/r/Neuropsychology

Photograph via snooOG

Neuropsychology is both an experimental and clinical branch of psychology that aims to understand how cognitive functions (memory, attention, etc.) and behavior are related to brain structure and functioning. Although the focus is typically on how injuries or illnesses of the brain (i.e., pathological functions) affect cognition and behavior, it also includes the study normal (i.e., non-pathological) functioning, cognition, and behavior.

Information about neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, neurodevelopment, studying neuropsychology, being a neuropsychologist, and related topics. Full-text articles and well-written science journalism write-ups of recent papers are especially encouraged, but of course questions, comments, and general musings are welcome!

Please note: General questions about a personal experience you are having are allowed in this subreddit (e.g., "Can anyone explain the functional neuroanatomy behind this random and benign thing that I do?"), but if you need medical advice, please go see a medical professional. Posts that are clearly seeking medical advice about a medical problem will be removed. The advice of internet strangers -- even if they are neuropsychologists! -- is no substitute for professional health care.

Please also note: A basic wiki page for this subreddit has been created. If you have questions about what a neuropsychologist is/does, the steps to becoming a neuropsychologist, or where you can get resources to assist you at any stage of training/practice, check it out!

/r/Neuropsychology

149,418 Subscribers

3

Question

When I get high I can barley form sentences but I have zero issue singing. Like Im fine either way sober..when I get high If I think to hard I start studdering and talking over myself. Yet when I sing I never have any issues.

2 Comments
2025/02/01
07:10 UTC

3

interdisciplinary collaboration in the management of traumatic brain injury

Hi everyone,

I’m conducting research on interdisciplinary collaboration in the management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as part of my Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). I’m particularly interested in how specialists—neurologists, neuropsychiatrists, psychologists, neurosurgeons, rehabilitation specialists, emergency medicine doctors, and others—work together in treating TBI patients.

I’ve put together a short questionnaire focused on how different specialties coordinate care, communicate, and address challenges in interdisciplinary management which is linked below.
https://forms.gle/3rh46rxhbYvg1nLY9

Thank you for your time :)

0 Comments
2025/01/31
21:05 UTC

13

ABPP-CN reading recommendations for studying

Hi all,

I plan to take the ABPP-CN written exam in May. I have reviewed the BRAIN materials and own the following: Clinical Neuropsychology Study Guide and Board Review (Stucky), Neuropsychological Assessment (Lezak), and Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases (Blumenfeld).

Are these texts sufficient? Where would you recommend I focus the bulk of my effort? I am giving myself a little over 3 months to study. Would love to hear how you all structured your studying and which texts you found most useful (and just as importantly, what NOT to waste time on).

Thank you!

7 Comments
2025/01/28
17:17 UTC

934

Chaos Today in Federal Research

I'm a federal worker involved in mental health research and care (I won't say where, but we are on federal grant funds). Things are looking despotic here. Lead researcher/clinicians are being put on administrative leave (ostensibly with the intent of firing) if they conducted or received funding for any DEI related projects/programs. Our admin our advising we download our employment records in case we have to close and file to unemployment and benefits, in which case we can't log back into our systems. Our grants are getting frozen today at 5:00pm. It's nothing short of chaos here. It's so surreal. I can't believe Trump is getting away with this.

I know it's hard, but please stay tuned into what's happening. We can't look away when these types of injustices are taking place. We should feel angry, for ourselves, for our patients, and for our entire political system.

RE: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/politics/white-house-pauses-federal-grants-loan-disbursement/index.html

26 Comments
2025/01/28
16:13 UTC

5

neuropsych technician job openings in chicagoland area?

Anyone know of any neuropsych tech job openings, preferably near the skokie/morton grove/LW suburb area? I struggle to ever find a job opening for this specific job, and I need experience. Thanks in advance for your help!

0 Comments
2025/01/27
20:49 UTC

5

Looking for advice on pursuing neuropsychology abroad - Any tips or experiences?

