What is Neuropsychology?
The UofL Physicians – Neuropsychology Clinic, a part of the UofL Health – Brain & Spine Institute with services at UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, offers comprehensive assessments of thinking skills for patients with a range of neurologic, medical, genetic and other disorders with known or suspected changes in mental functions. Our neuropsychologists use different measures to better understand how your brain works and to assist with making a diagnosis, recommendations and treatment planning for you and your medical providers.
What is a Neuropsychological Assessment?
Assessments involve a review of medical records, a clinical interview, and paper and/or computer testing of thinking, mood and behavior. Thinking skills assessed include intellectual functions, memory, attention, speed of thinking, executive functions, visuospatial, language and academic abilities. Mood, personality and behavior measures are also given. The evaluation is to capture thinking skill strengths and weaknesses and to better understand the degree of thinking skill changes due to your medical condition(s).
Why Would You Need a Neuropsychological Assessment?
Patients are generally referred when there is a question of changes in thinking skills, mood and/or behavior. Our assessment is used to help your medical provider make a diagnosis, assist with treatment planning and give recommendations to improve functioning and quality of life. We also can track a patient’s thinking skills over time to see if there have been changes and make updated recommendations as needed.
What Conditions do Neuropsychological Assessments Help to Diagnose?
Neuropsychologists don’t necessarily “diagnose” conditions, but their role is to provide more information to your medical provider to assist with diagnosis and managing the condition. Conditions often seen in the clinic include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Neurodegenerative diseases and dementia
- Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders
- Epilepsy and seizure disorders
- Brain tumors
- Stroke and cerebrovascular diseases
- Cancer
- Auto-immune diseases
- Toxic-metabolic syndromes
- Concussion, including sports-related injuries
- Pre- and post-surgical evaluations
Other Information About Neuropsychology Services
What Questions Can Your Neuropsychologist Help You Answer?
Some questions our neuropsychologists can help you answer are:
- Are the thinking skills changes due to normal age-related changes or an emerging neurodegenerative condition?
- Are the changes in thinking skill due to a neurological injury or disease or is it due to other modifiable factors like sleep, pain, medication and/or mood symptoms?
- Are cognitive changes due to emotional factors, disease or both?
- What impact will the thinking skill changes have on everyday functioning?
- How likely is it to return to work, school and/or driving?
- How well will I be able to function at home and in the community?
- Have my thinking skills gotten worse due to my progressive neurological condition?
What Should I Expect on the Day of the Appointment?
Depending on the question(s) you and your provider want answered, you may be initially scheduled for an hour-long interview to make sure you are a good candidate for the testing portion of the assessment. If you are scheduled to complete the testing, it will last anywhere from two to six hours. Some of our patients will be scheduled on the same day for both the interview and testing.
The testing portion of the evaluation will involve working one-on-one with a master’s level clinician completing verbal, written and/or computer tasks looking at your thinking skills and mood.
How do I Get the Results of the Assessment?
Patients and their families can expect to receive feedback on the results of the assessment, followed by recommendations aimed at assisting the patient and their families as they move forward with their plan of care with their referring provider.
How do I Get an Appointment?
If you are a patient: You must be referred by a medical provider, most often a neurologist, for a neuropsychological assessment.
If you are a medical provider: UofL Health providers can place orders in Epic; other providers can fax orders to 502-582-7646. You can contact our clinic at 502-582-7484 with any questions or to schedule an evaluation.
UofL Health – Brain & Spine Institute
