Alison Pietras | Franklin Pierce University (original) (raw)

Papers by Alison Pietras

Research paper thumbnail of Improving clinical cognitive testing: Report of the AAN Behavioral Neurology Section Workgroup

Neurology, Jan 10, 2015

To evaluate the evidence basis of single-domain cognitive tests frequently used by behavioral neu... more To evaluate the evidence basis of single-domain cognitive tests frequently used by behavioral neurologists in an effort to improve the quality of clinical cognitive assessment. Behavioral Neurology Section members of the American Academy of Neurology were surveyed about how they conduct clinical cognitive testing, with a particular focus on the Neurobehavioral Status Exam (NBSE). In contrast to general screening cognitive tests, an NBSE consists of tests of individual cognitive domains (e.g., memory or language) that provide a more comprehensive diagnostic assessment. Workgroups for each of 5 cognitive domains (attention, executive function, memory, language, and spatial cognition) conducted evidence-based reviews of frequently used tests. Reviews focused on suitability for office-based clinical practice, including test administration time, accessibility of normative data, disease populations studied, and availability in the public domain. Demographic and clinical practice data were...

Research paper thumbnail of Subjective cognitive concerns, amyloid-β, and neurodegeneration in clinically normal elderly

Neurology, Jan 5, 2015

To determine whether neuroimaging biomarkers of amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurodegeneration (ND) are ass... more To determine whether neuroimaging biomarkers of amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurodegeneration (ND) are associated with greater self-reported subjective cognitive concerns (SCC) in clinically normal older individuals. A total of 257 participants underwent Pittsburgh compound B PET, PET with fluorodeoxyglucose (18)F, and structural MRI, as well as a battery of neuropsychological measures including several questionnaires regarding SCC. Individuals were classified into 4 biomarker groups: biomarker negative (Aβ-/ND-), amyloidosis alone (Aβ+/ND-), amyloidosis plus ND (Aβ+/ND+), and ND alone (Aβ-/ND+). Both Aβ and ND were independently associated with greater SCC controlling for objective memory performance. By contrast, neither Aβ nor ND was associated with objective memory performance controlling for SCC. Further examination revealed greater SCC in individuals with Aβ or ND positivity compared to biomarker-negative individuals. In addition, greater SCC predicted Aβ positivity when controlling fo...

Research paper thumbnail of Microfinance and women's health: an evaluation of women's health behaviors in Jimma, Ethiopia

International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of WHITE MATTER BURDEN IN CLINICALLY NORMAL OLDER ADULTS MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMYLOID BURDEN AND MEMORY FREE RECALL BUT NOT CUED RECALL

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Subjective evaluations of alcohol expectancies and their relevance to drinking game involvement in female college students

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test whether subjective evaluations of alcohol expectan... more Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test whether subjective evaluations of alcohol expectancies mediate the association between perceived drinking expectancies and participation in drinking games (DGs). Participation in DGs facilitates heavy drinking; therefore, we also examined the association between DG participation and alcohol-related problems. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 187 female athletes from an all-women's college in the Northeastern United States. Respondents completed self-report questionnaires in small groups who reported on their alcohol use, drinking expectancies, and number of DGs played with their teammates during the semester. Results: A mediation effect emerged for subjective evaluation of liquid courage expectancy but not for increased sociability and cognitive/behavioral impairment expectancies. Although perceived expectancies of cognitive/behavioral impairment were associated negatively with DG participation, positive subjective evaluations of this expectancy were related positively with DG participation. Finally, participation in DG was associated positively with alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with notions of social learning and utility theories and sheds light on the link between alcohol expectancies and participation in DGs among female student athletes. Results also highlight the health risks associated with DG involvement. Intervention programs aimed at decreasing the prevalence of DG participation might consider addressing students' perceptions about the desirability of liquid courage expectancies.

Research paper thumbnail of Neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes in poorly controlled idiopathic generalized epilepsy

Epilepsy & Behavior, 2013

The neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes of patients with poorly controlled idiopathic gen... more The neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes of patients with poorly controlled idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) have not been well characterized. The current study aimed to compare these outcomes to a group of patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). A retrospective review of patients admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit identified 19 patients with IGE and 23 patients with TLE who underwent neuropsychological and psychiatric evaluations. Patients with IGE required a longer time to complete the Trail Making Tests and had lower performance IQ compared to patients with TLE. Despite a higher burden of convulsions, patients with IGE had lower depression scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) than patients with TLE. In the group with IGE, the BDI-II scores were inversely correlated with epilepsy duration. These findings indicate that patients with IGE have lower performance IQ, impaired performance on tests of executive functioning, and lower depression scores compared to patients with TLE, implicating different pathophysiological processes.

