ntroduction
The field of neurogenics is changing and consequently the field of speech-language pathology is changing. The idea that changes in neurology will impact the practice of clinical speech-language pathology requires understanding two ideas. The first is that the nature of our knowledge base about the nervous system is becoming better-defined on an increasingly more detailed level. The second is that instruments necessary for diagnosis and treatment of neurogenic disorders have changed as a consequence of our improved knowledge of how the central nervous system works.
Speech pathology is changing (Brookheimer, 2004; Fisher, Lai, & Monaco, 2003). These changes will impact the practice and delivery of health-care services. The nature of these potential changes within the field of speech-language pathology rests on two major advances. The first is the increasingly detailed, though minute, elucidation of the central nervous system (CNS), neurophysiology, and the mechanical nature of learning and memory (Barlow and Farly, 1989; Kennedy and Kuhen, 1987). The second is on our ability to non-invasively examine and probe CNS operation with imaging techniques that allow for increased precision in identifying the relationship of brain parts to behavior, both in normal and abnormal states. It is the contention here that this new and revolutionary information ought to be integrated into our university curriculums to make us better clinicians. The reason for this contention is simple. For speech-language pathology to have a coherent purpose and meaningful role in the delivery of health care, it must have a knowledge base that reflects the changes in other fields as we understand them. This requires preparation today.
Part I: Memory Systems
How are these changes reflected in our knowledge base? First, our present day conception of CNS involvement in behavior was predicated on a behaviorist model enunciated over 80 years ago (Seigel & Ingham, 1987; Squire and Kosslyn, 1998). Table 1 represents the commonly understood behaviorist model of the types of memory and their roles in behavior.
Second, as the result of both the anatomical and behaviorist perspectives, our understanding of the physical structure of the CNS has clarified. CNS physical structure is seen as a mechanism of one of several parts, with specific units working together for both internal and external responses to stimuli (Schmahmann, 1997). The anatomical model is represented in Figure 1.