Hi everyone! I'm currently in my final year of BSc Psychology in India and have a keen interest in neuropsychology. I'm considering pursuing further studies in neuropsychology abroad, but I'm unsure where to start. I'd love to hear about any experiences you have with studying neuropsychology internationally, particularly regarding Best universities or programs for neuropsychology Application process (requirements, exams, etc.) Financial aspects (scholarships, cost of living, etc.) Career prospects after completing studies abroad Any advice on adjusting to studying in a foreign country If you've pursued neuropsychology abroad or have insights, please share your experiences or suggestions!

1 Comment
2025/01/27
16:25 UTC

537

Can someone explain why addiction is a brain disease and not a choice?

Figured this would be a good sub to ask. I’m just so sick of the stigma around addiction and want to try and educate people on the matter. I know a lot about addiction and the brain, but I need to learn a more educated way of putting things from someone way smarter than I am.

First, putting a drug into your body is a choice, sure, but the way an addicts brain abnormally reacts to pleasure isn’t a choice. Addicts use to self medicate, almost all addictions are caused from childhood trauma, and most addicts have been subconsciously chasing pleasureable things since kids. Drugs are just ONE symptom of addiction, not the cause. You could not do drugs for years, but you’re still gonna have a brain disease that’s incurable.

I’m trying to argue with someone about this and I just want to explain in a more educated manner why addiction isn’t a choice.

258 Comments
2025/01/27
15:18 UTC

6

Once we map human brains can we cure mental illnesses/disorders?

I know this is a long ways away, but the recent connectome of the fruit fly made me think. Can we cure mental illnesses in people if we have a full connectome of their brain?

42 Comments
2025/01/27
08:19 UTC

4

Is this considered paraphasia?

"he was really hungover tonight......I mean drunk"

The fact you initially said 'hungover', is that considered true paraphasia (symptom of Aphasia) since you didn't realize the mistake the moment you said it? Or, is it not true paraphasia if you immediately notice right away 'after' you said it that you said the wrong thing, and quickly revise with the correct word.

3 Comments
2025/01/27
04:54 UTC

15

Weekly education, training, and professional development megathread

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to the r/Neuropsychology weekly education, training, and professional development megathread. The subreddit gets a large proportion of incoming content dedicated to questions related to the schooling and professional life of neuropsychologists. Most of these questions can be answered by browsing the subreddit function; however, we still get many posts with very specific and individualized questions (often related to coursework, graduate programs, lab research etc.).

Often these individualized questions are important...but usually only to the OP given how specific and individualized they are. Because of this, these types of posts are automatically removed as they don't further the overarching goal of the subreddit in promoting high-quality discussion and information related to the field of neuropsychology. The mod team has been brainstorming a way to balance these two dilemmas, this recurring megathread will be open every end for a limited time to ask any question related to education, or other aspects of professional development in the field of neuropsychology. In addition to that, we've compiled (and will continue to gather) a list of quick Q/A's from past posts and general resources below as well.

So here it is! General, specific, high quality, low quality - it doesn't matter! As long as it is, in some way, related to the training and professional life of neuropsychologists, it's fair game to ask - as long as it's contained to this megathread! And all you wonderful subscribers can fee free to answer these questions as they appear. The post will remain sticked for visibility and we encourage everyone to sort by new to find the latest questions and answers.

Also, here are some more common general questions and their answers that have crossed the sub over the years:

  1. “Neuropsychologists of reddit, what was the path you took to get your job, and what advice do you have for someone who is considering becoming a neuropsychologist?”
  2. ”Is anyone willing to describe a day in your life as a neuropsychologist/what personality is suited for this career?”
  3. "What's the path to becoming a neuropsychologist"
  4. "IAMA Neuropsychology Graduate in the EU, AMA"
  5. "List of Neuropsychology Programs in the USA"
  6. "Should I get a Masters Before I get my PhD?"
  7. Neuropsychology with a non-clinical doctorate?
  8. Education for a psychometrist
  9. Becoming a neuropsychologist in the EU
  10. Do I have to get into a program with a neuropsychology track?
  11. How do I become a pediatric neuropsychologist?
  12. "What type of research should I do before joining a PhD program in Neuropsychology?"
  13. "What are good technical skills for a career in neuropsychology?"
  14. "What undergraduate degree should I have to pursue neuropsychology?"
  15. FAQ's and General Information about Neuropsychology
  16. The Houston Conference Guidelines on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology

Stay classy r/Neuropsychology!

