The Enigma of Frontal Lobe Damage Tannahill Glen, PsyD, ABPP This story is an emotional but important example of how brain injury can result in invisible damage: the kinds of problems that result are not apparent to casual observation, but nonetheless cause significant disability in daily life. Officer Peter Laboy has made a remarkable physical recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. To most people, he looks and sounds like he has recovered. However, instead of paralysis or disfiguring scars, he exhibits problems with cognitive functioning (i.e., thinking skills) that are not as noticeable to most people, including difficulties with initiation, organization, and planning. These difficulties have rendered him incapable of supervising his children, holding a job, or even pursuing a hobby. Problems with initiation, organization, and planning may seem to reflect an individual’s “personality style,” and thus may appear to be done on purpose, when in fact the impaired behavioral functioning stems directly from injury to the frontal lobes of the brain. People with such injuries may have satisfactory memory (and thus may be able to recite their bank account number, detail what needs to be fixed at home, and remember recent and past events with no difficulty), but they may need significant help with more complex cognitive tasks such as planning, strategizing, and decision making. A neuropsychological evaluation is designed to identify and measure deficits in behavior, executive functions (e.g., planning, problem solving, flexible thinking, abstract reasoning, multitasking, and initiation), and emotional processing, even in cases in which other thinking skills are relatively spared. Neuropsychologists assess behavior, mood, and thinking in the context of brain structure and function. They identify and document changes associated with brain injury or changes in brain function, make tailored recommendations for interventions designed to increase independence, and help the family respond successfully to challenges in caring for and living with an individual with a brain injury or change in brain function. washingtonpost/local/crime/a-miraculous-and-arduous-recovery-for-alexandria-police-officer-shot-in-head/2014/05/31/601e791a-d173-11e3-9e25-188ebe1fa93b_story.html
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 17:16:12 +0000
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