האבחון הנוירופסיכולוגי בראי עולם המשפט

Brain injury may cause significant impairment in cognitive and emotional functioning. These, in turn, influence behavior and daily functioning. Identifying the extent of the injury and its functional consequences (e.g., in vocational, familial, or social domains) is a key factor in determining the outcome of legal proceedings, such as the right for compensation and its extent in a civil trial. Clinical neuropsychology is a sub-field of psychology. It explores the way brain function is related to daily functioning, as well as the application of this knowledge for the treatment and assessment of brain-injured individuals. The neuropsychological assessment process developed from earlier psychological testing traditions and is based on advances in neuroscience and experimental psychology. The result is an objective, reliable, and comprehensive assessment process that enriches the information obtained from standard clinical and medical evaluations (e.g., brain imaging). Thereby, the assessment offers a unique contribution to the improvement of decision-making processes of legal proceedings. Despite these benefits, familiarity with neuropsychological assessments and their de facto application in the Israeli legal system is far behind that of other western countries. The purpose of the current review is, therefore, to provide a historical account of the evolution of neuropsychological assessment, to describe the procedure and its components, and to clarify its utility in legal contexts. The review will present its unique benefits to the legal field, including an appraisal of current functioning, the identification of changes in comparison to past functioning, and ability to detect non-credible performance (including malingering). Finally, practical suggestions to legal professionals will be presented in order to maximize the usefulness of neuropsychological assessments. Thereby, we aim to increase the familiarity of professionals in Israel with the neuropsychological assessment process and promote its integration in judicial proceedings.