Antonio E. Puente

Assessing Postoperative Cognitive Change After Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery

Cognitive decline after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery has been a concern since the advent of CPB procedures. A primary focus of many studies on this topic has been to quantify the incidence of post-CPB cognitive impairment. However, studies that have used traditional parametric statistics have generally failed to confirm that long-lasting (> or = 1 month) cognitive declines occur reliably after CPB surgery. For the present study, the authors used a split-plot analysis of variance model that revealed preoperative memory impairments in the CPB patients and new postoperative impairments of attention. The authors discuss the assumptions of, and problems associated with, analysis methods that are often used to quantify the incidence of cognitive impairment following CPB surgery.

Relationships between macular pigment optical density and cognitive function in unimpaired and mildly cognitively impaired older adults

Low carotenoid status (especially of the xanthophylls, lutein [L], and zeaxanthin [Z]) is common in older adults and has been associated with a number of degenerative diseases of the central nervous system ranging from retina (e.g., macular degeneration) to brain (e.g., Alzheimers disease). In this study, we tested whether retinal measures of L + Z (macular pigment optical density [MPOD]), used as a surrogate for brain L + Z levels, were related to cognitive function when comparing healthy older adults with mildly cognitively impaired older adults. Twenty-four subjects with mild cognitive impairment were compared with 24 matched controls. Subjects were matched with respect to age, body mass index, ethnicity, sex, and smoking status. Degree of cognitive impairment and cognitive ability was determined via structured clinical interview. MPOD was measured psychophysically. In healthy older adults, MPOD was only related to visual-spatial and constructional abilities (p = 0.04). For subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), however, MPOD was broadly related to cognition including the composite score on the mini-mental state examination (p = 0.02), visual-spatial and constructional abilities (p = 0.04), language ability (p = 0.05), attention (p = 0.03), and the total scale on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (p = 0.03). It is possible that L/Z status may be more strongly related to cognition when individuals are considered with established onset of cognitive decline.

Summary of the report of the ad hoc task force on psychopharmacology of the American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association Board of Directors established an ad hoc task force on psychopharmacology to explore the desirability and feasibility of psychopharmacology prescription privileges for psychologists. In this context, the task forces charges were to determine the competence criteria necessary for training psychologists to provide service to patients receiving medications and to develop and evaluate the necessary curricular models. This article summarizes the task forces major recommendations and provides specific information regarding its training recommendations.

Orientation and Attention

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975) was developed as a quick and simple cognitive function test. It is divided into six sections: orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, language, and constructional. The administration takes from 5 to 10 minutes, and the maximum score is 30 points. The test was initially standardized on 63 normal subjects aged 55 and above. “Elderly” subjects and younger patients with functional psychiatric disorders achieved scores between 25 and 28.

Neuropsychological training and practices with hispanics: A national survey

Abstract A comprehensive survey was conducted among neuropsychologists in the United States to examine the past training and current practices of respondents with Hispanic populations. The results indicated that clinical neuropsychologists in the US provide both assessment and treatment services to Hispanics, yet report inadequate preparation to work with this population. Generally, these neuropsychologists did not consider themselves competent to work with Hispanics and requested additional training in the provision of services to Hispanics. In addition, (1) the respondents believe that clinical neuropsychology has paid little attention to cultural factors; and (2) respondents reported that they had virtually no exposure to Hispanic clinical supervisors. The best predictors of self-rated competence for work with Hispanics were related to clinical training. The findings are discussed in light of future recommendations for training and research.

Teaching psychology in America : a history

Evolution of Undergraduate Curricula in Psychology, 1892-1992 Collegiate Career Advising Status, Antecedents and Strategies Shifts Along the Socratic-Sophistic Continuum in the American Teaching of Psychology and of Psychological Research Teaching of Psychology - A Foreign View Psychologists as Teachers A Brief History of the American Psychological Foundations Award for Distinguished Teachers of Psychology Women - Their Influence and Their Impact on the Teaching of Psychology Role of Ethnic Minorities in Psychology An Interview with Model Teacher Wilbert J. McKeachie National Conferences on Undergraduate Psychology Education and Training Conferences in Graduate Education Conferences on Internship and Postdoctoral Training Regional Psychology Conferences for Teachers and Students The APA and the Teaching the Psychology Advancing the Teaching of Psychology Division in Search of Self A History of APA s Division Two, the Division on the Teaching of Psychology A Quartet of Councils Interested in the Teaching of Psychology The Two National Honour Societies in Psychology Teaching of Psychology, the Journal Portraits of a Discipline An Examination of Introductory Textbooks in America Psychological Handbooks Constancy and Change Teaching as Depicted in Journals.

Professional Considerations for Improving the Neuropsychological Evaluation of Hispanics: A National Academy of Neuropsychology Education Paper

In a national survey, 82% of U.S. neuropsychologists who offered services to Hispanics self-reported inadequate preparation to work with this population (Echemendia, Harris, Congett, Diaz, & Puente, 1997). The purpose of this paper is to improve the quality and accessibility of neuropsychological services for Hispanic people living in the United States by giving guidance for service delivery, training, and organizational policy. General guidance towards this end comes from professional ethics for psychologists and interpreters/translators, federal civil rights law, the International Test Commission, and the Office of Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, among others. This guidance is specifically applied here to cover professional cultural and linguistic competence of neuropsychologists, psychometrists, interpreters, translators, and consultants; languages of evaluation; use of interpreters; evaluation of acculturation; test translation, adaptation, and interpretation; application of test norms; intervention issues; reimbursement; and organizational issues.

Neuropsychological Assessment of Hispanics

In a volume on cultural aspects of clinical neuropsychology, a reader living in the United States, or for that matter the Americas, would certainly expect to find a chapter on Hispanics. Hispanics represent not only the fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States but represent a unique challenge to those who have a traditional view of ethnic minorities (i.e., ethnic minorities are essentially all African American). Hispanics represent an important challenge to those working in the field of clinical neuropsychology and it is the purpose of this chapter to explain not only those challenges but also their potential solutions.

Neuropsychological Evaluation of Everyday Memory

The evaluation of everyday memory (EM) was reviewed and reconceptualized. EM has established new objectives of study and the development of new methods to reach these objectives . At the basic level, this approach has already produced important discoveries and the development of new principles about memory and functioning. At the clinical level, this new area of investigation has resulted in evaluating deficits of EM, which is defined as what daily life functions remain impaired after a deficit pathology has occurred. A type of evaluation has evolved that is oriented toward treatment and extremely useful in designing rehabilitation programs for individuals with alterations in memory.

Validity of the WISC–IV Spanish for a clinically referred sample of Hispanic children.

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) is the most commonly used intelligence test for children. Five years ago, a Spanish version of the WISC-IV was published (WISC-IV Spanish; Wechsler, 2005), but a limited amount of published information is available regarding its utility when assessing clinical samples. The current study included 107 children who were Spanish speaking and of Puerto Rican descent that had been administered the WISC-IV Spanish. They were subdivided into a clinical sample of 35 children with diagnoses of various forms of brain dysfunction (primarily learning disability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy) and a comparison group made up of 72 normal children who were part of the WISC-IV Spanish version standardization sample. Comparisons between these groups and the standardization sample were performed for the WISC-IV Spanish index and subtest scores. Results indicated that the clinical sample performed worse than the comparison samples on the Working Memory and Processing Speed Indexes, although findings varied to some extent depending on whether the clinical group was compared with the normal comparison group or the standardization sample. These findings provide support for the criterion validity of the WISC-IV Spanish when it is used to assess a clinically referred sample with brain dysfunction.