Neuropsychology in rehabilitation: its role in evaluation and intervention

Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying cerebral function, breakdown, and recovery can provide a rational basis for designing rehabilitation programs for brain-injured patients. Specialists in clinical neuropsychology, those who assess the cognitive and behavioral effects of brain damage, thus have useful diagnostic and therapeutic expertise to offer rehabilitation units. Concepts pertaining to functional recovery after brain damage, for example, reorganization, substitution, compensation, and amelioration, are discussed. Several reports are reviewed that illustrate the increasingly widespread application of a neurophysiologic perspective to the analysis and remediation of deficits in memory, expressive language, perception, and reading. Intervention strategies encompassing the use of visual imagery, patient self-instruction, reeducation and drill, and computer-based techniques are described. The role of the neurophysiologist in assessment, treatment planning, retraining, and discharge planning is outlined.