2 Comments
2025/01/25
16:00 UTC

18

I'm aspiring to become a neuropsychologist but people say that job opportunities are rare and icould end up without a job (I'm from sri lanka btw)

Neuropsychology is my back up since apparently my qualifications aren't enough to go to medical school but people keep detering me from going into that feild because the job opportunities are scarce which i did some research and most countries actually don't very much this aspect of psychology including the country I'm living in. Sri lanka, which isn't a problem because im planning to migrate and find jobs in The UK or Australia but my issue is after pursuing this career i might not find job opportunities hence become unemployed. I want to know what i can do and what options i have besides neuropsychology that is psychology based and has high demand for job opportunities and a relatively good income. Please help me on this. I'm so stuck.

27 Comments
2025/01/22
19:11 UTC

13

Following the Current Problems of Neuropsychology

I greet the society of reddit neuropsychology, I'm a long time reader and a first time poster here. I'm studying neuropsychology in a country that mostly doesn't really follow the latest literature and discussions. I would love to follow the recent discussions and be informed about the new possible directions of the discipline.

So is there an unbiased journal or social media to follow these type of meta-conversation about the area?

Thanks in advance :)

4 Comments
2025/01/21
12:31 UTC

14

Can feelings lead to thoughts or do thoughts lead to feelings?

I believe that feelings lead to thoughts for people who have sensitive predisposition.

17 Comments
2025/01/21
03:26 UTC

5

If we developed a connectome of the human brain, would we be able to theoretically manually prune a nueral pathway? What would happen if we did?

I know that recently there was a full connectome of a fruit fly that was developed, where they essentially mapped out every single neuron in its brain in addition to the millions of connections between them (50 mil I think?). I guess I’m wondering if we were able to do the same for the human brain, would we be able to determine which pathways are used for certain things and break the pathway? What might occur if that happens?

2 Comments
2025/01/21
03:25 UTC

25

Is there any emphasis on addiction in neuropsychology?

Is there any focus on the neurobiology/neurochemistry on addiction in neuropsychology? Or is it exclusively neurology stuff like dementia and TBI?

15 Comments
2025/01/20
19:18 UTC

7

Significant delay in test results

Hello! Please let me know if this is the incorrect forum for this question. I am an adult and had neuro psych testing in May 2024. It is now January 2025 and I still do not have results. When I call to ask, they say that the report is pending due to “administrative processes”. Is this normal? If not, is there any sort of medical board I can report this to?

18 Comments
2025/01/20
04:35 UTC

17

Etiology of Personality disorders

Med student here with a special interest in psychiatry.

Just finished my psych block of my second uear, and while we learned, at this point, how to diagnose and treat different personality disorders, we didn't go into the causal factors of them as much. We'll go over that more in the laters years of my schooling, but I really am curious now the timeline of the etiologies of some personality disorders. Mainly, which ones can have a later-in-life cause triggering them.

Obvious there is a big predisospitional factor, and the very early years in life play a heavy role, especially for cluster A, but, for instance, could a traumatic event in late adolescence trigger OCPD? Or are even any of them capabale of triggering in adulthood while being absent in childhood?

Thank you for you insight!

7 Comments
2025/01/19
21:22 UTC

2

Weekly education, training, and professional development megathread

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to the r/Neuropsychology weekly education, training, and professional development megathread. The subreddit gets a large proportion of incoming content dedicated to questions related to the schooling and professional life of neuropsychologists. Most of these questions can be answered by browsing the subreddit function; however, we still get many posts with very specific and individualized questions (often related to coursework, graduate programs, lab research etc.).

