will change these domains. We also explore whether changes in these domains are a result of an organic cause (i.e. injury or disease) or a functional cause (i.e. psychological or psychiatric). Often, a person experiences a combination of organic and functional influences on their behaviour, mood, cognition, and/or personality, and we help differentiate the root causes of the various changes.
In clinical practice, I have two primary goals. First, to characterise the changes the person is experiencing and establish which, if any, are a result of organic changes. Second, to help the person and their support structure understand what changes have occured, why, and how to cope with them moving forward. Understanding how your brain function has changed after an injury or illness is essential for understanding how you are going to function moving forward with your life, and is an important and empowering step in the recovery process. 


Neuro definition