Daño cerebral y leyaplicación de la neuropsicología a cuestiones judiciales

Abstract

The high rate of traffic and work related accidents and sports related injuries, has resulted in an increase in the number of people with brain injury having to face different legal issues and this has in turn led to the origin of a new specialized discipline to deal with these issues: Forensic Neuropsychology. Recent developments in the study of brain-behavior relationships, the validation of neuropsychological tests and clinical neuropsychology allow for reliable estimates of the nature of the brain damage, its varied sequelae and their seriousness. This renders the neuropsychologist a competent professional who can prepare forensic reports and appear as an expert witness in court.Brain damage leads a series of cognitive, emotional and behavioural changes which have a definite impact on the person’s work, family, social and personal environments. In these cases, the neuropsychologist can provide relevant information pertaining to important medical legal issues such as work disability, impunity for criminal behavior, civil responsibility and competence, malingering, estimates of premorbid functioning, etc.