Often these individualized questions are important...but usually only to the OP given how specific and individualized they are. Because of this, these types of posts are automatically removed as they don't further the overarching goal of the subreddit in promoting high-quality discussion and information related to the field of neuropsychology. The mod team has been brainstorming a way to balance these two dilemmas, this recurring megathread will be open every end for a limited time to ask any question related to education, or other aspects of professional development in the field of neuropsychology. In addition to that, we've compiled (and will continue to gather) a list of quick Q/A's from past posts and general resources below as well.

So here it is! General, specific, high quality, low quality - it doesn't matter! As long as it is, in some way, related to the training and professional life of neuropsychologists, it's fair game to ask - as long as it's contained to this megathread! And all you wonderful subscribers can fee free to answer these questions as they appear. The post will remain sticked for visibility and we encourage everyone to sort by new to find the latest questions and answers.

Also, here are some more common general questions and their answers that have crossed the sub over the years:

  1. “Neuropsychologists of reddit, what was the path you took to get your job, and what advice do you have for someone who is considering becoming a neuropsychologist?”
  2. ”Is anyone willing to describe a day in your life as a neuropsychologist/what personality is suited for this career?”
  3. "What's the path to becoming a neuropsychologist"
  4. "IAMA Neuropsychology Graduate in the EU, AMA"
  5. "List of Neuropsychology Programs in the USA"
  6. "Should I get a Masters Before I get my PhD?"
  7. Neuropsychology with a non-clinical doctorate?
  8. Education for a psychometrist
  9. Becoming a neuropsychologist in the EU
  10. Do I have to get into a program with a neuropsychology track?
  11. How do I become a pediatric neuropsychologist?
  12. "What type of research should I do before joining a PhD program in Neuropsychology?"
  13. "What are good technical skills for a career in neuropsychology?"
  14. "What undergraduate degree should I have to pursue neuropsychology?"
  15. FAQ's and General Information about Neuropsychology
  16. The Houston Conference Guidelines on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology

Stay classy r/Neuropsychology!

1 Comment
2025/01/18
16:00 UTC

14

does it matter what school you go to?

honest question, if i only want to be a clinican how much does the psyd or phd program i attend really matter? is it like med school where as long as you are licensed you will be fine? i know in academia it matters but what about only in the clinical world. thank you!

9 Comments
2025/01/18
05:30 UTC

33

Psychometrists: Is this a dead-end career?

I'm working as a psychometrist in clinical research (I do neurocog and memory testing for alz/dementia studies). I genuinely enjoy my work but wish there was more opportunity for financial growth. Has anybody gone on to do other careers in the same vein with better career development opportunity? Any trainings/ certs I can pursue to earn more or do more in this field?

20 Comments
2025/01/17
15:27 UTC

19

Looking into studying Neuropsychology in college.

Im really interested in studying neuropsychology in college but i want to know what afterwards would be like. What career could i get afterwards? Is it good pay?

so many questions.

3 Comments
2025/01/16
20:46 UTC

0

Humans are feeling creatures who think, or thinking creatures who feel? (Is this a controversial question?)

A recent post here piqued my interest about the question from a neuropsychological standpoint. I'm currently much influenced by "Whole Brain Living" (Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor) which makes me confident that in at least two cases, the former is a more accurate description

Candidly, I'm just wondering how others with a professional interest in the pertinent literature might respond to the question, even if not their specialty.

Are human beings feeling creatures who think, or thinking creatures who feel?

12 Comments
2025/01/16
00:53 UTC

0

Theoretically, if taking sedatives during trauma creates PTSD, can one take them during great joy to create a "positive" PTSD?

In Emily Nagoski's book "Come As You Are," I came across a statement suggesting that a person injured in a car accident may be given sedative drugs, which prevent their body from naturally completing the full cycle of the stress response. Such interventions, even when motivated by good intentions, can have undesirable and dangerous consequences: victims often remain in a state of inhibition and may later develop PTSD.

Emily references the book "In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness" by Peter Levine.

I found Levine's book, but since it’s quite extensive, I haven’t located the exact claims related to this statement. There are some sections discussing PTSD and the use of diazepam, but I haven't found statistics or research references in this regard.

