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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS 375"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Neuropsychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2026
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Alfredo Spagna
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisites: PS 370 or Permission of the Instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the methods, findings, and clinical applications of neuropsychology. It explores how lesion-based approaches, complemented by neuroimaging, have shaped current theories of brain organization, and examine how disorders such as aphasia, amnesia, agnosia, and neglect illuminate normal cognition. Students will also gain familiarity with assessment practices and rehabilitation strategies and will consider how advances in technology are reshaping the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychological disorders.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the neuropsychological consequences of major neurological disorders, emphasizing how these conditions illuminate the structure and function of the healthy brain. Students will explore a wide range of disorders (e.g., aphasia, neglect, amnesia) and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Each topic will be examined through its clinical presentation, underlying neuropathology, and cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Through lectures, case studies, and current research, students will learn how neurological disorders serve as natural experiments for understanding brain systems involved in memory, language, motor control, and executive function.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Explain the major assumptions and theoretical frameworks underlying the study of brain–behavior relationships.
- Differentiate among major neuropsychological disorders and describe their clinical presentation across early and late stages of disease progression.
- Critically evaluate current assessment practices in clinical neuropsychology, identifying strengths, limitations, and potential biases in diagnostic processes.
- Propose innovative diagnostic and rehabilitation approaches that integrate emerging technologies and research findings.
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TEXTBOOK:
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Offline Learning | Each week, a series of video lectures related to the weekly topic will be posted on Moodle. Students are expected to watch the videos on their own and complete quizzes prior to the first class of each week. Students can take quizzes as many times as they need and will only be graded on the final score. | 10 |
| Active Learning | One of the goals of this course is to facilitate student engagement through experiential learning. Active engagement will be promoted by:
• In-Class Experiment: students will review neuropsychological cases and will work in groups to collect and analyze data, discuss results, and relate them to the scientific literature.
• Participation: We will hear from guest speakers online, who will share their research and professional experiences, providing students with the opportunity to learn directly from experts in the field of neuropsychology.
| 20 |
| Midterm & Final Exam | Exams will be a mix of multiple choice, fill-in, and short-answer questions. The majority of each test will focus on material covered in the lectures, and the corresponding sections in the textbook. | 40 |
| Writing Assignment | Students will analyze gaps/limitations in current assessment or rehabilitation practice for a specific disorder and propose a new approach, critically evaluating the feasibility, benefits, and potential ethical concerns. | 30 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the methods, findings, and clinical applications of neuropsychology. It explores how lesion-based approaches, complemented by neuroimaging, have shaped current theories of brain organization, and examine how disorders such as aphasia, amnesia, agnosia, and neglect illuminate normal cognition. Students will also gain familiarity with assessment practices and rehabilitation strategies and will consider how advances in technology are reshaping the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychological disorders.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Week
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Date
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Topic
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Chapter
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Required Journal Readings
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Notes
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1
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Mon Jan 19
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Introduction to Course and Content
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Wed Jan 21
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Assumptions of Neuropsychology
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1
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The assumptions on which Neuropsychology stands — Coltheart (2017)
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2
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Mon Jan 26
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Nervous System Organization & Methods
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3
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Wed Jan 28
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3
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Mon Feb 2
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Principles of Cortical Function
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10
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Lesion studies in Contemporary Neuroscience — Vaidya et al. (2020)
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Wed Feb 4
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3
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Fri Feb 6
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Methods in Neuropsychology
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28
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Can cognitive processes be inferred from neuroimaging data? — Poldrack (2006)
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Make-up class for April 6
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4
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Mon Feb 9
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Visual Agnosia, Cortical Blindness, and Aphantasia
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13
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The Architect Who Lost the Ability to Imagine — Thorudottir et al. (2020)
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Wed Feb 11
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5
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Mon Feb 16
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Motor Disorders and Apraxia
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9
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Non-invasive Human Brain Stimulation in Cognitive Neuroscience — Parkin et al. (2015)
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Wed Feb 18
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6
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Mon Feb 23
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Language Disorders and Aphasia
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19
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Left-handed musicians show a higher probability of atypical cerebral dominance for language — Villar-Rodríguez et al. (2020)
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Wed Feb 25
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7
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Mon Mar 2
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Review for Midterm (Covers Weeks 1–6)
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Wed Mar 4
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Midterm 1, 3, 10, 28, 13, 9, 19
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8
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Mar 9–13
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Spring Break – No Classes
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9
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Mon Mar 16
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Attention and Hemispatial Neglect
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22
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Quantitative assessment of motor neglect — Toba et al. (2021)
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Experiment 2
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Wed Mar 18
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10
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Mon Mar 23
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Amnesia and Memory Syndromes
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18
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Human Lesion Studies in the 21st Century — Adolphs et al. (2020)
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Wed Mar 25
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11
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Mon Mar 30
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Disorders of Consciousness and Disconnection Syndromes
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17 & 22
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Perspectives given by structural connectivity — Takemura & Thiebaut de Schotten (2020)
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Experiment 3
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Wed Apr 1
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12
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Mon Apr 6
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Holiday – No Class
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see Feb 6
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Wed Apr 8
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Neuropsychological Assessment
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28
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Neuropsychological assessment: The not-so-basic basics — Jones et al. (2020)
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Experiment 4
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13
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Mon Apr 13
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Neuropsychological Rehabilitation
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25
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Neuropsychological Tests of the Future — Bilder (2019)
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Wed Apr 15
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Plasticity and Recovery
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25
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14
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Mon Apr 20
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Neurological and Psychiatric Syndromes
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26 & 27
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Let thy left brain know what thy right brain doeth — Bartolomeo & de Schotten (2016)
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Wed Apr 22
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15
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Mon Apr 27
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Review for Final Exam
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May 4–8
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Final Exam (Date/time TBD)
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