Neuro Psychology

Last Update Dec 2013

Introduction

It is a Centre for Cognitive and Behavioural Sciences. Clinical Neuropsychology is a specialized referral service which focuses on clinical application, including diagnostic formulation, assessment, cognitive retraining in brain functioning following brain attack/ insult/ injury. Psychological assessment includes neuropsychological assessment / evaluation including clinical diagnosis, comprehensive interview; behavioural observations, assessment with series of neuropsychological tests, interpretation, report writing neuropsychological formulation including General Intellect (hemispheric assessment), Cognition, Higher Level Executive Skills (e.g. problem solving, reasoning) Attention and Concentration, Memory & Learning, Motor & Sensory Skills, Perceptuo-motor Functioning/Visuo-spatial skills,Mood & Personality (Orbito Frontal Functions),Language/ Aphasia Assessment. Neuropsychological retraining including basic function approach to improve the functional skills improving basic pre morbid functions of persons daily life; neuropsychological reorganization including compensation for the deficit when deficient function can neither be reorganized nor restored, clinic based therapy; home based therapy.

Outpatient service (OPD):

There are 4 OPD/week, with 3 registries:

1. Clinical Neuropsychology (CNP) Clinic :
   1. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday :
2. Specialized Clinics:
   1. Tuesday: Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (NR) Clinic

      Neuropsychological Rehabilitation	Cognitive Retraining/Restructuring
      	Basics Skill Training
      	Functional Re-training
      	Speech and Language Rehabilitation
      	Psychosocial Therapy
      	Guidance  and Counselling
      	Individual Therapy
      	Family Therapy
      	Vocational Guidance
      	Holistic/eclectic Approach Therapy (depending on the patient’s needs)

   2. Wednesday: Cognitive Disorders and Memory (CDM) Clinic

      Cognitive Disorders and Memory Clinic	Memory Assessment
      	Screening for Cognitive Decline
      	Cognitive Rehabilitation for Dementia/ Alzheimer’s Dementia
      	Cognitive Re-training for decline in Memory/Executive Functioning
      	Management of Cognitive/ Memory Disorders
      	Identify and treat pseudo-dementia
      	Education: patients, carers, trainees, colleagues, and the general public.
      	Family guidance
      	Monitoring of progress and response to therapy

The clinical/ pharmacological aspect of which would be taken care by the Neurologist

REFERRALS

Patients are referred from Neurology, Paediatric Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, JPN Trauma Centre, Gamma Knife Unit, Neuroanaesthesia, Physical rehabilitation and medicine(PMR), ENT, Nephrology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Endocrinology, Nuclear Medicine, Medical superintendent’s office (for medico legal cases), etc.

Referrals are given to establish a ‘baseline’ of skills/weaknesses in order to measure change in the future, to identify strengths & weaknesses in specific areas, to differentiate among illnesses, which can then direct appropriate treatment, to plan for treatment to use strengths to compensate for weaknesses, to assess everyday functional skills to plan for assistance or treatment, etc.

THE UNIVERSE OF CASES

Patients Suffering From Stroke, Epilepsy/Seizures, Dementia, Parkinsonism, Head Injury, Depression, Anxiety, Psychotic Traits, Tumour, Sub Arachnoid Haemorrhage, for Assessment, Evaluation, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, Counselling, Individual Therapy, Family Therapy etc.

KINDS OF CASES

• Neurology: refers patients with stroke, epilepsy/seizure disorder, dementia, pseudo – dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), neuropsychological rehabilitation, cognitive retraining, individual therapy, family therapy, Vocational Retraining, counselling etc.
• Pediatric Neurology: refers patients for social adaptive functions, IQ assessment
  (pre and post), epilepsy/seizure disorder, childhood stroke, Moyamoya disease, Mental Retardation Assessment/ Severity, Mental Retardation Rehabilitation/Therapy, Vocational rehabilitation, family counselling/psycho education etc.
• Neurosurgery: refers patients like Traumatic Brain Injury, tumour, sub arachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), epilespy etc. for neuropsychological assessment, assessment of cognitive functions including memory, mental status (which helps in comparing the patient’s improvement, with the pre-morbid functioning).  Counselling, cognitive retraining, assessment for fitness, mental retardation assessment and rehabilitation etc.
• JPN Trauma Centre: refers patients of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)-mild, moderate and severe, pre and post assessment for intellectual ability, cognitive ability for surgery, etc., Cognitive Retraining, Neuropsychological rehabilitation, Vocational Retraining, Counselling, etc.
• Gamma Knife Unit: refers patients with brain tumour, epilepsy, undergoing gamma knife procedure for pre and post neuropsychological assessments, for changes in intellectual ability, cognitive function, personality, etc. and also for neuropsychological rehabilitation.
• Neuroanaesthesia: refers patients for neuropsychological functioning for pre and post anaesthesia during neurosurgery.
• Physical rehabilitation and medicine: for assessment of intellectual/cognitive disability, while the final disability is given by that department.
• ENT, Nephrology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Endocrinology: refers patients for intellectual and cognitive functioning, social adaptive functioning, vocational retraining, counselling, etc.
• Nuclear Medicine: refers patients for neuropsychological functioning to be compared with different imaging techniques.
• Psychiatry: for neuropsychological assessment including depression, anxiety, psychotic traits, suicidal attempts etc. for diagnostic formulation, neuropsychological rehabilitation, cognitive retraining, individual therapy, family therapy and counselling.
• Medical superintendent’s office: for medico legal cases.

Other Services

• PhD in the area of Neuropsychology: Seats are advertised twice a year whenever there is availability, on the following link:
• http://www.aiims.edu/aiims/examsection/index_exams.htm
• Short term training/internship for Post Graduate Students (Regular Course) of Psychology/Applied Psychology/Clinical Psychology sponsored from their recognised Universities.
• Teaching of MBBS and Nursing Students
• Planning of research work to be done for formulation. 
• Quality research and national and international collaborations is being carried out.