Origins of neuropsychology
The origins of neuropsychology lie in direct clinical observation. Two nineteenth century landmarks in the understanding of structural and functional relationships in the brain were the observations of Broca and Wernicke. In 1861 Paul Broca identified the third frontal convolution of the left hemisphere as an area that if damaged, would result in a specific impairment of expressive language. In 1874 Karl Wernicke described specific impairment of receptive language associated with damage to an area in the left hemisphere extending from the first temporal convolution into the parietal lobe. The recognition of clinically definable psychological syndromes related to discrete brain pathology continued to develop along with a greater understanding of cerebral localization. Modern neuropsychological testing involves specific observation of memory, language, verbal and nonverbal fluency together with visuo-spatial and motor abilities. These assessments complement tests of general cognitive functioning. Neuropsychological assessment is of course used as part of the work-up for epilepsy surgery, but has been an essential tool in studying the interaction between cognitive impairment and seizure-related variables (Goldstein 1997; Kalviainen et al., 1992; Piccirilli et al., 1994; Rugland, 1990).
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