Читать книгу A History of Neuropsychology - Группа авторов - Страница 7

Focused attention and research on higher cortical functions have led to the launch of a new medical “specialty” called either neuropsychology or cognitive/behavioral neurology. These different terms correspond to different interpretations of its contents, emphasizing either testing versus management or processes of cognition versus observable behaviors. Such trends reflected the historical evolution that occurred mainly from the end of the 19th century till the beginning of the 21st century. The history of neuropsychology indeed is based on other historical developments in brain science and clinical neurology, while at the same time it became a separate field of research with its own experts. Nowadays, neuropsychology is largely a specialized field in psychology, rather than a medical discipline, and its use by neurologists has become critically important either in clinical practice or in research.

This book attempts to cover the most important historical development in the field of neuropsychology over a little more than a century, in order to show how the present concepts used in practice originated and were established. There have been strong cultural influences, and for that same reason, the editorship and authorship of the book span across all developmental initiatives in Europe, America, and Asia – the countries where most research work has been carried out so far. We are grateful to all contributors who permitted us to present this essay on history of neuropsychology. Although we did not aim at providing exhaustive information on the subject, we are confident that most of the main concepts have been addressed, leading to a better understanding of the development of higher brain function studies in general.

Julien Bogousslavsky,Montreux, Switzerland

François Boller,Washington, DC, USA

Makoto Iwata, Tokyo, Japan