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Poor readers, good readers, and normal readers (N=15 each, 8 to 11 years old) referred for school problems shadowed single prose passages presented to one ear and competing prose passages presented simultaneously one to each ear. Results suggested that a specific attention deficit may account for poor readers' performance on verbal tasks. (Author)

This retrospective study evaluated the relationships between normal serum vitamin B12 and folate levels and neuropsy chologic measures in a sample of 60 geriatric inpatients with psychotic depression, nonpsychotic depression, bipolar dis order, and dementia—all consecutively referred for cognitive testing. The psychotic depression subgroup demonstrated numerous significant positive correlations between B12 and cognitive subtests not seen in other diagnostic subgroups, especially those of IQ, and verbal and visual memory. Metabolic factors including vitamin B12 may play specific roles in the cognitive dysfunctions of different geropsychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, we present a summary of Dr. Karen Postal's life's work on communication in neuropsychological testimony. Her central thesis was that providing effective testimony as a neuropsychological expert requires one to step outside of the traditional academic communication style to which we are accustomed. In her books, The Art and Science of Expert Witness Testimony (2022) and Testimony that Sticks (2019), Karen Postal described foundational principles she called "disruptive shifts," which she saw as the basis from which experts can develop credible and masterful testimony. These shifts begin with the fundamental and somewhat counterintuitive idea that the juror has the hardest job in the courtroom and it is our job as experts to create a direct, dynamic, and unique relationship with each juror. The article then focuses on ways to ensure jurors understand our testimony, including using good metaphors and analogies, showing visuals, avoiding jargon, and speaking in a way that conveys common sense. As Dr. Postal argued, following these principles will serve to establish, and ultimately bolster our credibility as experts with the people who have the most critical job in the courtroom. Finally, we discuss how these shifts can help us handle cross examination in a way that maintains the credibility we establish. The article concludes with a discussion of how mentorship, an incredibly important part of Dr. Postal's work, is of utmost value when embarking in the field of forensic neuropsychology., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To critically examine the assumption that protective orders are adequately protective of sensitive psychological/neuropsychological test information. Attorneys at times claim that to adequately cross-examine neuropsychological experts, they require direct access to protected test information, rather than having test data analyzed by retained neuropsychological experts. As a compromise, judges sometimes order that protected test information be released to attorneys under a protective order., Method: An appointed writing group of forensic experts developed a position paper addressing the history of protective orders and their presumed effectiveness in protecting psychological and neuropsychological test content. The expert panel consisted of 12 forensic neuropsychologists, a forensic neuropsychologist/attorney, and a forensic psychologist/attorney., Results: Eight reasons are enumerated as to why protective orders do not sufficiently safeguard protected psychological/neuropsychological information and thereby jeopardize future use of the tests. Recommendations are provided to the expert witness practitioner for navigating demands by non-psychologists for direct access to protected test information., Conclusions: There is strong agreement within the practicing neuropsychology community that test security is a vital matter, which, if properly enforced, can ensure the validity of present and future psychological and neuropsychological assessments but, if ineffectively managed, will undermine such evaluations. Because the effectiveness of protective orders has not been, and cannot be, guaranteed, protected psychological and neuropsychological test information should not be released under a protective order., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Some attorneys claim that to adequately cross examine neuropsychological experts, they require direct access to protected test information, rather than having test data analyzed by retained neuropsychological experts. The objective of this paper is to critically examine whether direct access to protected test materials by attorneys is indeed necessary, appropriate, and useful to the trier-of-fact. Method: Examples are provided of the types of nonscientific misinformation that occur when attorneys, who lack adequate training in testing, attempt to independently interpret neurocognitive/psychological test data. Results: Release of protected test information to attorneys introduces inaccurate information to the trier of fact, and jeopardizes future use of tests because non-psychologists are not ethically bound to protect test content. Conclusion: The public policy underlying the right of attorneys to seek possibly relevant documents should not outweigh the damage to tests and resultant misinformation that arise when protected test information is released directly to attorneys. The solution recommended by neuropsychological/psychological organizations and test publishers is to have protected psychological test information exchanged directly and only between clinical psychologist/neuropsychologist experts.

