Navigating Neuropsychology

This episode is a conversation about neuropsychological interventions for adult patients with acquired brain injuries such as TBI, stroke, or hypoxia. We define and differentiate different terms for neuropsychological interventions, we list and describe specific cognitive interventions, we discuss the importance of emotional symptoms following brain injuries, and we explain characteristics of inte...

In Clinical Case 8, Dr. Kira Armstrong presents a neuropsychological evaluation of an 11-year-old girl with difficulties in attention and reading. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/93 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select episodes:  www. NavNeuro.com/INS   2) Tell your friends and colleagues...

This conversation focuses on culturally informed neuropsychological evaluations.  We discuss big picture topics such as becoming more culturally sensitive, cultural differences across the world, Dr. Fujii's ECLECTIC framework, and macrosocietal structures.  We also talk about how to translate cultural knowledge and experience to clinical evaluations in neuropsychology. Show notes are available at...

In Clinical Case 7, Dr. Kira Armstrong presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a 13-year-old girl with a variety of mental health symptoms.  The conversation focuses heavily on autism spectrum disorder. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/91 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select episodes: ...

This is a big picture conversation about autism with Sir Simon Baren-Cohen. We cover the concepts of neurodiversity, systemizing and empathy (including their relationships to autism), sex and gender issues, cognitive strengths and weaknesses in autism, and clinical applications. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/90 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few eas...

We talk with Dr. Tom Marcotte about the use of driving simulators for use in research and clinical practice in neuropsychology.  Dr. Marcotte has decades of experience using various simulators in different populations. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/89 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select...

We talk about acute effects of cannabis use (THC) on driving performance with Tom Marcotte, a clinical scientist with decades of experience in this area.  We cover the acute cognitive effects of cannabis, the time course of the effects of cannabis on driving performance (based on a driving simulator), the relationship between subjective perceptions of driving performance and actual performance, re...

In Clinical Case 6, Dr. Beth Slomine presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a 17-year-old boy with a history of traumatic brain injury. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/87 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credits for listening to select episodes:   www. NavNeuro.com/INS   2) Tell your friends and colleagues abou...

We discuss intellectual disability (ID) with Jennifer Huffman, Ph. D., ABPP-CN, a board certified pediatric neuropsychologist.  We discuss diagnosis of ID, including strengths and weaknesses of different test batteries, as well as the importance of adaptive functioning.  We also cover etiology (e.g., genetic syndromes), cultural considerations, interventions, and much more. Show notes are availabl...

In Clinical Case 5, Dr. Beth Slomine presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a 7-year-old girl who experienced a hypoxic ischemic injury during cardiac arrest while hospitalized with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/85 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to se...

We discuss behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) with Bruce Miller, MD, a behavioral neurologist at UCSF.  We first talk about overlap and differences between the various FTD spectrum conditions and related diseases.  Next, we cover the neuropathology, genetics, neuroimaging, phenocopy syndrome, classic clinical and behavioral syndrome, cognitive profile, treatment options, and patien...

In Clinical Case 4, Ryan presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a woman in her 70s with a history of hoarding disorder, hypothyroidism, and obstructive sleep apnea, who was referred by a social worker. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/83 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select episodes: ...

This episode is a conversation about neuropsychological norms for Spanish speaking people who reside in the U.S. It focuses on the NP-NUMBRS project, which provides norms for a multidomain cognitive battery completed by Spanish speakers from the U.S.-Mexico border region. Additional topics covered include shared aspects of Hispanic/Latinx culture that are relevant to neuropsychologists, the import...

In Clinical Case 3, John presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a woman in her 50s with a left anterior thalamic stroke. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/81 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select episodes:  www. NavNeuro.com/INS   2) Tell your friends and colleagues about it 3) Subscribe...

This episode is a conversation about cognitive reserve, which is a heuristic that helps explain variation across people in their ability to withstand neuropathology.  We discuss terminology, including defining and differentiating cognitive reserve, brain reserve, brain maintenance and resilience.  We also cover sociobehavioral proxies for cognitive reserve, functional neuroimaging, clinical applic...

In Clinical Case 2, Ryan presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a man in his 70s with Parkinson's disease who is being considered for deep-brain stimulation (DBS). Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/79 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credit for listening to select episodes:  www. NavNeuro.com/INS   2) Tell your f...

Culturally informed neuropsychological evaluations require that clinicians develop knowledge of the macrosocietal structures of unfamiliar countries and the cultural backgrounds of their patients. Sub-Saharan Africa is a large region, with over one billion people, some of whom develop neurological conditions and could benefit from neuropsychological services. In this episode, we discuss shared asp...

In Clinical Case 1, John presents a neuropsychological evaluation of a woman in her late 70s with memory difficulties. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/77 _________________ If you'd like to support the show, here are a few easy ways: 1) Get APA-approved CE credits for listening to select episodes:   www. NavNeuro.com/INS   2) Tell your friends and colleagues about it 3) Subscribe (fre...

A high level of cognitive functioning is crucial to the safe and competent operation of aircraft. Neuropsychologists are increasingly called upon to perform cognitive evaluations of commercial airline pilots and these evaluations are unique in many ways compared to more conventional clinical assessments in hospital settings.  In this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of aerospace neuropsycholog...

Anti-MOG is a recently discovered condition that co-occurs with other demyelinating conditions. To learn more about this condition, John and Ryan speak with Lana Harder, Ph. D., ABPP-CN, who is a founding member and current Co-Director of the Children's Medical Center Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Clinic. Show notes are available at www. NavNeuro.com/75 _________________ If you'd like to support...

This episode covers cultural neuropsychology and global neuropsychology.  We talk with Tedd Judd, Ph. D., ABPP-CN, about how neuropsychology in North Atlantic countries is unique relative to how neuropsychology is practiced elsewhere.  We also discuss advice for conducting competent clinical evaluations with patients whose culture is unfamiliar to the clinician. Show notes are available at www. Na...

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a rare, monophasic autoimmune condition affecting the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms of ADEM can be variable, given that lesions can present in multiple areas of the central nervous system. ADEM shares certain clinical characteristics with other demyelinating conditions such as pediatric multiple sclerosis and transverse myelitis, but it also has...

Neuropsychology is a dynamic and growing field, and there is considerable interest in characterizing and understanding the current state of the profession.  The "Salary Survey," led by Dr. Jerry Sweet and colleagues, is released about every five years and attempts to describe professional practices, beliefs, and incomes of U.S. neuropsychologists.  In this episode, John and Ryan talk with Jerry Sw...

Transverse myelitis is a disorder of spinal cord inflammation and demyelination. Although more common in adults, it does occur in children. In the past, people believed that transverse myelitis was not associated with cognitive symptoms, given that it exclusively impacts the spinal cord (not the brain). However, recent evidence suggests that performance on cognitive testing can be negatively impac...

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, with effects on academic and occupational performance, social relationships, and other aspects of functioning. Neuropsychologists frequently work with both children and adults with ADHD, and understanding the relevant scientific literature is an important part of training and continuing education in our field....