Neuropsychology and neurology are scientific disciplines that share the study of knowledge of the brain and the relationships between the diseases that affect it and human behavior.
Despite being two disciplines with many aspects in common, there are also clear differences between them In this article we will focus on what differentiates neuropsychology from neurology, as well as the different functions that both neuropsychologists and neurologists must fulfill in their respective professions.
Neuropsychology is a branch of scientific knowledge that is responsible for studying the relationships between brain activity, higher cognitive functions (attention, memory, gnosias, praxias, etc.) and human behavior in all its areas: family, interpersonal. , social, etc.
One of the main sources of knowledge in neuropsychology comes from the study of brain functions and structures, both preserved and altered; The latter, as a result of organic injuries (such as head trauma, stroke, epilepsy, etc.), affect the brain and, therefore, the individual’s behavior.
Functions of the neuropsychologist
The neuropsychologist is, generally, a psychology professional who has specialized in the study of the brain and its relationships with behavior The main functions of a neuropsychology professional are the following:
Conducting neuropsychological evaluations
It is about evaluating if there is brain damage and seeing what structures have been damaged For this purpose, general neuropsychological batteries and specific tests for each area or cognitive function are used.
Neuropsychological rehabilitation
It is a process aimed at rehabilitating, that is, stopping or improving the cognitive deterioration caused by a brain injury To do this, individual aspects such as age, personality type, the person’s background, etc. must be taken into account.
A neuropsychologist can also dedicate himself partially or totally to the field of research, carrying out experiments with healthy subjects and groups, comparing them with others affected by brain damage or injuries. The most studied aspects in the field of neuropsychology tend to be memory, attention, processing speed or executive functions, mainly in patients with acquired brain damage, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairment.
What is neurology?
Neurology is a specialty of medicine that is responsible for the study of the functions and development of the nervous system (central, peripheral and autonomic) and muscular, both in healthy subjects and in people with some type of brain pathology.
This scientific discipline is nourished by the set of diseases that affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (muscles and nerves). The most common are usually dementia, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or traumatic brain injuries.
Functions of the neurologist
A neurologist is a doctor who has specialized in the study and treatment of diseases that affect the nervous system Their main function is to diagnose and treat people suffering from disorders of the brain and spinal cord, although it is true that a neurologist can also deal with many other common diseases, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Differences between neuropsychology and neurology
Neuropsychology and neurology are disciplines that belong to the same scientific field: neurosciences.
Both share similarities, since They are responsible for studying the brain, its diseases or injuries, and people’s behavior to try to cure or rehabilitate them ; However, as we will see below, they also differ in several aspects.
Differences in origin: which discipline emerged first?
Neuropsychology is a relatively recent discipline, since it has its origins in the work of doctors, neurologists and psychiatrists, from the late 19th century and early 20th century, with references such as Paul Broca or Carl Wernicke and their studies on aphasia. . Although it was not until the 40s of the last century, with Luria’s publications and his theories on the brain organization of language and its pathologies, when this discipline became popular.
For its part, neurology is a much older discipline whose modern origins could date back to the beginning of the 17th century and the work of Thomas Willis, an English doctor and pioneer in neuroanatomical research. Purkinje first, with his studies on the description of neurons, and Ramón y Cajal later, with his findings on neuronal connections, also shaped what centuries later would make up current neurology.
It could be said, therefore, that Neuropsychology comes from and has been nourished since its beginnings by a discipline like neurology expanding its field of action over the years and using other fields such as psychology or cognitive neuroscience.
Differences in study perspective: molar vs molecular analysis
Neuropsychology, like neurology, is responsible for studying diseases that affect the brain and their relationship with behavior. However, there is something that differentiates them: and that is that, in the case of neuropsychology, its level of analysis is less molecular and more molar than in neurology What does this mean? Let’s see it with an example.
When a patient comes for consultation because he sees that he is forgetting things more and more and believes that he could begin to suffer from some type of dementia or cognitive impairment, the neurologist’s role will be to perform a comprehensive neurological evaluation (using imaging techniques). brain, magnetic resonance, etc.) to identify the groups of affected neurons, their location, affected structure and so on. In short, its task is to carry out a molecular analysis (exclusively at a level of biological and neurological detail) of what is happening in the patient’s brain.
On the other hand, the work of a neuropsychology professional in a case of suspected cognitive impairment will vary substantially: after an exhaustive neuropsychological evaluation (with specific tests to detect altered cognitive functions), the damaged functions and structures will be investigated to relate these alterations to the patient’s general behavior, understood as part of a biopsychosocial organism. This is a molar analysis.
It is not, therefore, a question of identifying whether more or less part of the brain tissue has been damaged, information that a neurologist can already provide; The task of neuropsychology is to assess what this cognitive deficit consists of (and its relationship with the rest of the cognitive processes) and how the person can be helped to recover their autonomy and functional performance, through compensation or restitution of preserved and altered functions.
Differences in treatment: cognitive vs pharmacological rehabilitation
One of the aspects that differentiate neurology from neuropsychology is its methodology when approaching treatment A discipline like neurology, which is nothing more than a medical specialty, will address a brain disease as a priority through the use of psychotropic drugs, since a medical professional is qualified and trained for this.
The prescription of psychotropic drugs, in this case aimed at alleviating or treating diseases of the brain, is a power that only doctors enjoy. A neuropsychologist, who generally only has training in psychology, is not authorized to prescribe medications so their tools to try to help and rehabilitate the person with brain damage will be different.
The neuropsychologist will apply cognitive rehabilitation techniques and tools, a therapeutic procedure used to compensate or improve cognitive deficits associated with brain damage. Normally, generic rehabilitation programs for higher cognitive functions (attentional system, memory, executive functions, etc.) will be used, as well as techniques to improve the patient’s basic activities of daily life.
We must not forget that the objective of any therapeutic program should be to improve the autonomy and quality of life of the affected person. Both the neurologist, through the prescription of drugs, and the neuropsychologist, through cognitive rehabilitation methods, will be two key figures in the global process of improving the biopsychosocial well-being of the individual.
