Faculty Bibliography

Research on sports concussion has contributed significantly to our knowledge on the characteristics and course of recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Findings from research studies on injured athletes indicate that most symptoms of concussion resolve within 7-10 days of the injury. Results from studies examining the development of more persistent symptoms have found relationships with a number of psychological factors, including expectation and maladaptive coping styles. Systematic reviews of intervention strategies have indicated that psychological approaches to treatment of MTBI, such as early education and support, are more effective than any form of drug treatment. Psychologists should be aware of these findings and the potential for playing a significant role in treating individuals with MTBI. (journal abstract)

The current study surveyed test-usage practices of clinical neuropsychologists to determine whether respondents varied their assessment batteries based on specific patient demographic characteristics. Respondents were 747 doctorate-level psychologists (40% usable response rate) affiliated with Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, or the International Neuropsychological Society. Respondents read a vignette about a traumatic brain injury patient and subsequently reported the instruments they would utilize to assess this patient's memory, attention, executive functioning, and ability to return to work. There were three versions of the case study, which varied according to the patient's occupation and level of education. Results revealed that the reported proportion of only 9 of 516 instruments (1.7%) varied across classifications, indicating that some neuropsychologists slightly modified their test batteries based on patients' demographic characteristics. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to enhancing predictions of real-world outcomes based on neuropsychological test data

False-positive (FP) errors during recognition memory testing often interfere with interpretation of Wada test results. This study examined which clinical and neuropsychological variables provide the best prediction of these errors. Fifty-six patients completed the Wada test and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Subjects with three or more FP errors on the recognition trials of the CVLT were nearly twice as likely to exhibit FP responding during the Wada test. Further analysis indicates that FP errors during the Wada test appear to be the primary result of a stable and liberal response-bias rather than a result of any other neurological or procedure-related factor