Episode 168: Physical Activity and Brain Health – A Conversation With Dr. Kirk Erickson
This episode is a conversation about the complex and important relationship between physical activity and brain health. Topics covered include specific impacts of physical activity (including formal exercise) and sedentary behavior on brain health; measurement of physical activity; reduction in the risk of later life cognitive decline (including neurodegenerative diseases); findings from neuroimaging, cognitive testing, and mental health reporting; mechanisms of physical activity’s impact on brain health; protocols for exercising to improve brain health; aerobic and resistance training; person characteristics that moderate the relationship between physical activity and brain health; and how neuropsychologists can implement physical activity interventions in their patients.
Podcast Episode 166: WAIS-5 Deep Dive – A Conversation with Dr. Susan Raiford
This episode is a deep dive into the WAIS-5, including the goals of revision from WAIS-IV to WAIS-5, the theoretical foundations of the WAIS, aspects of test development for the battery, the Flynn effect, psychometric properties, norms, special group studies, critiques of the battery, and overall clinical utility.
Podcast Episode 165: WAIS-5 Essentials – A Conversation with Dr. Susan Raiford
This episode is a discussion about essential knowledge for the WAIS-5, including the altered composite index structure, the new subtests, changes to test administration, the purpose and utility of ancillary indices, the potential for remote administration, new normative data, and the use of digital methods of assessment with the WAIS-5.
Podcast Episode 162: Bilingualism and Brain Development in Children – A Conversation With Dr. Veronica Bordes Edgar
This episode is a conversation about the neuropsychology of bilingualism, with a focus on children and the developing brain. We review concepts including language acquisition during fetal and early life development, sequential versus simultaneous bilingualism, L1 versus L2, BICS and CALP, cognitive effects of bilingualism (particularly executive functions), neuroanatomy and neuroimaging, and impact of SES on language development. We also cover clinically oriented topics related to conducting neuropsychological evaluations in bilingual children, such as assessing language proficiency prior to cognitive testing, effectively utilizing interpreters, normative data selection, report writing, feedback, and teleneuropsychology.
Podcast Episode 158: Intraoperative Brain Mapping – A Conversation With Drs. Vigneswaran Veeramuthu and Dave Sabsevitz
This episode is a discussion with Drs. David Sabsevitz and Veeramuthu Vigneswaran about intraoperative brain mapping. We highlight topics such as the meaning and evolution of the term “eloquent cortex,” localized versus distributed models of brain functioning, aggressiveness versus conservatism of neurosurgeons during resections, the “onco-functional balance,” electrocorticography and stereo EEG procedures, the Wada procedure, the clinical and functional utility of brain mapping, the availability of brain mapping to people of lower SES, neuropsychologists’ role in educating patients and families, cognitive testing during the mapping procedure, and NeuroMapper.
Podcast Episode 154: Long COVID – A Conversation With Dr. Lucette Cysique
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Lucette Cysique about long COVID. We discuss terminology, symptom profiles, epidemiology, biological mechanisms, psychological and sociocultural factors, overlap with chronic fatigue syndrome, overlap with functional neurological disorder, neuropsychological evaluations, and treatment recommendations.
Podcast Episode 152: Cancer Therapies and Brain Health – A Conversation with Dr. Mike Parsons and Dr. Jorg Dietrich
In this episode on systematic, non-CNS cancer therapies and brain health, with Drs. Michael Parsons and Jorg Dietrich, we discuss basic concepts in cancer biology, the impact of cancer therapies on cognition, mechanisms by which non-CNS treatments impact brain health, the role of the immune system in treatment, immune system overactivation and cognitive side effects, cancer neuroscience, and the role of neuropsychologists in assessment, management, and treatment of patients with systemic cancers.
Podcast Episode 150: Test Security in Neuropsychology – A Conversation With Dr. Kyle Boone
This episode covers the issue of test security in neuropsychology. Topics covered include forensic neuropsychology, the potential harm of breaches to test security, how clients or patients may invalidate cognitive test scores, the role of attorney coaching, ways in which test security can be breached (and methods to prevent breaches), teleneuropsychology and test security, guidance from the APA Ethics Code, relevant position statements, the role of test publishers, training psychometrists and research assistants, important legal precedent and case law, protective orders, how to respond to subpoenas, and other related topics.
Episode 148: Perioperative Cognitive Decline in Older Adults – A Conversation With Dr. Cate Price
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Catherine Price about peri operative cognitive decline (including delirium), particularly in older adults. Various topics are covered, including the frequency of cognitive problems post-surgery, predisposing and precipitating factors for post-surgical cognitive impairments, surgery as a biological stress test for the brain, the mechanisms by which non-CNS surgery can impact cognitive functioning, depth of anesthesia and brain health, the impact of pre-operative cognitive functioning on healthcare decision making before, during, and after surgery, the role of neuropsychology in care for surgical patients, and interventions for perioperative cognitive problems.
Episode 146 | Persistent Symptoms After Concussion – A Conversation with Dr. Noah Silverberg
This episode is a conversation with Dr. Noah Silverberg about persisting symptoms following concussion. The discussion covers prevalence of persistent postconcussive symptoms, risk factors for persisting symptoms, the importance of mental health symptoms and psychological constructs, the relationship between TBI and functional cognitive disorder, assessment, and treatment.