Glozman Janna M.

A brief biographical sketch about Evgenia Davydovna Chomsky (07.08.1929—06.03.2004)

The paper considers the history of development and different aspects of the new neuropsychological theory of social brain, its relations with Luria’s and Vygotsky’s understanding of humans as a social and biological unity. Different theoretical models of analyzed. Experimental studies of influence of brain damages on social cognition and social behavior are described. Social features of child early development are of primordial value for understanding of social brain. This understanding is closely related to the important theory of developmental psychology, proposed by P. Galperin, underlying a double interaction between morphological and functional development. It is proved by negative consequences of child social deprivation on his brain development as well as by evidences of cultural differences in neuropsychological assessment. New understanding of social brain is proposed to be social and cultural determination and regulation of brain functioning.

This article discusses the effectiveness of using art therapeutic methods for facilitation of creative activity of older people as a condition of constructive development during late adulthood. Taking into consideration advantages and features of art therapy in gerontopsyhological practice art therapy program was developed. We hypothesized that inherent in the program, gradual complication and enriching of art therapy sessions should lead to creativity and the progressive development of the individual participants of these studies. 80 respondents aged 57—80 years took part in the study. Analysis of the results showed that the use of art therapy techniques noted actualization of new positive personal sense of life and activity, the harmonization of psychophysical wellbeing, improve self-image, and create conditions for the actualization of life experience. 

The paper determines and analyzes the term subject oriented neuropsychology, its relations to the cultural-historical theory, its conformity to the main features of Luria’s work and its value for efficient development of neuropsychology. 

Proxymology is a new approach based on a multidimensional analyze of patients and caregivers surrounding. In Parkinson’s disease, human surrounding depends on duration of the disease, autonomy of patients, and sometime of associated cognitive disorders. Patients’ quality of life is altered with the disease progression as well as their caregivers’ quality of life. Specific needs of caregivers in Parkinson’s disease are discussed.

8th International congress of clinical psychologists.

The paper analyses theoretical and methodological principles of neuropsychological assessment of preschool children and the most used psychometric methods of preschooler evaluation. Russian battery for preschoolers’ neuropsychological assessment, qualitative analysis and scoring of results was adopted in Portugal. The Portuguese version of this battery follows Luria’s principle of interaction with the examined child with the aim to determine the zone of his proximal development.

In our study we compared structures of changes in quality of life in caregivers of patients with Parkinson’s disease at the early and advanced stages. The perception of patients by their relatives is revealed through a content analysis of their descriptions of patients. We found out 2 factors that influence the caregiver’s adaptation: 1) severity of patient’s motor and cognitive disturbances, and 2) caregiver’s psychological problems (bad mood, difficulties in family communication and interaction).

Complex interdisciplinary study of mechanisms of readiness for speech and move4 ments in stuttering used neuropsychological (A.R. Luria battery), biomechanical (a study of nonverbal movements such as the gait) and psychophysiological (brain localization of potential of readiness for speech) methods. Connection between defects of the sequential organization of speech, gait and performance in neuropsy4 chological tests on reciprocal coordination and dynamic praxis was revealed. Defects of readiness for speech are connected with pathological excitation of limbic system and pathological deactivation of brainstem, left frontal cortex, left basal nuclei and right temporal cortex, as well as with additional activation of the right frontal cortex. These data prove the systemic nature of speech defects in stuttering and the unity of brain mechanisms of verbal and motor readiness in human mental functioning.