Long-term memory in older children/adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder.

This study extends prior memory reports in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by investigating memory for narratives after longer recall periods and by examining developmental aspects of narrative memory using a cross-sectional design. Forty-seven older children/adolescents with ASD and 31 youth with typical development (TD) and 39 adults with ASD and 45 TD adults were compared on memory for stories from standardized measures appropriate for each age group at three intervals (immediate, 30 min, and 2 day). Both the youth with and without ASD had difficulty with memory for story details with increasing time intervals.

Cognitive and academic achievement changes associated with day hospital rehabilitation in children with acquired brain injury.

An evaluation was made of the outcome of a day hospital rehabilitation program for children who experienced an acquired neurological illness, mainly traumatic brain injury. Participants were administered neuropsychological and academic evaluations upon entry to the program, immediately upon discharge and several months after discharge Repeated measures ANOVA results for variables selected from the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System found that comparisons showed significant (≥p < .01) improvement occurred between the first and second assessment, generally with large effect sizes.

An introduction to the Ruthven Impairment Assessment (RIA): A stability study.

The Ruthven Impairment Assessment (RIA) is introduced as a new neurocognitive test for the evaluation of complex attentional, reasoning, and working-memory abilities. It contains 5 subtests and is administered by computer within 15 min. The subtests include measures of simple and complex attention, working memory, sequential reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.

Further understanding of complex information processing in verbal adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders.

More than 20 years ago, Minshew and colleagues proposed the Complex Information Processing model of autism in which the impairment is characterized as a generalized deficit involving multiple modalities and cognitive domains that depend on distributed cortical systems responsible for higher order abilities. Subsequent behavioral work revealed a related dissociation between concept formation and concept identification in autism suggesting the lack of an underlying organizational structure to manage increases in processing loads. The results of a recent study supported the impact of this relative weakness in conceptual reasoning on adaptive functioning in children and adults with autism.

The "S" Allele of the Serotonin Transporter Is Not Associated with Major Depression in a Sample OF Veterans.

The results of some studies suggest that the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) short (S) allele, relative to the long (L) allele, is associated with risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and thus serves as a biomarker for MDD, while results from other studies do not support that conclusion. Persons with an S allele demonstrate a 2- to 2.5 fold decrease in serotonin transcription rate compared to the L-allele, which may increase their risk for MDD.

Insight and neurocognitive functioning in bipolar subjects.

Background: Insight concerning having a mental illness has been found to influence outcome and effectiveness of treatment. It has been studied mainly in the area of schizophrenia with few studies addressing other disorders. This study evaluates insight in individuals with bipolar disorder using the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD), a comprehensive interview for evaluation of awareness of illness and attribution of symptoms.

Associations between conceptual reasoning, problem solving, and adaptive ability in high-functioning autism.

Abstract thinking is generally highly correlated with problem-solving ability which is predictive of better adaptive functioning. Measures of conceptual reasoning, an ecologically-valid laboratory measure of problem-solving, and a report measure of adaptive functioning in the natural environment, were administered to children and adults with and without autism. The individuals with autism had weaker conceptual reasoning ability than individuals with typical development of similar age and cognitive ability.

Developmental aspects and neurobiological correlates of working and associative memory.

Objective: It has been shown that verbal working and associative memory have different developmental trajectories with working memory, taking a linear course from early childhood to adolescence, whereas associative memory takes a curvilinear course asymptoting at about age 12. This study made a determination of whether these trajectories tracked with 2 magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) variables: phosphocreatine level (PCr) and gray matter percentage (GM%).

Method: In a cross-sectional study, 94 children ranging in age from 6-14 years were administered tests of verbal working and associative memory and underwent an MRSI procedure evaluating 6 major brain regions.

The "S" Allele of the Serotonin Transporter Is Not Associated with Major Depression or Alcohol Use Disorders in a Veteran Sample.

The results of some studies suggest that the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) short (S) allele, relative to the long (L) allele, is associated with risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and thus serves as biomarker for those disorders, while results from other studies do not support that conclusion. Persons with an S allele demonstrate a 2- to 2.5 fold decrease in serotonin transcription rate compared to the L-allele, which may increase their risk for MDD.

Factor structure of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery for children: a brief report supplement.

The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) is the first factor-analyzed neuropsychological battery and consists of three batteries for young children, older children, and adults. Halstead's original factor analysis extracted four factors from the adult version of the battery, which were the basis for his theory of biological intelligence. These factors were called Central Integrative Field, Abstraction, Power, and Directional.

Factor structure of the Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological battery: a review and integration.