Objective: This review provides a summary of historical details and current practice activities related to Forensic Neuropsychology (FN). Under the auspices of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), the Forensic Neuropsychology Special Interest Group (FNSIG) views the FN as a subspecialty, which has developed over time as the straightforward result of more than 20 years of numerous publications, extensive continuing education, focused research and growth of forensic practice within neuropsychology. In this article, the FNSIG core work group documents and integrates information that is the basis of efforts to consolidate practice knowledge and facilitate attainment of forensic practice competencies by clinical neuropsychologists. Method: Overview of continuing education topics at professional conferences, search results that identify relevant books and peer-reviewed publications, as well as pertinent findings across years of large-scale national survey results. Results: Relevant evidence has shown for decades that FN is prominent within Clinical Neuropsychology as practiced in the United States and Canada. A majority of U.S. neuropsychologists have received FN training and provide forensic evaluation services. FN practice time per week is considerable for many practitioners, and across survey epochs has been shown to be increasing. Conclusion: The present review leads to the conclusion that in the interest of promoting the acquisition of competence, FN practice should remain a focal point of training and continuing education. Alternate routes to attain competence are discussed, as are ongoing professional activities that undoubtedly will ensure continued growth of, and interest in, the subspecialty of FN.

Objectives: Descriptive labels of performance test scores are a critical component of communicating outcomes of neuropsychological and psychological evaluations. Yet, no universally accepted system exists for assigning qualitative descriptors to scores in specific ranges. In addition, the definition and use of the term "impairment" lacks specificity and consensus. Consequently, test score labels and the denotation of impairment are inconsistently applied by clinicians, creating confusion among consumers of neuropsychological services, including referral sources, trainees, colleagues, and the judicial system. To reduce this confusion, experts in clinical and forensic neuropsychological and psychological assessment convened in a consensus conference at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). The goals of the consensus conference were to recommend (1) a system of qualitative labels to describe results from performance-based tests with normal and non-normal distributions and (2) a definition of impairment and its application in individual case determinations. Results: The goals of the consensus conference were met resulting in specific recommendations for the application of uniform labels for performance tests and for the definition of impairment, which are described in this paper. In addition, included in this consensus statement is a description of the conference process and the rationales for these recommendations. Conclusions/Importance: This consensus conference is the first formal attempt by the professional neuropsychological community to make recommendations for uniform performance test score labels and to advance a consistent definition of impairment. Using uniform descriptors and terms will reduce confusion and enhance report comprehensibility by the consumers of our reports as well as our trainees and colleagues.

In this article we analyze in detail the electronic properties of the D(3h)-symmetric tris(ethylene) complexes of nickel, palladium, and platinum ([M(C(2)H(4))(3)] M=Ni, Pd, Pt). In the case of [Pd(C(2)H(4))(3)] the analysis is based on new experimental IR and Raman spectra for the matrix-isolated molecules and in all cases on the results of quantum-chemical (DFT) calculations. The experimental spectra collected for [Pd(C(2)H(4))(3)] provide evidence for several previously unobserved vibrational modes, including the in-phase and out-of-phase nu(C-C) and delta(CH(2)) modes, and the in-phase nu(M-C) mode. Special consideration is given to possible inter-ligand interactions. The interaction force constant f(CC,CC) between two C(2)H(4) ligands can be directly estimated from the spectra, and its very small value (0.002 N m(-1)) indicates the absence of any significant inter-ligand interaction. An analysis of the topology of the theoretical electron density distribution, rho(r), and the corresponding Laplacian, nabla(2)rho(r), for [Pd(C(2)H(4))(3)] and its lighter and heavier homologues [Ni(C(2)H(4))(3)] and [Pt(C(2)H(4))(3)], respectively, is in full agreement with the conclusions drawn from the experimental results. The combined experimental and quantum-chemical results provide detailed insights in the electronic properties of these prototypical ethylene complexes.

Matrix-isolation experiments were performed to study the interaction between Ga atoms and N2 by using Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopies for detection and analysis. It was revealed that a weak complex is formed, for which resonance Raman spectra were obtained. Several overtones were sighted, allowing a rough estimate of the Ga-N2 fragmentation energy to be made (approximately 19 kJ mol(-1)). The excitation profile obtained from the spectra at different laser wavelengths agrees with the UV/Vis spectrum and shows that the complex exhibits an electronic transition at around 410 nm. At the Ga atom, this transition can be described as a 2S<--2P or 2D<--2P excitation, which is red-shifted from its position for free Ga atoms (approximately 340 nm and 270 nm for 2S<--2P and 2D<--2P, respectively) as a result of N2 complexation. The effect of complexation involves, therefore, only slight stabilization of the 2P ground state but relatively strong stabilization of the excited (2)S state. Accordingly, for the Ga atom in its excited 2S state, the Ga-N2 bond energy can be estimated to be around 79 kJ mol(-1).

