Question 1
Please watch this video of a patient with frontotemporal dementia:
(until 2 minutes)
a. What are your observations in terms of his cognitive abilities?
b. What are your observations in terms of his behaviour? (think of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as euphoric behaviour)
c. What other cognitive problems might this patient experience based on his diagnosis? (name two cognitive problems; only the first two will be scored)
Answer restrictions: max 200 words
Question 2
A researcher in the domain of neuropsychology wants to test a part of the attentional model of Posner and Petersen (1990) regarding functional attention networks. She sets up a scientific research project in which she examines:
1. the ability to actively detect selective information; and
2. the ability to orientate (especially to disengage attention),
in adult persons with either damage in the supplementary motor cortex (n=30) or with damage in the posterior parietal cortex (n=30).
Please answer the following questions:
a. In her study, the researcher wants to examine whether “the ability to actively detect selective information” and “the ability to orientate” are more or less independent functions. In the field of clinical neuropsychology, what is the method she used to find out whether these functions are independent called?
b. The researcher considers including/adding a control group. Do you recommend her to include a control group or not? Please explain your answer.
c. What results should the researcher find to support the idea that “the ability to actively detect selective information“ and “the ability to orientate (especially disengage attention)” are more or less independent functions in the context of the attentional model of Posner and Petersen?
d. Name one limitation in the study design the researcher encounters/could encounter in this study, and explain how it could affect the interpretation of the findings. (only the first limitation will be scored)
Answer restrictions: max 300 words
Question 3
What is the name of each of the following disorders?
a. Difficulty in recognizing a face for what it is, even in distinguishing a face from another object.
b. Impairment in the ability to reach for and grasp visual objects in the peripheral visual field (without any primary visual, motor or proprioceptive impairments).
c. Selective impairment of the ability to produce speech sounds.
d. Impairment in writing pseudowords, because phoneme-to-grapheme conversion no longer works.
Answer restrictions: note only one disorder per (sub)question
Question 4
Mr. D. is 70 years old and he experiences progressive attentional and executive problems. These cognitive problems appeared gradually and fluctuate over time and started two years ago. They have been confirmed in a neuropsychological assessment. In addition, Mr. D. recurrently experiences seeing things that aren’t there (e.g. seeing animals in his room), which clearly upsets him. Since a year, he finds it more and more difficult to stand up and walk and experiences tightness and soreness of his muscles. He moves slowly. During a neurological examination he isn’t able to start walking immediately after being asked to and shows the cogwheel phenomenon.
a. Based on his symptoms what would be the most likely diagnosis for Mr. D.?
b. What are your arguments for suspecting the diagnosis you listed in response to question (a)?
c. What neuropsychological test would you administer to confirm the presence of an executive problem (name one test)? Explain why this is a test of executive functioning.
Answer restrictions: max 300 words
Question 5
(CHECK ATTACHMENT)
Figure question 5. A schematic simplistic view of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit.
a. Pharmacological treatment in Parkinsonism mainly consists of levodopa and/or dopamine receptor agonist therapy. Based on the structures/pathways shown in the figure above, explain in your own words how levodopa therapy influences hypokinesia in Parkinsonism. Your answers must include the terms “dopamine”, “striatum”, “indirect path”, “direct path”, “thalamus”, and “supplementary motor area”.
b. Why is it important for a clinical neuropsychologist involved in the treatment of a patient with Parkinsonism to know whether this patient uses anti-Parkinsonian drugs?
Answer restrictions: max 300 words
Question 6
You are interested in examining the effectiveness of a computerized attention training programme in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury suffering from attentional deficits. The programme focuses on training sustained attention.
Come up with a set-up for a scientific study and specify:
a. The type of trial, the timing of measurements and which participants you plan to include.
b. Your exact research question.
c. The names of two types of instruments (tests, questionnaires, imaging techniques) you will be using to measure sustained attention. Please clarify how each of these instruments measures sustained attention.
d. The outcome variables corresponding to the two instruments you described in (c). Please indicate whether higher scores indicate better or worse performance.
Answer restrictions: max 300 words
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