Now is the Time to Improve Cognitive Screening and Assessment for Clinical and Research Advancement.

Wang et al. analyze Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment accuracy as screening tests for detecting dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Such tests are at the center of controversy regarding recognition and treatment of AD.

Genetic Risk of Alzheimer's Disease: Three Wishes Now That the Genie is Out of the Bottle.

The availability and increasing popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic testing for the presence of an APOE4 allelle led the Alzheimer's Foundation of America Medical, Scientific and Memory Screening Advisory Board to identify three critical areas for attention: 1) ensure consumer understanding of test results; 2) address and limit potential negative consequences of acquiring this information; and 3) support linking results with positive health behaviors, including potential clinical trial participation. Improving access to appropriate sources of genetic counseling as part of the testing process is critical and requires action from clinicians and the genetic testing industry. Standardizing information and resources across the industry should start now, with the input of consumers and experts in genetic risk and health information disclosure.

Cognitive Training Program to Improve Working Memory in Older Adults with MCI.

Objectives: Deficits in working memory (WM) are associated with age-related decline. We report findings from a clinical trial that examined the effectiveness of Cogmed, a computerized program that trains WM. We compare this program to a Sham condition in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Randomized double-blind placebo trial of duloxetine in perioperative spine patients.

Objective: This study describes a single-site investigation on the effects of a randomized double-blind placebo trial targeting duloxetine added to opioid use (duloxetine + opioid) against a comparator (placebo + opioid) in spine surgery patients, independent of major depression.

Design: The double-blind comparator study assessed two groups on opioids: one using duloxetine and the other a placebo. Subjects were administered the respective medication 2 weeks prior to surgery and continued on this for more than 3 months.

Treatment of insomnia in Parkinson's disease: a controlled trial of eszopiclone and placebo.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease affecting up to 1 million individuals in the United States. Sleep disturbances, typically in sleep maintenance, are found in up to 88% of these individuals and are associated with a variety of poor outcomes. Despite being common and important, there are few data to guide clinical care.

Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: the complex relationship between diagnosis and caregiver burden.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether patient dementia diagnostic type (Alzheimer's Disease/Vascular Dementia) is associated with caregiver burden. A retrospective case review was conducted of patient and caregiver information collected at a university-based dementia clinic. Results showed that primary dementia diagnosis was not associated with burden.

Group, individual, and staff therapy: an efficient and effective cognitive behavioral therapy in long-term care.

Objective: Depression is a major problem in long-term care (LTC) as is the lack of related empirically supported psychological treatments. This small study addressed a variant of cognitive behavioral therapy, GIST (group, individual, and staff therapy), against treatment as usual (TAU) in long-term care.

Method: 25 residents with depression were randomized to GIST (n = 13) or TAU (n = 12).

Apathy in dementia: relations with depression, functional competence, and quality of life.

This study set out to clarify the association of apathy and depression in dementia as well as apathy's association with basic (ADLs) and instrumental (IADLs) activities of daily living and quality of life. 68 outpatients with mild dementia were assessed on apathy, depression, global cognition, traditional ADLs/IADLs, complex daily living activities requiring intact executive functioning (DAD: Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale), and quality of life. The sample was stratified into high and low global cognition groups and compared.

Geropsychology:integrated training at the interim level.

The profession of psychology is responding to this culture's rapidly changing problems related to an aging population. A central theme regarding the training of clinical geropsychologists has been that education should be sequentially organized across levels, from undergraduate, to graduate, internship, postdoctoral, and continuing education for current practitioners. This paper addresses issues related to geropsychology training at the internship level.

Cognitive Testing Battery: differences among groups with dementia, Huntington's disease, and controls.

This study evaluated a new test for dementia, the Cognitive Testing Battery, used for over six years in outpatient clinics for aging-related disorders. This battery was developed to be brief, easy to administer, and to provide useful feedback as a cognitive profile for clinicians, patients, and caregivers. 489 participants were tested during a 5-yr.

The relationship between efficacy and methodology in studies investigating EMDR treatment of PTSD.

The controlled treatment outcome studies that examined the efficacy of EMDR in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder have yielded a range of results, with the efficacy of EMDR varying across studies. The current study sought to determine if differences in outcome were related to methodological differences. The research was reviewed to identify methodological strengths, weaknesses, and empirical findings.