Harmonization of the English and Spanish versions of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery crystallized and fluid composite scores.

Objective: The National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) has both English- and Spanish-language versions producing crystallized and fluid cognition composite scores. This study examined measurement invariance between languages of administration. If established, measurement invariance would indicate that the composite scores measure the same construct across languages and provide scores that can be meaningfully compared and harmonized in future analyses.

Underrepresentation of diverse populations and clinical characterization in opioid agonist treatment research: A systematic review of the neurocognitive effects of buprenorphine and methadone treatment.

Introduction: The relative neurocognitive effects of the two most common opioid agonist treatments (OAT; buprenorphine and methadone) for opioid use disorder (OUD) are poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the neurocognitive effects of OAT (buprenorphine and methadone) and the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of study samples.

Methods: The research team queried PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Reviews for articles (01/1980-01/2020) with terms related to neurocognitive testing in adults (age ≥ 18) prescribed OAT.

Neurocognitive, psychiatric, and substance use characteristics in a diverse sample of persons with OUD who are starting methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone in opioid treatment programs.

Background: Medications for opioid use disorder such as opioid agonist treatment (OAT, including methadone, buprenorphine) are the gold standard intervention for opioid use disorder (OUD). Persons with OUD have high rates of neurocognitive impairment and psychiatric and substance use disorders, but few studies have examined these characteristics in diverse patients initiating OAT in opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Additionally, in these individuals, poor neurocognitive functioning and psychiatric/other substance use disorders are associated with poor OUD treatment outcomes.

Providing a Safe, In-Person, Residential College Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions were forced to make difficult decisions regarding the 2020-2021 academic year. Many institutions decided to have courses in an online remote format, others decided to attempt an in-person experience, while still others took a hybrid approach. Hope College (Holland, MI) decided that an in-person semester would be safer and more equitable for students.

A detailed analysis of ethical considerations for three specific models of teleneuropsychology during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teleneuropsychology (TeleNP) and the ethical guidance related to TeleNP is not new. However, the emergence of the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) has generated renewed interest in the potential utility and feasibility of transitioning the clinical practice of neuropsychological assessment from an in-person evaluation to one that occurs at least partially via telehealth. Recent surveys of neuropsychologists practicing in the early stages of COVID-19 indicate that, while most clinicians will or currently engage in TeleNP services, many have concerns about ethical issues related to providing TeleNP.

Validity of the Verbal Naming Test and Boston Naming Test in a sample of older Veterans.

The Verbal Naming Test (VNT) assesses word-finding ability, or naming, through the use of a naming-to-definition paradigm and has been shown to effectively detect naming deficits in older adults. This study evaluated the convergent and discriminant validity of the VNT, assessed how well it detects Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and provided descriptive data stratified by three levels of age (60-69, 70-79, 80-89).The sample included 151 healthy older Veterans who were found to be cognitively intact and free of neurological and acute psychiatric disorders (mean age = 74.

Dyadic Group Exercises for Persons with Memory Deficits and Care Partners: Mixed-Method Findings from the Paired Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) Randomized Trial.

Background: Non-pharmacological therapies for persons with dementia (PWD) are needed.

Objective: To develop and test the Paired Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) program, an integrative group movement program for PWD and care partners (CPs).

Methods: Participants were randomized to immediate or delayed start to Paired PLIÉ in community-based classes (1 hour, 2 days/week, 12 weeks, 3 home visits).

The Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project: Overview and considerations for life span research and evidence-based practice.

Objective: This paper summarizes the findings of the Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project and offers a roadmap for future research.

Screening for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders: Sensitivity and Specificity.

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH), especially the mild forms, even those with well-controlled HIV. Recommendations from the literature suggest routine and regular screening for HAND to detect it early and manage it effectively and adjust treatments, if warranted, when present. However, screening for HAND is not routinely done, as there are no current guidelines on when to screen and which test or tests to use.

Treatment with buprenorphine prior to EcoHIV infection of mice prevents the development of neurocognitive impairment.

Approximately 15-40% of people living with HIV develop HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, HAND, despite successful antiretroviral therapy. There are no therapies to treat these disorders. HIV enters the CNS early after infection, in part by transmigration of infected monocytes.

The associations of the BDNF and APOE polymorphisms, hippocampal subfield volumes, and episodic memory performance across the lifespan.

In this study, we explored the associations between the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphisms and hippocampal subfields in 127 healthy participants (18-85 years). MRI datasets were collected on a 4.7 T system.

Introduction to the Neuropsychological Norms for the US-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project.

Objective: The present introduction to the Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) project aims to provide an overview of the conceptual framework and rationale that guided the development of this project.

Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project: Methodology and sample characteristics.

