What is a concussion?

Whether it happens on the field, on the highway, or in battle, a concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury that occurs when the head receives a blow or violent shaking. Inside the skull, the brain sloshes back and forth, often hitting the front and back of the skull. That movement can damage the brain’s connective tissues and disrupt normal cognitive function.

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What is neuropsychological assessment?

Neuropsychological testing refers to measuring various cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, problem solving, and more to determine how one's brain is functioning.

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How can neuropsychological testing be helpful after a concussion?

When the symptoms of a concussion do not resolve within 7 to 10 days as expected, a neuropsychological assessment may beneficial. 

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The first step in determining why symptoms aren’t going away is to review your background. Prior concussion(s), depression, anxiety, medication use, sleep disturbance, or other factors can slow recovery or even masquerade as concussion symptoms. 

 

A neuropsychological evaluation will assess memory, attention, problem solving and other cognitive skills. Mood measures can also illuminate any psychological factors that may be influencing recovery. Results of this evaluation will help identify ongoing cognitive impairments and specify what abilities have been most affected. Repeat testing can be useful to document improvement over time. A neuropsychological assessment can help determine when it’s safe for an individual to return to their normal routines (e.g., school, work, participation in sports).

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What is the process like? 

A neuropsychological assessment following a head injury generally takes about three hours (one-hour interview, two hours of testing) to complete. Most folks find it to be an interesting process and comment that the time goes fast. During the testing portion, you will be asked to do a number of different kinds of exercises that might feel like puzzles and games. A neuropsychological evaluation will utilize paper-and-pencil or computerized tasks (no needles or wires!) that measure cognitive abilities such as:

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• Learning & Memory

• Language 

• Attention 

• Information Processing Speed

• Working Memory 

• Executive Functioning Skills, including Planning & Organizing

• Visuospatial Functioning 

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What kind of training does a neuropsychologist have?

When looking for a clinical neuropsychologist, it may be helpful to understand the training standards for neuropsychologists before choosing one. All neuropsychologists are psychologists, but very few psychologists are also neuropsychologists. Neuropsychology is a specialty area of Clinical Psychology, requiring extensive additional training above and beyond basic psychology training.

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What makes neuropsychologists unique is their education and training backgrounds. Neuropsychologists are required to meet the highest standards of education and training in neuropsychology. These standards, created by the professional bodies in neuropsychology and the Houston Conference, call for specific knowledge of clinical neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, and brain-behavior relationships; completion of an APA-approved internship in neuropsychology; and, completion of a specialty two-year post-doctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology.  

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