978-1285198248 Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

Neurophysiology

Neurophysiology Class Activity 1

Lecture Discussion Questions

1. Which artery of the cerebrovascular supply is typically affected if a person suffers from

aphasia?

2. What is the function of a neuron?

3. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for somatosensory reception?

4. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for auditory reception?

5. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for visual reception?

6. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for cognitive function?

7. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for taste?

8. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for receptive language function?

9. Which lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for expressive language function?

10. What is the function of the corpus callosum?

11. What happens when both hippocampi are ablated (destroyed) surgically?

12. Damage to which hemisphere results in left neglect and pragmatic deficit?

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 2

Available Videotapes (This Is Replicated in Chapter 11 Materials)

There are some truly excellent videotapes that illustrate neuropathology. Because of the time

limitations of the course, I tend to use them only when I must be gone from class, but they could

also serve as excellent lab activities. I should note that NOVA is very generous in its permissions

for viewing and broadcasting over closed distance education systems, which is not the case for

most other video sources.

Brain Transplants: My all-time favorite is a NOVA video entitled Brain Transplants, which

documents the beginning of fetal tissue transplants for Parkinson’s disease. The film shows

excellent footage of individuals in late-stage substantia nigra degeneration secondary to drug

overdose and documents the process of discovery concerning treatment for this condition. My

students continue to state that this is one of the best videos they have ever seen.

The Forgetting (NOVA): This video presents an inside view of Alzheimer’s disease.

In Search of the Killer Gene: This excellent documentary discusses the process of discovery of

the gene for Huntington’s disease.

Dysarthria Sampler: Arnold Aronson has produced an excellent tape entitled Dysarthria

Sampler, which shows brief video clips from his clinical career. The clips illustrate a broad

spectrum of disorders, and they can be used individually to illustrate the effects of pathology on

specific systems. This tape is available from Mentor Seminars, Box 1053, Rochester, MN 55903-

1053; 507-289-0914, or http://www.mentorseminars.com.

Stranger in the Mirror (NOVA): This video provides personal insight into visual agnosia.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 3

Noncommercial Videotapes (This Is Replicated in Chapter 11 Materials)

I receive permission from clients to use their clinical videotapes for teaching, and I regularly

show those tapes to illustrate specific neurogenic conditions (such as ataxia, spasticity, flaccidity,

aphasia, dementia, etc.). Although these are obviously not available for use within these

materials, because of permission restrictions, I can provide you with a few videos that you may

find helpful or at least entertaining. As you can tell from the author photos in our text, I am cat

(third edition) and dog (second edition) friendly. I have created a CD that includes a series of

fasciculations). Mary also unfortunately suffered from a liver duct disease for which she

underwent surgical correction; sadly, she died three days postsurgery. She was a lively, spunky

bundle of joy, and I hope you enjoy seeing her in these video clips. Both Tiny Tim and Mary

Noodle were far more than clinical samples, obviously, but they provide a “human” side to the

clinical picture. Again, Mary’s biographical sketch is included in the “Videos” subdirectory.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 4

Discussion of Pathology as Related to Physiology

We brought this up in Chapter 11, but this is also a great time to make neurophysiology real. You

could talk about the myoneural junction as it relates to myasthenia gravis,or about motor control

issues related to spastic or flaccid dysarthria. Hyperkinesias really illustrate the basal ganglia

motor control circuit, and there are now quite a few public-access videos available that illustrate

that (with all caution about these being often home videos by patients themselves). Parkinson’s

disease provides a great example of neurotransmitter balance issues, and again there are videos

Esoterica: One of my passions is studying the effects of meditation on neurophysiology. Since a

significant role of mindfulness meditation is to focus attention, meditation provides a unique

method for examining the attentional networks. There are many articles on these effects that are

worth delving into, but here are a few that are fascinating:

Volume change resulting from meditation:

Holzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., &

Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter

density. Psychiatry Research, 191(1), 36–43.

Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway, M. T.,

et al., (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness.

Neuroreport, 16(17), 1893.

Bærentsen, K. B., Stødkilde-Jørgensen, H., Sommerlund, B., Hartmann, T., Damsgaard-

Madsen, J., Fosnæs, M., & Green, A. C. (2010). An investigation of brain processes

supporting meditation. Cognitive Processing, 11(1), 57–84.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 5

Videos: Infant Reflexes

There is a wealth of reflex-testing videos available online, but by far my favorite all-

encompassing video is the one developed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Normal

Infant Reflexes and Development, 1988, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (Therapy Skill

corticospinal tracts. I sometimes combine this discussion with videos of clients who show, for

instance, the sucking reflex following cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 6

Synaptic Pruning Discussion

Synaptic pruning relative to experience is a potent area of discussion, particularly as related to

speech and language. I always drop to the Blakemore and Cooper article from the seventies,

which so perfectly describes the effects of visual deprivation on kitten visual development (I

always issue a pre-discussion disclaimer that I, personally, don’t participate in deprivation

research.). From that point, discussion of some of Webster’s work on auditory deprivation in

non-humans and humans lets you remind your students of the critical nature of prevention of

conductive hearing loss in chronic otitis media for later speech and language development (as I

write this, I note the passing of Marion Downs at 100, a great champion of treatment of chronic

otitis media (COM). The notion of “use it or lose it” is ever present in this discussion.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 7

Amygdala and Fear Discussion

The role of the amygdala in fear and fearlessness is a fascinating topic. The studies that show

that mice who have had amygdala damage no longer fear walking across open spaces (owls love

it when they do that) reinforce the notion that risk-taking behavior can underly physical

differences among individuals. Likewise, the studies that show hypertrophy of amygdala in

people with post-traumatic stress disorder help to underscore the dominance of the amygdala in

fear.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 8

Cognition and Traumatic Brain Injury

TBI provides a great vehicle for discussion of cognition. If you view cognitive processes

(attention, memory, visuospatial processes, linguistic processes) as the raw material that is used

by executive functions to help us make our way in the world, you can start a discussion of brain

regions involved in those functions and processes (for instance, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

for executive function). Focal trauma reveals localized effects, whereas diffuse trauma reveals

the effects of loss of interconnectedness.

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology Class Activity 9

The Meaning of Life: Consciousness

I’m being a little “tongue-in-cheek” here, but as you discuss cognition and consciousness, it’s a

great time to bring to light some of the current furor that exists in neuroscience over

consciousness. If you discussed TBI, you were able to bring in concepts of levels of

consciousness and awareness as one emerges from coma. Looking at, for instance, the Glasgow