Objective: The present paper describes the methodology and sample characteristics of the Neuropsychological Norms for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project, which aimed to generate demographically-adjusted norms for a battery of neuropsychological tests in this population.

The state of neuropsychological test norms for Spanish-speaking adults in the United States.

: The present review paper aimed to identify published neuropsychological test norms developed for Spanish-speakers living in the United States (U.S.).

Demographically-adjusted norms for the WAIS-R Block Design and Arithmetic subtests: Results from the Neuropsychological Norms for the US-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) project.

Objective: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Block Design and Arithmetic subtests are frequently used as measures of visuospatial construction and verbal working memory, respectively. As part of a larger test adaptation and norming effort for this population, we generated and investigated demographically-adjusted interpretive norms for WAIS-R Block Design and Arithmetic in Spanish-speaking adults living in the US-Mexico border region.

Method: Participants included 183 community-dwelling adults ages 20-55 (education range: 0-20 years; 58% women) from the NeuroPsychological-Norms for the US-Mexico Border Region in Spanish (NP-NUMBRS) Project.

Impact of urbanization on cognitive disorders.

Purpose Of Review: Cognitive disorders remain a major global burden with an estimated 47 million people living with dementia worldwide. Rates of cognitive disorders are expected to grow, especially as the global population ages. Global trends also indicate that about half of the global population lives in urban settings.

Amygdala subnuclei and healthy cognitive aging.

Amygdala is a group of nuclei involved in the neural circuits of fear, reward learning, and stress. The main goal of this magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was to investigate the relationship between age and the amygdala subnuclei volumes in a large cohort of healthy individuals. Our second goal was to determine effects of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphisms on the amygdala structure.

Home-versus acquired-language test performance on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised among multilingual South Africans.

The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) has been adapted for use in many different languages and in low- and middle-income countries. However, few adaptations have evaluated performance differences between home- and acquired-language administrations. The present study examined performance on an adapted HVLT-R between multilingual South Africans who chose to be tested in a home or acquired language.

Machine learning as a new paradigm for characterizing localization and lateralization of neuropsychological test data in temporal lobe epilepsy.

In this study, we employed a kernel support vector machine to predict epilepsy localization and lateralization for patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy (n = 228). We assessed the accuracy to which indices of verbal memory, visual memory, verbal fluency, and naming would localize and lateralize seizure focus in comparison to standard electroencephalogram (EEG). Classification accuracy was defined as models that produced the least cross-validated error (CVϵ).

A Mobile App to Screen for Neurocognitive Impairment: Preliminary Validation of NeuroScreen Among HIV-Infected South African Adults.

Background: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) is one of the most common complications of HIV infection, and has serious medical and functional consequences. South Africa has 7 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) with up to three-quarters of antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve individuals having NCI. South Africa's health system struggles to meet the care needs of its millions of PLHIV; screening for NCI is typically neglected due to limited clinical staff trained to administer, score, and interpret neuropsychological tests, as well as long test batteries and limited screening tools for South African populations.

Neuropsychological function is improved among opioid dependent adults who adhere to opiate agonist treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone: a preliminary study.

Background: Among persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), neuropsychological dysfunction is associated with depression, and better neuropsychological function is associated with opioid abstinence. However, it is unknown whether depressive symptomatology or adherence to opiate agonist treatment are associated with neuropsychological change over time.

Methods: We recruited 20 buprenorphine/naloxone-treated adults with OUD (M Age = 45.

The Combined Roles of Nonsomatic Depressive Symptomatology, Neurocognitive Function, and Current Substance Use in Medication Adherence in Adults Living With HIV Infection.

Depression, global neurocognitive (GNC) function, and substance use disorders (SUDs) are each associated with medication adherence in persons living with HIV (PLWH). Because somatic symptoms can inflate depression scores in PLWH, the role of nonsomatic depressive symptomatology (NSDS) should be considered in adherence. However, the combined roles of NSDS, GNC function, and current SUDs in predicting combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) adherence remain poorly understood.

Daily Activity Abilities in MCI, Alzheimer's Disease, and Healthy Controls.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a risk state for dementia. The present study assessed daily functioning in MCI individuals (amnestic [aMCI] and nonamnestic [naMCI]) relative to those with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy controls (NC). Twenty AD participants, 14 aMCI, 12 naMCI, and 30 healthy controls were administered the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS).

Effects of cortisol on hippocampal subfields volumes and memory performance in healthy control subjects and patients with major depressive disorder.

Overactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most consistently replicated biological findings in psychiatry. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have consistently demonstrated that hippocampal (HC) volume is decreased in patients with MDD. The improved spatial resolution of high field strength MRI has recently enabled measurements of HC subfield volumes in vivo.