The time perspective of neuropsychological diagnostics: the path to the future through the difficult today

Abstract

The author discusses a wide range of questions related to the current state and prospects of development of neuropsychological diagnostics. Neuropsychological diagnosis is necessery in different areas of health and education; it has great potential in the implementation of the factorial analysis of syndromes’ disorders of mental functions, in the definition of localization and lateralization of brain lesions. However, neuropsychological diagnostics today is facing a number of serious problems both methodical and methodological. These problems relate to the quality and accessibility for professionals classical stimulus materials and their modern versions, which can be used in diagnostic procedures as well as the lack of sufficient controlling indicators. Particular attention is given to the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages connected with the lack of a clear regulation of the procedural aspects of neuropsychological diagnostics, as well as the need to correlate the information obtained in the application of traditional qualitative methods and modern screening methods of assessing mental functions. The article provides a detailed analysis of all these problems.