Publications by authors named "Joan Thelen"
Article Synopsis
- Depression is significantly more common in patients with neurological and inflammatory disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis, where about 25% experience major depressive disorder, impacting their quality of life and disease progression.
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program specifically designed for patients with multiple sclerosis, comparing it to standard treatment.
- The primary goal was to measure changes in depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory-II after 12 weeks, with the trial lasting from May 2017 to November 2020 and being registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Objective: Neuropsychologists commonly use a large battery of tests to inform clinical decisions. Decision analysis can be used to determine which individual tests play a role in the decision-making process. The objective of this project was to conduct quantitative and qualitative decision analysis of decisions by team neuropsychologists with professional hockey players being evaluated as part of the National Hockey League (NHL)/NHL Players Association Concussion Protocol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) measures disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). EDSS changes are assumed to be due to worsening MS-related disability. Strict interpretation of this premise may include some normal findings as abnormal, inflating the disability score.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile evidence-based PTSD treatments are often efficacious, 20-50% of individuals continue to experience significant symptoms following treatment. Further, these treatments do not directly target associated neuropsychological deficits. Here, we describe the methods and feasibility for computer-based executive function training (EFT), a potential alternative or adjunctive PTSD treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with reduced executive functioning and verbal memory performance, as well as abnormal task-specific activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortices (ACC). The current study examined how PTSD symptoms and neuropsychological performance in combat veterans relates to (1) medial PFC and ACC activity during cognitive inhibition, and (2) task-independent PFC functional connectivity.
Methods: Thirty-nine male combat veterans with varying levels of PTSD symptoms completed the multisource interference task during functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Between 30 and 50% of MS patients may prematurely discontinue disease modifying therapies. Little research has examined how to best talk with patients who have discontinued treatment against medical advice. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether telephone counseling increases disease modifying therapy (DMT) re-initiation among nonadherent patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Due to the high risk of life-threatening side effects, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not favored for treating persistent nonmalignant pain in the elderly. We report national prescription trends with determinants of NSAIDs prescription for persistent nonmalignant pain among older patients (age 65 and over) in the US outpatient setting.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data.