Cocaine abuse is widespread and has been associated with serious neurovascular complications. We studied a group of cocaine-dependent polydrug users with 99mTc-HMPAO and high-resolution SPECT and compared their perfusion pattern to cerebral perfusion in a group of older control subjects. Sixteen of 18 cocaine-dependent polydrug users had abnormal perfusion characterized primarily as small focal defects involving inferoparietal, temporal, and anterofrontal cortex and basal ganglia. Psychometric testing was abnormal in all 18 cocaine-dependent subjects. No relation was found between the severity of SPECT abnormalities and mode of administration or frequency or length of cocaine use. All 15 older normal subjects had normal cerebral perfusion. While the focal perfusion abnormalities to the cortex and basal ganglia could be explained by the profound vasoconstrictor effects of cocaine, the combinational use of multiple substances including cannabis and alcohol may play a contributory role. This study documents the high incidence of functional brain abnormalities in cocaine-dependent chronic polydrug users without corresponding abnormalities on imaging studies of cerebral anatomy and morphology.

The present study was an attempt to clarify the relationship between handedness, sighting dominance, and eye-acuity in children. Ninety-four males and ninety-seven females between the ages of five and eleven were assessed on standardized measures of handedness, sighting dominance, and visual acuity. Right-handers were more likely to show right-sighting dominance, whereas left-handers had an equal chance of being right-sighted or left-sighted. Acuity dominance was not consistently associated with handedness or sighting dominance. No effects for sex or age were found. It is suggested that further clarification of the function of various lateralized sensorimotor measures is needed before an understanding of how these measures may be related to cortical dominance is possible.

A patient with propranolol-induced mental status changes was studied during and after the period of propranolol intoxication. While intoxicated he manifested the syndrome of "non-aphasic misnaming," did poorly on the nonverbal portions of the WAIS, and exhibited perseveration and variability of performance. Our observations clarify the nature of the neurobehavioral disturbances in toxic-metabolic encephalopathies.

In this report, data are presented on pre- and postdexamethasone cortisol levels, neuropsychological testing, and computed tomography (CT) scan findings in 30 depressed patients (15 psychotic and 15 nonpsychotic). Particularly significant findings were observed when data from the unipolar subgroup (n = 22) were analyzed separately. Unipolar psychotic depressed patients had significantly larger (p less than 0.05) anterior pole and cella media ventricle-to-brain ratios (VBRs) and significantly greater (p less than 0.05) left and right inferior parietal brain "atrophy" than nonpsychotic depressed patients. Higher rates of Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) nonsuppression were observed in psychotic depressed patients and in patients with larger cella VBRs. Inferior parietal brain atrophy and large VBRs were also associated with greater cognitive impairment on psychometric testing. Implications of these findings are discussed.

These experiments centered around H.M., a 54-year-old man who became amnesic 27 years ago after a bilateral resection in the medial temporal lobe region for epilepsy. In order to document the clinical reports that he rarely comments on such internal states as pain, hunger, and thirst, his thermal pain perception was examined in relation to his other somatosensory capacities, and his reports of hunger and thirst were assessed before and after meals. In order to investigate the effect of limited memory ability on the reporting of internal states, H.M.'s performance was compared with that of 5 other subjects with global amnesia. The results provided evidence that H.M.'s information about internal states is less available or less accessible than normal and that his impairment is not attributable to his well-documented memory deficit. Instead, it is believed that the bilateral resection of the amygdala accounts for H.M.'s poor appreciation of his internal states.

A case is reported in which mercury intoxication produced visual symptoms with an unusual compensation. The similarity of this patient to Schn., a much reported neuropsychiatric case, was striking and prompted correlation of the two cases. Experimental psychological studies performed on the present case provide a basis for an understanding of both cases.

Auditory perception of 10 two-letter consonant-vowel syllables and visual short-term memory for sequences of the same syllables were examined in 28 patients with lesions in the frontal or temporal lobe of either hemisphere and in 12 normal control subjects. Multidimensional scaling analyses showed that manner of articulation and voicing were salient organizational categories for all groups on the auditory task whereas manner of articulation and place of articulation were the salient organizational clusters for all groups on the visual task. The pattern of confusion errors made by all groups on both tasks were consistent with some, but not all, of the phonetic distinctive features expected based on formal linguistic description of human phonology. No group showed a consistent lack of sensitivity across all phonetic features, arguing against the idea that use of a phonetic code is dependent upon any specific focal structure in the cerebral hemispheres.