I've got one:
If a person has a stroke, can psychology help when the brain ignores whole portions of reality?
As in the person not only can't see the left side of a page, but they aren't aware that there is a left side to the page at all. And when they describe the street they live on, can only recall the buildings that are on the right side of the street. So it's not a VISUAL issue, as the recollection is from memory and imagination.
Can psychology, address this problem? If not, what are the limits to what brain issues psychology can address?
English
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I believe the disorder you are referring to is called [i]unilateral neglect[/i]. It occurs as a result of damage to the parietal cortex, usually a stroke, and causes the patient to virtually ignore stimuli on the opposite side. For example, patients with right-hemisphere parietal damage may fail to wash the left side of their body, comb the hair on the left side of their face, or respond to stimuli that originate on the left side of the body. I doubt that psychology will be able to fix this disorder as it results from actual trauma to the brain. Perhaps one day stem cells can repair the damaged tissue/neural connections, but for now there is no cure.
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[quote]I believe the disorder you are referring to is called [i]unilateral neglect[/i]. It occurs as a result of damage to the parietal cortex, usually a stroke, and causes the patient to virtually ignore stimuli on the opposite side. For example, patients with right-hemisphere parietal damage may fail to wash the left side of their body, comb the hair on the left side of their face, or respond to stimuli that originate on the left side of the body. I doubt that psychology will be able to fix this disorder as it results from actual trauma to the brain. Perhaps one day stem cells can repair the damaged tissue/neural connections, but for now there is no cure.[/quote] Thanks!
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Any reason you asked that out of curiosity?
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Sorry bud, I'm just now seeing this. I asked because I've got a co-worker who's had a stroke a few years back and she's still got some problems. I can't ask her directly what's wrong because it's private info and my employer (uncle sugar) frowns on asking coworkers about their medical issues. Also, she's never mentioned it directly and we all pretty much pretend like she's not handicapped. I notice that she bumps into things on her right side. Like shelves and chairs. She uses a cane and does a short sweeping motion with it to clear her path. She uses the counters and walls, too from time to time either as a guide or for support. But mainly she does this awkward thing where she turns her whole body to see things on her right side. I thought she was maybe going blind, but it's almost a complete 180 to see things on her right. It's not just an issue of turning her head so she can see with her good eye. That all said...she has no problem holding a talk on Gaelic Ancestry in the middle ages and such. She can even see people in the back, right hand sides of a conference room. They raise a hand, she points to and looks directly at em. To me, that seems psychological because if she can do that, why can't she see stuff on a shelf right next to her without turning? Why can she see people in the back row, but can't see chairs and tables in her path? It's just odd to me and I didn't know anything about it and I can't ask her directly. Not knowing, makes it hard to sympathize...especially since she's a bitch. Her husband left her, and all dudes are scum. I'm a librarian and I'll tell someone in a heartbeat to shush but she happily calls security and has had at least 10 people this year alone, removed. She often listens for a chance to "clarify" anything suggestion I give to a researcher. I just remembered she signed a petition to turn the men's room on the 1st floor into a nursing room so that women can pump milk...she was like "oh the men can walk to the side or go outside if they have to do their business." And now, I've gotta go upstairs to use the bathroom. Great, now I need to go wait for an elevator so I can pee.
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She sounds like someone who is angry at the world. But she is probably hurting on the inside.