Meet the Authors: A Neuropsychology Podcast

In this episode, host Dr. Scott Sperling and student leader Steven Harris meet with authors Nishaat Mukadam and Dr. Alice Cronin-Golomb to discuss their recent paper, Subjective Cognitive Concerns and Global Metacognitive Bias in Prodromal Parkinson's and Parkinson's Disease without Cognitive Impairment. The authors share insights from their study examining the relationship between subjective cognitive concerns and objective cognitive performance in individuals with Parkinson's disease, prodromal Parkinson's disease, and healthy controls. The conversation highlights changes in metacognitive bias over time, the influence of depression and anxiety on perceptions of cognitive functioning, and the potential implications of these findings for understanding subjective cognitive concerns and supporting early intervention in Parkinson's disease.

In this episode, host Dr. Scott Sperling and student leader Jared Jacoboson Cherry meet with author Dr. Michael Culbertson to discuss his recent paper, Obtaining Comparable Measurement of Midlife Cognitive Functioning from Disparate Cognitive Tasks. Dr. Culbertson shares insights from his study addressing a common challenge in cognitive aging research: how to obtain comparable measures of cognitive functioning when participants complete different cognitive tasks or assessment methods. Drawing on data from the High School and Beyond Study, the conversation highlights psychometric approaches for linking cognitive performance across phone- and web-based assessments, as well as the benefits and limitations of incorporating explanatory variables into cognitive measurement. The conversation also goes over how these methods may be applied across diverse samples and longitudinal studies to improve the measurement of cognitive functioning in aging research.

In this episode, student leader Steven Harris meets with authors Dr. Alexandra Clark and Abbey Hamlin to discuss their recent paper, Locus of Control Moderates the Effects of Residential Segregation on Everyday Functioning in Black Older Adults From the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly Study. The authors share insights from their study examining how locus of control influences the relationship between residential segregation and everyday functioning over a 10-year period among Black older adults. The conversation explores the complex interplay between neighborhood environments, psychosocial factors, and healthy cognitive aging, highlighting the importance of addressing both individual- and structural-level factors to reduce disparities and promote independence in later life.

In this episode, our host, Dr. Scott Sperling, and student leader, Jared Jacoboson Cherry, meet with authors Dr. Kristina Gicas and Michelle Blumberg to discuss their recent paper, Examination of Objective and Subjective Cognition and Their Association With Functional Outcomes: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Canadian Sample of Homeless and Precariously Housed Adults. The authors share insights from their cross-sectional study of 88 community-dwelling adults experiencing homelessness or precarious housing, which examined the associations between facets of cognition and domains of quality of life and perceived everyday functioning. The conversation explores the importance of involving this population in clinical research and how subjective cognitive measures could be included alongside objective measures to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of homeless populations.

In this episode, our host, Dr. Scott Sperling, and student leader, Steven Harris, meet with authors Dr. Roee Holtzer and Andrew Fox to discuss their recent paper, Mediating Effect of Cognitive Reserve on Associations Between Processing Speed and Memory in Older Adults with and without Multiple Sclerosis. The authors share insights from their study of 104 older adults with MS and 105 healthy controls who underwent neuropsychological testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Using regression modeling to derive cognitive reserve, they found that cognitive reserve fully mediated the association between processing speed and immediate verbal recall, and partially mediated the association for delayed recall. The conversation explores how these findings highlight the protective role of cognitive reserve against memory decline in older adults, regardless of the presence of Multiple Sclerosis.