Neuropathography: origins and methodology.

Neuropathography is a genre of case study which balances the clinical neuroscientific perspective with the descriptive acuity and existential interests of phenomenological psychopathology. Its subjects are persons of exceptional talent whose contributions are widely recognized, and also those whose seemingly ordinary lives include personally profound experiences of discernible cultural significance. In all instances, the chief focus is on the shaping influence of brain dysfunction in the subject's life and work. Six methodological guidelines are outlined, their topics ranging from the subjects, source material, aesthetic standards, and multidisciplinary character of neuropathography to normative standards and concepts of neuropsychological causation.