BUT this made me think about the following idea: if I understand this correctly, during trauma, the unprocessed negative experience somehow gets "trapped" in the psyche and resurfaces later as PTSD. If this is accurate, could the reverse happen? For instance, if someone took sedatives during moments of great joy or happiness, would those emotions also be "pushed" into the psyche? Could this lead to later experiencing sudden, unexplained happy moments in life, the opposite of PTSD? Perhaps something like Post-Happiness Suppression Disorder (PHSD).

My suggestions:

  1. It might work that way.

  2. It may not work that way, nothing will change in later life.

  3. It may work but as a usual PTSD, because extreme good feelings also create stress.

7 Comments
2025/01/15
12:57 UTC

19

What's some ways to learn how your brain function differs from others?

I feel like most things I've learned about different functions is from writing about adhd or autism but surely there must be lots of variation even among neurotypicals?

7 Comments
2025/01/14
15:04 UTC

19

Sometimes standardized test results make no sense to me.

I am a speech-language pathologist working in the school system. I would say testing is an area of strength for me (within my discipline). I use a variety of instruments and have learned to truly interpret the data rather than just spitting out standard scores.

At times, my school psychologist (who is excellent and I trust completely) gets wildly different results than me. On several occasions she has qualified a student for services for an Intellectual Disability while I have found their language to be within the average or low average range. I know my "gut feeling" isn't scientific, but sometimes ID kiddos don't "feel that low" to me.

I know a lot has changed since I went to grad school. I've reached out to peers and done independent research, but I still just don't understand - particularly when the FSIQ profile is flat with low language scores.

For a few cases, it has bothered me so much that I've gone back over all the data and quadruple checked to see if I made a scoring error or something like that. I guess I'm just hoping that someone can help me make sense of it it all or even just point me in the direction of some solid resources to help me learn.

5 Comments
2025/01/14
11:28 UTC

593

Mind blown - not everyone has an inner monologue?

A family member recently shared an article on this topic. We have been discussing it for two days now. Neither of us can wrap our head around this other way of thinking. Turns out my husband does not have a constant voice in his head like I do and he struggles to explain how he “thinks” without words. He doesn’t hear words in his head when he reads. Somehow he just absorbs the meaning. I struggle to comprehend. I have so many questions now. I want to know if his dyslexia is related to a lack of word-thinking. Is my adhd and auditory processing challenge related to the constant stream of language in my head? Did primitive people have this distinction or has the inner monologue developed as language developed? Are engineers, architects, artists more likely to think in abstract and/or images rather than words? And always in circle back to how lovely it must be to not have the constant noise in one’s head.

288 Comments
2025/01/14
05:54 UTC

72

What's the most amazing thing you've learned about the brain?

I had a cog sci class last term and one of the most mind blowing things I learned was that long term memory is theoretically limitless. That, due to the way we consolidate our memories, the sheer number of neurons, the way those neurons form networks of associations, and the way we generalize information into networks of associations, we could potentially store all known data in our brains. Of course, this doesn't mean that we'll always retrieve that information accurately, or that we won't generalize the new information to known information and therefore lose the particulars.

To me it's just such a hopeful thing. As I progress through life, the knowledge I gain is only increasing.

One thing I that bums me out though is apparently, while we can work on aspects of our cognitive faculties to make ourselves higher functioning and better learners, the g-factor is essentially not changeable. There is a hard-wired limit to how smart people can be, and probably some concepts that will always be out of my grasp.

34 Comments
2025/01/14
03:12 UTC

12

Does our brain store experiences or just their representations?

Ref : https://introtcs.org/public/lec_02_representation.html

From the linked article

Even our brain does not store the actual sensory inputs we experience, but rather only a representation of them.

I know that we can't show raw ideas to each other. We always choose a representation. Even when I am writing these lines I can't clearly show you what's in my head. I am choosing English alphabets as representation and the English grammar as rules.

Now my experiences are in my head. Being happy. Sad. Cheery. Hot. Cold.

But I can't really imagine the representation that it is stored in my head. There are images and feelings but should we way those are representations and my experinces come alive when I start accessing them?

1 Comment
2025/01/14
03:01 UTC

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