The impact of

neurological damage The brain and neuropsychology

Learning Objectives:
•To be able to explain how thoughts and behaviour can be affected by damage to
your brain and pre-frontal cortex
•To be able to identify the signs and symptoms of visual agnosia and
prosopagnosia

Keyword:
Pre-frontal cortex: The area of the
brain’s cortex at the very front of the
frontal lobe, immediately behind the
forehead
 Starter:
a)Try and identify who and what the images below are.
b)How would you feel if this was how your vision was?
 SC1: I can identify two examples of how the brains ability to process information is affected by brain damage.

Activate
Neurological damage
Refers to any kind of damage to
the body’s central and peripheral
nervous system

Visual Agnosia

Prosopagnosia
 HPL- LET’S
CONNECT

• What might cause the nervous system to be damaged?

• Challenge :What do you think would happen if a part of

your brain was damaged? Explain your answer.

• Further Challenge: Can you think of a specific example of

a brain area that might be damaged and the effect that
damage to this area might have?
IMPACT OF NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE
• Damage to the brain may lead to an interruption of
messages that would normally be passed round the
nervous system = Effecting thinking and behaviour
• If a large part of the brain is damaged: neurons having
a specific function will not work
• Damage on a small scale: few neurons in a large
network are damaged and do not work properly
 Activate
Watch the video clips closely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze8VVtBgK7A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vQGPcYfIAo
7 mins 20sec

While watching:
Record the information of the two different types / conditions of neurological
damage and their symptoms.
 CONDITION VISUAL AGNOSIA PROSOPAGNOSIA
DEFINITION

SYMPTOMS

CHALLENGE: GIVE AN
EXAMPLE OF WHAT
SOMEONE WITH EACH
CONDITION WILL DO
 Agnosia: An inability to interpret
sensations and thus recognise things
They are conditions that effect how you see and identify objects ,
faces, voices or places as a result

Visual Agnosia Prosopagnosia

Inability to recognise things that Inability to recognise faces or
can be seen. face blindness
It can be caused by damage to the parietal lobe. It can be caused by damage to a part
of the brain near the back of the
temporal lobe, next to the occipital
lobe, known as the fusiform face
area (FFA).
 Symptoms

Visual agnosia Prosopagnosia

-Difficulty in identifying people from their
• May not be able to recognise faces
the colour of an object
-They may see all faces as the same
• May not be able to recognise
objects and name them -They may not recognise faces of people
they know really well
• May not be able to recognise
places they are familiar with -They may have trouble with matching up
pictures of faces that they do not know well
 SC2: I can explain the signs & symptoms of two disorders linked to brain damage.
Demonstrate
You are a neurologist working within a neurological trauma unit.
Your
Task! Two patients have just be referred to you and your team, with some
case notes.
Remember to concentrate
as hard as you can on this
task! You will be teaching Your task is to diagnose each patient and provide them with strategies
your findings to the rest of
your neurological team!
WITHOUT YOUR NOTES!
to help them once they have been diagnosed.

Task one: Firstly, you must identify which symptom matches with the correct
disorder – Highlight the symptoms with two different colours

Task two: Read through the patient files and diagnose each patient with the
correct disorder – Complete the diagnosis and evidence box for your given patient.
 SC2: I can explain the signs & symptoms of two disorders linked to brain damage.
Demonstrate
Debriefing with the
neurological team

Before discharging your patient you

must speak to your team and teach
them your findings.

You will do this with no notes in

front of you!

Can you recommend any other For people with agnosia, is the problem with
their senses actually taking in the
tests that would help to confirm information, or the with the brain processing
diagnosis? (perceiving) the information?
 SC3: I can apply my new knowledge of neurological disorders and suggest
Demonstrate strategies to aid individuals with everyday tasks.

You and your team of neurologists have now diagnosed your patients
Its time to discharge!

Task Three:
Complete the patient discharge advisory for the patient and their
loved ones.

As their specialist you are tasked to provide practical strategies to aid

your patient in their day to day life once discharged.
 AFL

Agnosia or Prosopagnosia?
Identify from these examples whether this individual
has agnosia or propagnosia

When
encountering a Could Walking past
person who identify an and
appears to know apple as a accidentally
them, asks
generic questions football, ignoring
(nothing globe, familiar
personal) until a basketball or people when
clue to identity is
given.) orange in public
 Consolidate
A’S Complete question 1 and B’s Question 2
1.Describe the symptoms of visual agnosia. (3 marks)
2. Describe the symptoms of prosopagnosia. (3 marks)

Describe the symptoms of visual agnosia. (3 marks) Describe the symptoms of prosopagnosia. (3 marks)
Definition and then 2 of the following? Definition and two points from following?
People might not be able to recognize the colour of an
People find it difficult to identify people from their
object
faces.
People might not be able to recognize objects and name
them
They tend to experience all faces as being the same

Patients might not be able to recognize places they are They may not be able to recognize the faces of
familiar with people they know really well
Consolidate ODD ONE OUT

D
A

C
B E
 EXTENDED READING - HOMEWORK

http://sajtichek.narod.ru/books/without_translation/wife_hat.pdf