1st Edition
The Neuroscience of Everyday Life An Applied Guide for Health Sciences Students
By weaving vignettes and case studies throughout, this fascinating and original textbook provides an accessible primer not only on the key principles of neuroscience but, crucially, how they may manifest in the everyday lives of people with neurological conditions.
Each chapter begins with the story of a person or family, including a description of what they want to do in their everyday life, before presenting the neuroscientific principles that underlie this person’s situation. Rather than a technical book about neuroanatomy, physiology, or pathology, the spotlight is on understanding the way that neurological differences impact a person’s life. Through focusing on a particular condition, each chapter highlights a different aspect of the nervous system, and what happens when things change. A wide range of topics are covered, from conditions such as Parkinson’s, dementia, MS, and autism, to conditions resulting from traumatic events such as spinal cord injuries, stroke, and chronic pain. The goal of the book is to trace a thread from neuroscience to how the nervous system affects active participation in daily activities. This approach gives students and professionals a thorough and informed grounding to support problem-solving in practice, improving evidence-based assessment, interventions, and outcomes.
Following current evidence-based teaching practices, this text emphasizes engaged teaching/learning methods throughout each chapter to encourage students’ own active discovery. This ground-breaking text will be essential reading for any health science students as well as professionals in practice.
Introduction
UNIT I Sensorimotor systems
1 Alex wants to put on make‑up and has Bell’s palsy: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of self‑care routines
Andrea L. Garcia and Jacqueline Daniel
2 Omar wants to cook meals for his children and has myasthenia gravis: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of self‑care routines
Lauren Winterbottom and Dawn M. Nilsen
3 Danea wants to complete personal hygiene to go out with friends and has a spinal cord injury: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of personal hygiene
Alison Bell and M. J. Mulcahey
4 Thomas wants to stay connected using a computer and has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of computer use
Meghan Doherty and Sarah Schuman
5 Erna wants to clean her home and has cerebral palsy: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of home maintenance
Lorie Gage Richards and Mozhgan Valipour
6 Stella wants to garden and has Friedreich’s ataxia: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of participation in hobbies
Katherine Dimitropoulou
7 Torrance wants to be successful in their new job and is autistic: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of workplace modifications
Olivia Surgent, Lauren Little, Anne V. Kirby, and Anna Wallisch
8 Branden wants to run errands and is blind: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of running errands
Sondra Stegenga
9 Chloe wants to be successful entering college and has Ménière’s disease: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of attending college
Gaye W. Cronin
10 Lydia wants to volunteer and has fibromyalgia: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of volunteering
Rose McAndrew and Sarah Doerrer
UNIT II Social emotional systems
11 Kareem wants to be in a club and has autism: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of making friends
Winnie Dunn
12 Ian wants to manage his money and has schizophrenia: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of money management
Antoine Bailliard, Ben Lee, and Valerie Fox
13 Alyssa wants to go out with friends and has anxiety: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of going out with friends
Batya Engel‑Yeger
14 Abraham wants to fish and has depression: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of learning a new activity
Alexandra L. Terrill
15 Sonya wants to care for her children and has bipolar disorder: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of caring for children
Katelyn Mwangi
16 Preston wants to reconnect with his children and is in recovery from addiction: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of family dynamics
Sally Wasmuth
UNIT III Cognitive systems
17 Peter wants to build a playhouse for his siblings and has ADHD: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of task completion
Timothy Dionne
18 Marcus wants to interact with friends via social media and has developmental language disorder: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of social media use
Caroline Larson
19 Paul wants to participate in his routine at home and has Alzheimer’s disease: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of place and routines
Melanie Morriss Tkach
20 Louise wants to organize her schedule and routines and has breast cancer: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of life organization
Bridget Kraus and Timothy J. Wolf
UNIT IV Integrated systems
21 Xavier wants to complete his personal hygiene by himself and has had a stroke: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of daily routines
Anna Boone and Bridget Kraus
22 Natalie wants to drive her car and has a traumatic brain injury: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of driving a car
Jessica L. Petersen, Stephanie N. Ritter, Calli M. Palmquist, and Thomas F. Bergquist
23 Antoine wants to play with his grandchildren and has Parkinson’s disease: neuroscience facilitates our understanding of playing with grandchildren
Whitney Henderson
Appendix: table template for analysis of participation features with nervous system functions
Biography
Winnie Dunn, Distinguished Professor, Occupational Therapy, University of Missouri, USA.
Timothy J. Wolf, Associate Dean for Research, Chair Occupational Therapy University of Missouri, USA.
Lorie Gage Richards, Associate Professor, Chair, Occupational Therapy, University of Utah, USA.
Dawn M. Nilsen, Professor and Director, Programs in Occupational Therapy, Columbia University, USA.
