Medical Psychology
Neuropsychology Unit
1. Contact Person:
Alexandra Walker (Head)
Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist
Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service
Ph: (+61 2) 9845 6906
E-mail: awalker@biru.wsahs.nsw.gov.au
or
Fernando Cruz
Department of Medical Psychology,
Ph: (+61 2 98456686)
E-mail: fernando_cruz@wsahs.nsw.gov.au
2. Services:
The Neuropsychology Unit provides a comprehensive assessment service to inpatients
and outpatients of Westmead Hospital. This includes the Comprehensive Epilepsy
Programme, the Huntington’s Disease Service, Redbank House, neurosurgical
and neurology wards, psychiatry wards and general medical wards. A clinician
employed by the Brain Injury Unit sees outpatients of that unit with traumatic
brain injury. The neuropsychological examination assesses the nature and degree
of brain damage or dysfunction including cognitive, behavioural and emotional
aspects. The results may contribute to diagnosis and medical management and
lead to recommendations with respect to rehabilitation and the ability to engage
in employment, education, domestic and personal care activities, driving, and
competency in decision-making about financial and medical management. Recommendations
for the client or family to compensate for cognitive or behavioural difficulties
are also made.
The specific services include:
Inpatients with acquired brain impairment referred from any ward
or department within the hospital.
Clinician: Ms Sara Lucas.
Consultation to the Huntington Disease Service, through the Department
of Neurology. Patients are seen for neuropsychological assessment and
management and counselling is provided to patients and carers. This service
is provided to Westmead Hospital outpatients and inpatients of Huntington’s
Lodge at Lottie Stewart Hospital, Dundas.
Clinician: Dr Bernadette Bibb.
Consultation to the Epilepsy Unit – Neuropsychological assessment
is an integral part of this program for which referrals must come through
Dr Andrew Bleasel. Assessments are performed as part of the pre-surgery work
up, and follow up assessments post-surgery may also take place. The Neuropsychologist
may perform the Wada technique to aid in lateralisation of epilepsy focus
pre-surgery.
Clinician: Alex Knopman.
Psychogeriatrics
Neuropsychological Assessment is provided to older individuals (>65 years)
with psychiatric disorders. Assessments are often requested in order to differentiate
between psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, to document the extent
of cognitive impairment associated with psychiatric conditions in older people,
or to obtain a baseline assessment so that a patient’s cognition can
be followed up over time. A neuropsychological assessment may also be sought
to help determine cognitive capacity for decision-making and guardianship
processes. Referrals are taken for patients of the Aged Care Psychiatry service.
Clinician:
Westmead Cognition Clinic (Geriatric Medicine) is a specialty clinic
that takes referrals relating to differential diagnosis of dementia. This
multidisciplinary clinic, consisting of Geriatricians (led by Dr. Nick Cordato),
Neuropsychologists, Social workers and Nursing Staff, aims to enhance clinical
and research interest in dementia syndromes, as well as improve support and
outcomes for patients and their families.
Clinician: Ilana Hepner and Sara Lucas
A general outpatient service accepts referrals from doctors
and psychologists for patients within the SWAHS (and out of area patients
with no access to neuropsychological services) who may have an acquired brain
disorder including psychiatric, neurological and neurodegenerative disorders.
Referrals for assessment of developmental disorders (eg., intellectual disability,
learning disability, ADHD) are not accepted unless there is an associated
acquired disorder.
Clinician: Ms Sara Lucas and Alex Knopman
Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit – Neuropsychological examination
of people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury and are a client of the
Brain Injury Unit. Assessments may be performed soon after the injury and
as follow-up to chart progress and make recommendations for ongoing rehabilitation
and treatment of cognitive and/or psychological problems.
Clinician: Ms Alexandra Walker.
Redbank House – Neuropsychological services are provided to
adolescents with a range of psychiatric disorders through inpatients and day
patients of the Adolescent Units (Acute and Adolescent & Family), outpatients
through the Alternate Care Clinic and first episode psychosis patients, with
whom there is ongoing follow up. A cognitive remediation programme is provided
to inpatients recovering from first episode psychosis.
Clinician: Ms Antoinette Redoblado.
3. Specific Programmes:
Redbank Cognitive Remediation programme – A 20-session programme
aimed at improving cognitive skills of adolescents recovering from First Episode
Psychosis through the use of computerised educational software programs. Sessions
occur four days a week for one hour each day and are conducted with groups
of three to four adolescents. Programmes are tailored to suit each individual’s
learning style and profile of neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses.