The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) was the first factor-analyzed neuropsychological battery. It was based on a series of tests studied in Ward Halstead's laboratory at the University of Chicago, was accomplished in collaboration with a group of eminent statisticians, and was published in 1947 . Four factors were extracted based on Halstead's tests called central integrative field, abstraction, power, and directional and constituted what was described as biological intelligence.

Developmental aspects of working and associative memory.

Developmental differences between working and long-term associative memory were evaluated through a cross-sectional age difference study based on data from a memory battery's standardization sample. The scores of 856 children and adolescents ranging from 5 to 17 years of age were compared on memory subtests that assess verbal working and long-term memory. Data were examined using curve fitting and ANOVA procedures that evaluated age group and years of age differences.

The modality shift experiment in adults and children with high functioning autism.

This study used the modality shift experiment, a relatively simple reaction time measure to visual and auditory stimuli, to examine attentional shifting within and across modalities in 33 children and 42 adults with high-functioning autism as compared to matched numbers of age- and ability-matched typical controls. An exaggerated "modality shift effect" relative to the TD children occurred for the children with autism in conditions involving the reaction time when shifting from sound to light but not from light to sound. No exaggerated MSE was found for the adults with autism; rather, their responses were characterized by a generalized slowness relative to the adults with TD.

Patient care by VA psychologists in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1946, the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), underwent extensive organizational and professional changes to accommodate the health care needs of veterans returning from World War Two. In addition to an introduction and brief history of these changes, three psychologists who began their careers in the VA in the first years after that reorganization discuss their patient care experiences, both as trainees and as staff psychologists.

Neuropsychological profiles of six children with anoxic brain injury.

Anoxic brain injury (ABI) often results in severe memory impairment and other cognitive and behavioral deficits, although limited information is available regarding pediatric cases. This study reported the neuropsychological outcomes in six children and adolescents who sustained ABI. Profiles were compared by mechanism of injury (ischemic vs.

Social perception and WAIS-IV Performance in adolescents and adults diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Autism.

Previous research using the Wechsler scales has identified areas of cognitive weaknesses in children, adolescents, and adults diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's syndrome. The current study evaluates cognitive functioning in adolescents and adults diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's syndrome using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) and the Social Perception subtest from the Advanced Clinical Solutions. Deficits in social perception, verbal comprehension, and processing speed were found in the Autism sample.

Personal, Medical, and Healthcare Utilization Among Homeless Veterans Served by Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Veteran Facilities.

This study assessed differences in personal, medical, and health care utilization characteristics of homeless veterans living in metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan environments. Data were obtained from a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) network sample of homeless veterans. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in demographics, military history, living situation, medical history, employment status, and health care utilization.

IQ profiles are associated with differences in behavioral functioning following pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Research suggests that IQ profiles identify subgroups of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on sparing and impairment of cognitive abilities, but little information is available regarding whether these subgroups are differentiated on variables that are important for TBI outcome, such as behavioral functioning. The current study examined behavioral disturbances in 123 children with TBI in association with profiles of intellectual abilities identified using cluster analysis. On the basis of prior research, four clusters were hypothesized.

Factor structure and risk factors for the health status of homeless veterans.

Homeless veterans have numerous health problems that have been previously characterized as falling into four major subgroups; addiction, psychosis, vascular disorders, and generalized medical and psychiatric illness. Comorbid conditions are common, often involving a combination of psychiatric and medical disorders. Using data from the same survey of homeless veterans that was used to establish these subgroups with cluster analysis, the present study examined the structure of these subgroup patterns through the use of factor analysis.

Advocacy for neuropsychology in the public sector: the VA experience.

In this paper important advocacy areas for the VA are described with implications for other psychologists working in institutional settings in the public sector, and some advice is provided concerning how best to advocate in the VA. Distinctions among advocacy issues that are of concern to the general public, those that are of concern to all psychologists involved in healthcare, and those specifically related to clinical neuropsychology are made.

A retrospective study of heterogeneity in neurocognitive profiles associated with traumatic brain injury.

Primary Objective: To establish empirical sub-types, based upon cognitive test results of individuals who had sustained traumatic brain injury.

Research Design: The study was retrospective, applying cluster analyses and associated statistical tests to an established database.

Methods And Procedures: Neuropsychological data from veterans with brain trauma were cluster analysed using the WAIS-R and Halstead-Reitan Battery (HRB).

The effects of alcoholism comorbidity on neurocognitive function following traumatic brain injury.

Alcoholism and traumatic brain injury (TBI) often produce neuropsychological deficits. However, the extent and manner by which these factors interact is unclear. In this study, it was hypothesized that alcoholism would have compounding cognitive effects in individuals with TBI and alcoholism.