Episode 30 | The NIH Toolbox – With Dr. Julie Hook
Dr. Hook is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and is Product Manager of the NIH Toolbox®. She participates in grant funded research and directs the marketing efforts and strategic direction for the NIH Toolbox. Her interests in test development and combining innovative technologies to assist in neuropsychological assessment has led her to positions in both academia and industry. She was previously an Assistant Professor at Rush University (Chicago, IL) and worked in R & D at Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR; Lutz, FL), both a Project Director and Manager of Quality Assurance. While working in Medical Innovation for Design Interactive, an SBIR-funded human factor engineering company (Orlando, FL), she led a number of innovative DoD grants aimed at incorporating technology (e.g., virtual reality, eye-tracking, and machine learning) into medical practice and training.
Episode 27 | Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury – With Dr. Keith Yeates
We discussed INS leadership and research productivity with Keith Yeates, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, in a previous episode. As the most published investigator of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the world over the last 10 years, he returns today to discuss the prevalence rates and causes, behavioral sequalae, differences in outcomes, and psychosocial interventions for children with TBI. We also discuss symptom rating scales and performance validity tests in the assessment and management of children with TBI, among many other topics.
Episode 40 | The Effect of Opioid Use and Treatment on Cognition With Dr. Monica Rivera Mindt
We brought Monica Rivera Mindt, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, back on the podcast to discuss the cognitive effects of opioid use (both licit and illicit). We discuss the history of the opioid epidemic in the U.S., the neurobiology of opioids, and common treatments for opioid use disorder.
Episode 18 | Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – With Dr. Jeffrey Wozniak
Today we give an overview of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which includes a collection of disorders that occur when a fetus is exposed to alcohol. We discuss this topic with Jeffrey Wozniak, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist with extensive research and clinical experience in FASD.
Episode 10 | Caregiver Burden: Prevalence, Assessment, and Treatment – with Dr. Geoff Tremont
A tremendous amount of stress and anxiety is experienced by caregivers of older adults with dementia. Caregivers often endure both psychological and medical illnesses and there are significant barriers (e.g., caregiver responsibilities) preventing them from attending traditional psychotherapy. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Geoff Tremont, a board-certified neuropsychologist and the developer of a telephone-based intervention that has been shown to enhance the well-being of caregivers.
Episode 39 | Behavioral Interventions for Mild Cognitive Impairment – With Dr. Glenn Smith
Although clinical neuropsychological research tends to focus on assessment and differential diagnosis, a growing contingent of neuropsychologists are attempting to apply their knowledge of neurobiology and cognitive and emotional functioning to pursue interventional neuropsychology. To this end, we speak with Glenn Smith, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, about the cognitive remediation program he has developed to address cognitive and emotional changes associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, the Healthy Action to Benefit Independence of Thinking (HABIT) program. Dr. Smith discusses his view of clinical and research efforts to address MCI, as well as his experience in psychology leadership and supervision of both postdoctoral and predoctoral practicum students.
Episode 09 | Electrical Injuries: Cognitive and Emotional Sequelae – with Dr. Neil Pliskin
Electrical injuries often result in diffuse cognitive symptoms and mood changes. In this episode, we discuss the ins and outs of this unique injury with Neil Pliskin, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, former president of APA Div. 40, who has done a significant amount of clinical work and research with this population.
Episodes 31-32 | Biomarkers of Accelerated Aging in Severe Mental Illness – With Dr. Lisa Eyler (Parts 1 and 2)
Episode 31:
Severe mental illness (SMI) refers to mental disorders that result in significant functional impairment (e.g., schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). In this episode, we bring you Part 1 of our conversation with Lisa Eyler, Ph.D., about inflammation in individuals with SMI, how inflammation is associated with accelerated aging and other health problems, and the clinical utility of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in this population. We also contrast the approaches of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC).
Episode 32:
We are bringing you the second part of our conversation with Lisa Eyler, Ph.D., on age-related changes in the functional connectivity of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). Dr. Eyler also summarizes the literature on the biomarkers of SMI in accelerated aging and the clinical utility of these biomarkers independently and in combination with behavioral strategies. After the conversation, we provide our own commentary and discuss the use of biomarkers in clinical practice.
Episode 11 | The Human Microbiome and Mental Illness: The Gut-Brain Axis – With Dr. Tanya Nguyen
In our bodies, microbial genes outnumber human genes by about 100 to 1. The human microbiome (the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in us) has been linked to gastrointestinal diseases, immune functioning, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and more recently cognitive and psychiatric functioning. Today we speak with Tanya Nguyen, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist whose research is helping to clarify this link.
Episodes 03-04 | Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology, Friends or Foes? – With Dr. Steve Correia (Parts 1 and 2)
We interviewed Stephen Correia, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, a neuropsychologist with extensive research and clinical training in the use of imaging techniques. In this two-part episode, we cover clinical neuroimaging, with a focus on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.