Faculty Bibliography

An unintended consequence of the New York psychology Scope of Practice legislation led to a restriction in the use of testing technicians that has yet to be reversed after 4 years. The misperception of neuropsychology by state legislators and psychology colleagues was a key obstacle to achieving a timely solution. We discuss how the political agenda and practice philosophies of New York neuropsychologists were at odds with those of our psychology colleagues, and how that brought about a protracted struggle affecting both patient care and the practice of clinical neuropsychology. Neuropsychologists must maintain an active role in professional and political organizations with equal attention at the local, state, and national levels to avoid similar restrictions to their clinical practice

The Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (ROCF) is commonly used in evaluations of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. We assessed test-retest performance on ROCF in 30 partial epilepsy patients (mean interval = 33.7 months) to derive reliable change indices (RCIs) and regression-based measures for change. ROCF reproductions were rescored by three raters (IRR Copy: 0.963; Delayed Recall: 0.986). The derived adjusted RC (90% CI) cutoff values for the ROCF Copy were (<or=-6.5, >or=8.4) and were (<or=-6.8, >or=10.0) for the Delayed Recall. Results from regression-based analyses were negative, using age, education, seizure duration, and age of onset, whereas a baseline score was a significant predictor of a follow-up score. The results provide a means to evaluate long-term outcome in epilepsy patients using the ROCF

Few neuropsychological tests have been developed specifically for non-English speakers. Rather, assessment measures are often derived from English source texts (STs) and translated into foreign language target texts (TTs). An abundant literature describes the potential for translation error occurring in test construction. While the neuropsychology community has striven to correct these inadequacies, interdisciplinary approaches to test translation have been largely ignored. Translation studies, which has roots in linguistics, semiotics, computer science, anthropology, and philosophy, may provide a much-needed framework for test development. We aim to apply specific aspects of Descriptive Translation Studies to present unique and heretofore unapplied frameworks to the socio-cultural conceptualizations of translated tests. In doing so, a more theoretical basis for test construction will be explored. To this end, translation theory can provide valuable insights toward the development of linguistically and culturally relevant neuropsychological test measures suitable for an increasingly diverse patient base. (JINS, 2010, 16, 227-232.)

Reviews the book, Marking the Mind: A History of Memory, by Kurt Danziger (see record 2008-14739-000). This book provides a very interesting, readable, and concise account of how our conceptions of memory have developed over the ages. In this book, the author places memory within a sociohistorical context, demonstrating how the metaphors used to describe this process have, over the ages, paralleled developments in communication technology. While reading this book, one readily discovers how the development of psychology as an empirical science has resulted in separating the study of memory from any relationship to context or meaning. The book is composed of nine well-organized chapters. Each of these is preceded by a useful chapter outline placed within a clearly readable table. Overall, the book does a nice job of reintroducing us to views of memory taken from the past while simultaneously challenging the dogma of many of our current approaches to this phenomenon.

Accurate pronunciation of phonetically irregular words (exception words) requires prior exposure to unique relationships between orthographic and phonemic features. Whether such word knowledge is accompanied by structural variation in areas associated with orthographic-to-phonemic transformations has not been investigated. We used high-resolution MRI to determine whether performance on a visual word-reading test composed of phonetically irregular words, the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), is associated with regional variations in cortical structure. A sample of 60 right-handed, neurologically intact individuals were administered the WTAR and underwent 3T volumetric MRI. Using quantitative, surface-based image analysis, cortical thickness was estimated at each vertex on the cortical mantle and correlated with WTAR scores while controlling for age. Higher scores on the WTAR were associated with thicker cortex in bilateral anterior superior temporal gyrus, bilateral angular gyrus/posterior superior temporal gyrus, and left hemisphere intraparietal sulcus. Higher scores were also associated with thinner cortex in left hemisphere posterior fusiform gyrus and central sulcus, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and right hemisphere lingual gyrus and supramarginal gyrus. These results suggest that the ability to correctly pronounce phonetically irregular words is associated with structural variations in cortical areas that are commonly activated in functional neuroimaging studies of word reading, including areas associated with grapheme-to-phonemic conversion

Using separate generalized mixed-effects models, we assessed seizure recall and prediction, as well as contributing diagnostic variables, in 83 adult patients with epilepsy undergoing video/EEG monitoring. The model revealed that when participants predicted a seizure, probability equaled 0.320 (95% CI: 0.149-0.558), a significant (P<0.05) increase over negative predictions (0.151, 95% CI: 0.71-0.228]). With no seizure, the rate of remembering was approximately 0.130 (95% CI: 0.73-0.219), increasing significantly to 0.628 (95% CI: 0.439 to 0.784) when a seizure occurred (P<0.001). Of the variables analyzed, only inpatient seizure rate influenced predictability (P<0.001) or recollection (P<0.001). These models reveal that patients were highly aware of their seizures, and in many cases, were able to make accurate predictions, for which seizure rate may be an important factor

Deja vu aura is a well-known phenomenon experienced by some patients with epilepsy. This study sought to explore the relationship between verbal memory and the experience of deja vu or other types of mnemestic auras in 42 individuals with intractable seizures and 42 age- and education-matched patient controls. Verbal memory was assessed with indices of learning, long delay recall, and recognition from the California Verbal Learning Test. Results indicated that auras of any type were not associated with memory performance on the California Verbal Learning Test. As expected, age and education were related to verbal memory performance. Mnemestic auras were associated with clinical indices of illness, suggesting that the presence of these auras may be regarded as a risk factor for greater chronicity and severity in epilepsy

This article examines Gene x Environment (G x E) interactions in two comorbid developmental disorders--reading disability (RD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--as a window on broader issues on G x E interactions in developmental psychology. The authors first briefly review types of G x E interactions, methods for detecting them, and challenges researchers confront in interpreting such interactions. They then review previous evidence for G x E interactions in RD and ADHD, the directions of which are opposite to each other: bioecological for RD and diathesis stress for ADHD. Given these results, the authors formulate and test predictions about G x E interactions that would be expected at the favorable end of each symptom dimension (e.g., above-average reading or attention). Consistent with their prediction, the authors found initial evidence for a resilience interaction for above-average reading: higher heritability in the presence of lower parental education. However, they did not find a G x E interaction at the favorable end of the ADHD symptom dimension. The authors conclude with implications for future research.

Cognitive deficits are frequent consequences of acquired brain injury (ABI) and often require intervention. We review the theoretical and empirical literature on cognitive rehabilitation in a variety of treatment domains including attention, memory, unilateral neglect, speech and language, executive functioning, and family involvement/education. Because there are more well-designed studies examining the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in adults with brain injury, the major findings from this body of literature are also highlighted. In addition, given that similar cognitive and behavioral concerns are often apparent in children with certain neurodevelopmental disorders, selected literature focusing on interventions for these groups of children is included. Limitations and challenges inherent in examining cognitive interventions in children with ABI are also discussed. Overall, despite the growing body of literature examining the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in children with ABI, there continues to be a great need to develop well-designed studies to examine the efficacy of these interventions.