Neuropsychology is the science and practice of evaluating and understanding brain–behavior relationships and providing recommendations for intervention that can be implemented in the daily lives of persons when brain dysfunction compromises functioning at home or school, on the job, or in the community at large. The associated target behaviors and skills can range from specific cognitive abilities to emotional and psychosocial functioning. This specialty has advanced significantly over the past several years, but recent well-respected published works about common neuropsychological disorders have tended to focus primarily or exclusively on either children or adults, or have provided separate discussions of conditions that are traditionally seen more commonly at either end of the age spectrum (e.g. Morgan and Ricker [1], Snyder et al. [2]). Similarly, there is a dearth of comprehensive discussions in the available literature to date of various neuropsychological syndromes in their different manifestations across the lifespan, and the longitudinal development and longer-term outcomes of such conditions. This has contributed to a sometimes unwarranted bifurcation within the field, where developmental course has been left out of the diagnostic and treatment equation. In response, the primary goal of this volume is to provide an integrated review of neuropsychological function and dysfunction from early childhood through adulthood and, where possible, old age, to support the understanding and consideration of the role development plays in the presentation and outcome of neuropsychological disorders across the lifespan.

The four exciting chapters in this section show clearly that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common across the lifespan, and that a number of general principles apply. For example, regardless of age of onset, uncomplicated mild TBI is typically associated with only transient sequelae but as injury severity increases, there are more significant and persistent morbidities in the survivors. In addition, behavioral and psychosocial sequelae tend to be relatively most concerning in the long run, even when cognitive impairments are not trivial. These chapters also illustrate that variation in age of onset of TBI is associated with important differences in pathophysiology as well as predictors of outcome. Those at the extremes of the age spectrum appear to be relatively most vulnerable to the effects of TBI, whereas the specific detrimental impact of prefrontal involvement has been established much more clearly in adult than in pediatric samples. Different age levels are also associated with distinct necessities to consider comorbid complicating factors, ranging from learning disability in children, to alcohol abuse in young adults, to hypertension and diabetes mellitus in the elderly.

It is evident from the preceding four chapters that a long-term developmental perspective is needed when considering the impact of TBI. When severe TBI affects children, some sequelae may not become fully manifest until many years post-injury, and there also is concern about the possible acceleration of onset of degenerative diseases in older adults who sustained severe TBI decades earlier.

Biography for Jacobus Donders

Jacobus Donders obtained his PhD from the University of Windsor in 1988. He completed his internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, and his residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He is currently the Chief Psychologist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Donders is board-certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in both Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology. He has served on multiple editorial and professional executive boards, has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has co-edited two books about neuropsychological intervention. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and of Divisions 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) and 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His main research interests include construct and criterion validity of neuropsychological test instruments and prediction of outcome in congenital disorders and acquired brain injury.

Biography for Scott J. Hunter

Scott J. Hunter is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Pediatrics in the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, where he serves as the Director of Pediatric Neuropsychology and Coordinator for Child Psychology training. Dr. Hunter obtained his PhD in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1996. He completed his internship at Northwestern University School of Medicine's Stone Institute of Psychiatry, and residencies in Pediatric Neuropsychology and Developmental Disabilities in the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Rochester. He serves as an ad-hoc editor for a number of peer-reviewed publications, and has authored or co-authored multiple peer-reviewed articles, presentations, and book chapters.