Biological and neuropsychology
, Introduction
• Neuropsychology links knowledge from neurology
and psychology.
• A neurologist is a medical doctor who specialises
in brain and nervous system disorders, while a
neuropsychologist looks for the relationships
between the mind and the brain.
• Neuropsychology can be divided into two major
divisions:
1. research neuropsychology
2. clinical neuropsychology.
, The nervous system
The central nervous system
• This consists of the spinal cord and the brain.
• The spinal cord
– is in the spinal column
– communicates with all the muscles and sense organs below the head
– consists of grey matter surrounded by white matter (which provides
insulation).
• Pairs of spinal nerves pass signals from the environment to the
spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the body.
• The medulla oblongata is the start of the brain.
• The brain is protected by cerebrospinal fluid, the meninges and
the skull.