Meet the Authors: A Neuropsychology Podcast

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.

In this episode, our host, Dr. Scott Sperling, and student leader, Jared Jacoboson Cherry, meet with authors Sophie van der Landen and Dr. Sietske Sikkes to discuss their recent paper, "The relationship between cognitive domains and everyday functioning in Alzheimer's disease." The authors share insights from their study of over 600 participants with biomarker-confirmed Alzheimer's disease, ranging from subjective cognitive decline to dementia. Using advanced statistical modeling, they found that difficulties in memory, visual attention, mental flexibility, and visuoconstruction were closely linked to challenges in daily activities, while other cognitive domains like working memory, shifting, fluency, and inhibition, and naming were not. The conversation explores how these findings could shape more personalized care strategies and improve outcomes in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease.

In this episode of Meet the Authors, Dr. Scott Sperling is joined by first author Dr. Brandon Gavett to discuss his paper, Domain-Specific Changes in Everyday Cognition: Associations with Diagnosis Change and Gray Matter Volume Change. Drawing on longitudinal data from 891 older adults, the study examines how cognitive abilities change over time and how these changes relate to diagnostic transitions and brain atrophy. Findings highlight the sensitivity of the Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale to clinical disease severity and underlying gray matter atrophy when used longitudinally.