Research paper thumbnail of Improving clinical cognitive testing: Report of the AAN Behavioral Neurology Section Workgroup

Neurology, Jan 10, 2015

To evaluate the evidence basis of single-domain cognitive tests frequently used by behavioral neu... more To evaluate the evidence basis of single-domain cognitive tests frequently used by behavioral neurologists in an effort to improve the quality of clinical cognitive assessment. Behavioral Neurology Section members of the American Academy of Neurology were surveyed about how they conduct clinical cognitive testing, with a particular focus on the Neurobehavioral Status Exam (NBSE). In contrast to general screening cognitive tests, an NBSE consists of tests of individual cognitive domains (e.g., memory or language) that provide a more comprehensive diagnostic assessment. Workgroups for each of 5 cognitive domains (attention, executive function, memory, language, and spatial cognition) conducted evidence-based reviews of frequently used tests. Reviews focused on suitability for office-based clinical practice, including test administration time, accessibility of normative data, disease populations studied, and availability in the public domain. Demographic and clinical practice data were...

Research paper thumbnail of Subjective cognitive concerns, amyloid-β, and neurodegeneration in clinically normal elderly

Neurology, Jan 5, 2015

To determine whether neuroimaging biomarkers of amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurodegeneration (ND) are ass... more To determine whether neuroimaging biomarkers of amyloid-β (Aβ) and neurodegeneration (ND) are associated with greater self-reported subjective cognitive concerns (SCC) in clinically normal older individuals. A total of 257 participants underwent Pittsburgh compound B PET, PET with fluorodeoxyglucose (18)F, and structural MRI, as well as a battery of neuropsychological measures including several questionnaires regarding SCC. Individuals were classified into 4 biomarker groups: biomarker negative (Aβ-/ND-), amyloidosis alone (Aβ+/ND-), amyloidosis plus ND (Aβ+/ND+), and ND alone (Aβ-/ND+). Both Aβ and ND were independently associated with greater SCC controlling for objective memory performance. By contrast, neither Aβ nor ND was associated with objective memory performance controlling for SCC. Further examination revealed greater SCC in individuals with Aβ or ND positivity compared to biomarker-negative individuals. In addition, greater SCC predicted Aβ positivity when controlling fo...

Research paper thumbnail of Microfinance and women's health: an evaluation of women's health behaviors in Jimma, Ethiopia

International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of WHITE MATTER BURDEN IN CLINICALLY NORMAL OLDER ADULTS MEDIATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMYLOID BURDEN AND MEMORY FREE RECALL BUT NOT CUED RECALL

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Subjective evaluations of alcohol expectancies and their relevance to drinking game involvement in female college students

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test whether subjective evaluations of alcohol expectan... more Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test whether subjective evaluations of alcohol expectancies mediate the association between perceived drinking expectancies and participation in drinking games (DGs). Participation in DGs facilitates heavy drinking; therefore, we also examined the association between DG participation and alcohol-related problems. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 187 female athletes from an all-women's college in the Northeastern United States. Respondents completed self-report questionnaires in small groups who reported on their alcohol use, drinking expectancies, and number of DGs played with their teammates during the semester. Results: A mediation effect emerged for subjective evaluation of liquid courage expectancy but not for increased sociability and cognitive/behavioral impairment expectancies. Although perceived expectancies of cognitive/behavioral impairment were associated negatively with DG participation, positive subjective evaluations of this expectancy were related positively with DG participation. Finally, participation in DG was associated positively with alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with notions of social learning and utility theories and sheds light on the link between alcohol expectancies and participation in DGs among female student athletes. Results also highlight the health risks associated with DG involvement. Intervention programs aimed at decreasing the prevalence of DG participation might consider addressing students' perceptions about the desirability of liquid courage expectancies.

Research paper thumbnail of Neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes in poorly controlled idiopathic generalized epilepsy

Epilepsy & Behavior, 2013

The neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes of patients with poorly controlled idiopathic gen... more The neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes of patients with poorly controlled idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) have not been well characterized. The current study aimed to compare these outcomes to a group of patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). A retrospective review of patients admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit identified 19 patients with IGE and 23 patients with TLE who underwent neuropsychological and psychiatric evaluations. Patients with IGE required a longer time to complete the Trail Making Tests and had lower performance IQ compared to patients with TLE. Despite a higher burden of convulsions, patients with IGE had lower depression scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) than patients with TLE. In the group with IGE, the BDI-II scores were inversely correlated with epilepsy duration. These findings indicate that patients with IGE have lower performance IQ, impaired performance on tests of executive functioning, and lower depression scores compared to patients with TLE, implicating different pathophysiological processes.