Despite my resolve to continue updating my blog weekly, things seem to have gotten away from me a little, as it's almost a month since I last posted! To be honest, there's not a huge amount to report since my last update - it's been constant revision for around a month now. As I mentioned in my last post, I hate revising. Really. It's so boring, and there's not much to it beyond trying to memorise names and dates by heart, condensing endless notes so that single words are triggers for whole paragraphs, and generally twisting all the things you know to make them fit the questions you're asked. As mind-numbingly boring as it sounds (and is), it does seem to pay off in the end. Well, I hope I still think this on results day.
This week, I had my first two exams. I think they went well enough, but you never really know until you get the results. In any case, I'm certain to get a first class degree (well, unless I get zeros in all my assignments - unlikely, but I don't want to tempt fate!), so the rest of the marks are purely for my own pride. This exam period has been very different from those of the last six/seven years (or however long it's been since I started 'formal' education again after my years of home education), but it's been nice not worrying as much.
So, I'm halfway through this year's exams. Last week, I handed in my dissertation too - that was a good moment! Thankfully, it didn't end up 170 pages long (a few words with my supervisor and the module convenor led me to drop some irrelevant tables and figures), but I think 65+ pages was more than enough. Next week, I have my second clinical psychology exam, and the following week I have my last exam. It's a weird feeling being so close to the end, and I'm sure I'll feel a bit shell-shocked on the 28th.
Aside from my exams, revision and coursework, I've been reconnecting with what got me interested in psychology and neuroscience in the first place. I had the chance to work with some neglect patients last week - I still find it crazy that a couple of years ago I was fascinated reading about hemispatial neglect, and now I've not only worked with patients, but also published an article about the condition (incidentally, I received a text from my supervisor today, telling me that my fellow students have been citing my article in their essays! And there I was, thinking it would only be me citing the article). Working with the patients reminded me how I got into psychology: reading the books of Oliver Sacks. This prompted me to start spending my birthday money (oh yeah, I'm 22 now. I'm not sure I like this age. I might regress to 21 and just stay there forever...), and I've bought two 'popular' neuroscience books.
One of the books I'm still waiting to be delivered from the US, but it looks fascinating. It's about cases of patients who have suffered trauma to the brain in some way, shape or form, and it has the most fantastic title I've read in ages: The Case of the Dueling Neurosurgeons. I came across the book after reading an article about Phineas Gage (considered to be one of the most famous patients in neuroscience, a railway worker who survived a metal pole through the frontal lobes), and I'm really looking forward to reading it when my exams are done!
The second book I bought, I'm already completely hooked on. It's called 'Phantoms in the Brain' by a famous neurologist called V. S. Ramachandran. Ramachandran's work has largely focused on phantom limb syndrome (a condition arising following amputation of a limb, where patients feel as if their limb is still there), and in the book he talks about how cases such as these (and other cases of patients with unusual symptoms following brain injury) can influence how we consider the functioning of the brain. I'm only four chapters in so far (although I only started reading it today), but I already love the book. Ramachandran has a great writing style, and always considers the meaning of the condition for both those (like me) who want to find out how the brain works, and the personal meaning for the patients. In particular, I like how Ramachandran speaks about the use of case studies in neuroscience. There's a tendency for many scientists (and indeed, members of the public) to want big studies, with many patients and lots of data. The aim of this is to find evidence for big, unified theories of the brain. As a result, small case studies of unusual disorders are largely considered as little more than curiosities. However, Ramachandran argues that neuroscience is still largely in its infancy, and in fact we can learn more from one or two unusual patients that we can from hundreds of studies on control participants. I think a good balance should be struck between the two forms of data - and this is something I would be very keen to base myself on if (when) I become a researcher myself. Above all else, case studies serve an important purpose in my opinion: reminding us that we're studying patients, not disorders, people not just brains.
In line with this last point, I feel the need to point out that this week is Headway's Action for Brain Injury week. I feel that many other health campaigns get lots of attention (think of the no make-up selfies for cancer awareness), however brain injury is largely ignored. Indeed, often the first people learn of the consequences of brain injury is when they or a relative suffer damage. As I've stated many times, we are in serious need of finding new ways to support people with brain injury. We also need to consider that patients with unusual cognitive conditions aren't just curiosities - Phineas Gage isn't just a case in a book, he was also a person. I know my blog is really for a select audience, however if you read this then I'd urge you to share the following link to Headway. While I want to dedicate my whole career to helping people with brain injuries, this isn't the only way people can help. Raising awareness of brain injury is likely to help, even just a little. Hopefully, with growing awareness, we can move closer to finding more about the brain and to do more for those affected by an injury.
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