Ebook: Neurovascular Neuropsychology

Neurovascular Neuropsychology

Edited by Joanne R. Festa and Ronald M. Lazar

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York

Neurovascular Neuropsychology offers a firm foundation for an emerging neuropsychological subspecialty that focuses on how cognition and behavior are affected by focal and diffuse cerebrovascular disease and systemic conditions. When cognitive impairment is caused by disruptions in blood flow and oxygenation, the presence of inflammation and immune factors, or the co-existence of cardiovascular risk factors, behavior can provide subtle but definite indicators of disease progression or therapeutic progress. This forward-looking volume examines intricate, causal links between brain function, vascular disorders and hemodynamic integrity in adults for a more nuanced understanding of neurovascular cognitive syndromes, their etiology, treatment, and recovery.

Chapter authors present the latest findings on neurocognitive deficits that emerge in diseases and disorders throughout the neurovascular system:

• Vascular malformations, aneurysms, and subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
• Cardiac arrest, heart failure, surgery, and transplantation
• Carotid artery disease
• Diabetes and hypertension
• Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia
• Pulmonary disease
• Systemic vascular disease
• CADASIL and MELAS
• Mood disorders
• Plus comprehensive reviews and insightful analyses of current modes of assessment and treatment, including functional MRI, pharmacology, and rehabilitation strategies.

The body of knowledge presented in Neurovascular Neuropsychology will add a new dimension to decision-making in the clinical and research efforts of psychologists (both clinical and neuropsychologists), physicians (neurologists, neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, physiatrists), and rehabilitation specialists such as speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists.

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Neurovascular diseases and conditions, and their associated risk factors, represent a significant cause of cognitive disability in the United States and throughout the world. In the USA alone there are 750,000 new strokes each year, representing the number one cause of disability in the country. Hypertension, found in approximately 50 million Americans, has been shown to be associated with alterations of cognitive function, even in the absence of stroke and dementia. Recent studies of neurovascular disease have now revealed that neuropsychological function may be a more sensitive measure of brain integrity than coordination, motor or sensory function and correlates will with functional outcome measures. Neurovascular Neuropsychology focuses on focal and diffuse neurovascular disease in addition to systemic conditions in which cognition and behavior have been uniquely associated with different pathologic states. With an increasing number of patients being treated by healthcare professionals, Neurovascular Neuropsychology will prove to be a strong reference to consult in regards to neuropsychological syndromes.