Episode 88 | Cannabis and Driving – with Dr. Tom Marcotte

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, relevant legal and legislative issues related to cannabis and driving, and differences between recreational and medicinal cannabis on cognition and driving.

Episode 80 | Cognitive Reserve – With Dr. Yaakov Stern

This episode is a conversation about cognitive reserve, which is a heuristic that helps explain variation across people in their ability to withstand neuropathology and brain damage. 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, and clinical applications.

Episode 63 | COVID-19: The Role of Neuropsychology – With Dr. Chaya Fridman

Emerging research suggests that a sizeable portion of individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 develop cognitive and psychological sequelae. In our conversation with Dr. Chaya Fridman, a board-certified neuropsychologist at Cornell, we discuss the ways that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) may lead to neurocognitive impairment, including both direct effects of the virus and secondary factors (e.g., respiratory distress and treatments used in the Intensive Care Unit). We review how the virus gains access to the central nervous system and the potential underlying mechanisms by which it causes an increased risk of stroke and other neurological issues. We also examine the long-term effects of prior coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) to attempt to forecast the long-term effects of COVID-19, with a focus on how neuropsychological practice (both inpatient and outpatient) might be affected.

Episode 124 | The Neuropsychology of Addiction – With Dr. Antonio Verdejo-Garcia

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Antonio Verdejo-Garcia about the neuropsychology of addiction. We cover addiction epidemiology, the syndrome model, neurobiology, transdiagnostic constructs such as compulsivity, behavioral addictions, cognitive profiles linked to substances of abuse, and behavioral, pharmacological, and cognitive treatments for people with addictions.

Episode 86 | Intellectual Disability – With Dr. Jennifer Huffman

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.