Improving Early Detection of Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults in Primary Care Clinics: Recommendations From an Interdisciplinary Geriatrics Summit.

As the population ages, the prevalence of cognitive impairment due to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease (AD) is expected to double in the United States to nearly 14 million over the next 40 years. AD and related dementias (ADRD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and among the costliest to society. Although emerging biomedical interventions for ADRD focus on early stages and are currently limited to AD, care management can benefit patients with ADRD across the disease course.

InterOrganizational practice committee recommendations/guidance for teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

: The Inter Organizational Practice Committee (IOPC) convened a workgroup to provide rapid guidance about teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.: A collaborative panel of experts from major professional organizations developed provisional guidance for neuropsychological practice during the pandemic. The stakeholders included the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology/American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, and the American Psychological Association Services, Inc.

Inter Organizational Practice Committee Recommendations/Guidance for Teleneuropsychology in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic†.

Objective: The Inter Organizational Practice Committee convened a workgroup to provide rapid guidance about teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: A collaborative panel of experts from major professional organizations developed provisional guidance for neuropsychological practice during the pandemic. The stakeholders included the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology/American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, and the American Psychological Association Services, Inc.

Efficacy of the ANAM General Neuropsychological Screening Battery (ANAM GNS) for detecting neurocognitive impairment in a mixed clinical sample.

The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) is a computerized neuropsychological assessment battery that has demonstrated utility in a variety of clinical populations including multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Parkinson's disease, acquired brain injury, migraine headaches, and Alzheimer's disease. This study utilized selected tests from the ANAM General Neuropsychological Screening Battery (ANAM GNS), a newly defined subset of tests from the broader ANAM library designed for general clinical assessment of cognition. ANAM GNS is an expansion of the ANAM Core battery which has been utilized in a military setting.

Reliability and validity of the Global Pain Scale with chronic pain sufferers.

Background: Many pain scales exist today; however, a comprehensive, easy-to-analyze test has yet to be available to evaluate a patient's pain and understand the sociocultural, cognitive, and affective factors contributing to a patient's overall pain experience. Many scales have attempted to create an all-encompassing pain assessment but remain incomplete in their assessment of pain and the contributing aspects of pain.

Objective: To present the Global Pain Scale (GPS) as an alternative to current pain assessments and evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the GPS.

The efficacy of a brief behavioral health intervention for managing high utilization of ED services by chronic pain patients.

Introduction: Patients with chronic pain continue to seek medical care from emergency departments nationwide despite the fact that an emergency department is a less-than-optimal environment for meeting their specific and specialized needs. As the scientific community has gained a more sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain, the central role of psychological factors have emerged. Therefore, an ED-based, behavioral health intervention for chronic pain patients is needed to better serve this population and to help hospitals provide cost effective treatment at the appropriate level of care.

Discounting of delayed rewards and executive dysfunction in individuals infected with hepatitis C.

Objective: Determine whether adults with hepatitis C (HCV), regardless of substance use disorder, are more likely to discount delayed rewards than adults without hepatitis C, and explore the relationship between delay discounting and neuropsychological functioning.

Methods: Procedures included clinical interviews, neuropsychological testing, and a delay discounting task.

Results: Regardless of substance abuse history, adults with hepatitis C were significantly more likely to choose smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards.

Predictors of pain intensity and pain functioning in patients with the hepatitis C virus.

Objective: To examine the relationships among biological and psychological variables with pain intensity and pain functioning in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Methods: Participants were 49 patients with HCV who completed well-validated assessments of pain intensity and pain functioning. Participants also completed measures of psychological functioning, and medical records were reviewed.

The cognitive effects of hepatitis C in the presence and absence of a history of substance use disorder.

The aim of the study was to determine whether infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with cognitive impairment beyond the effects of prevalent comorbidities and a history of substance use disorder (SUD). Adult veterans were recruited from the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center into three groups: (1) HCV+/SUD+ (n = 39), (2) HCV+/SUD- (n = 24), and (3) HCV-/SUD- (n = 56). SUD+ participants were in remission for > or =90 days, while SUD- participants had no history of SUD.