Clinician: Ms Antoinette Redoblado.
4. Research projects:
Ongoing neuropsychological assessment data is collected as part of an international
study by the Huntington’s Study Group. This study is co-ordinated
at the University of Rochester, New York. The patient sample at Westmead
Hospital is one of the largest in the study.
Clinician: Dr Bernadette Bibb.
The Western Sydney First Episode Psychosis project investigates the neuropsychological
profiles of young people with a first episode psychosis.
Clinicians: Ms Antoinette Redoblado, Ms Sara Lucas
The study of memory lateralisation by Wada versus standard neuropsychological
tests for people with epilepsy.
Clinician: Alex Knopman
The Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation is a project aimed
at trialing a cognitive remediation approach in a population of adolescents
with First Episode Psychosis and is being conducted in conjunction with Northern
Area Health Service.
Clinician: Ms Antoinette Redoblado.
5. Research Publications 1997-2003
Dr Bernadette Bibb:
Bibb, B. C., Coltheart, M., & Nickels, L. A. (1997). Abstract word
form deafness: A case study [Abstract]. Australian Journal of Psychology,
49(Suppl.), 134.
Bibb, B. C. & McCusker, E. A. (2000). Neuropsychological impairment
in older adults with late onset Huntington’s Disease [Abstract].
Brain Impairment, 1, 81-82.
Bibb, B. C. & Nickels, L. A. (1999). Phonological dyslexia in primary
progressive aphasia [Abstract]. Australian Journal of Psychology, 51[Suppl.],
148.
Bibb, B. C., Nickels, L. A., & Coltheart, M. (2000). Impaired auditory
lexical access and the effect of speech-reading. Asia Pacific Journal
of Speech, Language and Hearing, 5(2) (Special Issue), 129-135.
Bibb, B. C., Nickels, L. A., & Coltheart, M. (2000). Speech reading
and its role in auditory processing. Brain and Language, 74, 489-491.
Bibb, B. C., Nickels, L. A., & Coltheart, M. (1998). Abstract word
form deafness and the effect of lip-reading [Abstract]. Australian Journal
of Psychology, 50 (Suppl.), 133.
Ms Alexandra Walker:
Walker AJ, Onus, M., Doyle, M., Clare, J., & McCarthy,
K. (2005). Cognitive rehabilitation after severe traumatic brain injury: A
pilot programme of goal planning and outdoor adventure course participation.
Brain Injury, 19 (14), 1237-1241.
Walker AJ, Meares S, Sachdev P & Brodaty H (2005). The
differentiation of mild frontotemporal dementia from Alzheimer’s disease
and healthy elderly by neuropsychological tests. International Psychogeriatrics,
17:1, 57-68.
Walker AJ, Shores EA, Trollor JN, Lee T & Sachdev PS.
(2000). Neuropsychological functioning of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Vol 22 (1),
115-124.
Sachdev P, Trollor J, Walker AJ et al. (2001). Bilateral
orbitofrontal leucotomy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a single case study
using positron emision tomography. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,
35: 684-690.
Sachdev P, Brodaty H, Wang X, Valenzuela M, Gillies D, Looi J, Lorentz L,
Monk D, Kinch J, Howard L, Walker A, Shnier R, Zagami A &
Wilcken D. (2001) . Cognitive impairment in a stroke sample: Preliminary results
from the Sydney stroke study. In Contemporary Psychiatry, M Gaviria &
Y Morita (Eds), Springer: Tokyo.
Sachdev P, Gaur R, Brodaty H, Walker A, Meares S, Koder D
& Haindl W. (1997). Longitudinal study of cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer’s
disease using single photon emission tomography. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging,
68, (2-3), 133-141.
Lee T, MacKenzie R, Walker A, Matheson J & Sachdev P.
(1997). The effects of left temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy
on memory. Journal of Clinical Neurosciences, Vol 4 (3), 314-319.
Ms Sara Lucas:
Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). WMS-III
findings in litigants following moderate to extremely severe brain trauma.
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology,27, 576-590.
Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). Evaluation
of Two Methods for Estimating Premorbid Intelligence on the WAIS-III in a
Clinical Sample. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 18 (3), 423-432.
Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2004). Validation
of the Rarely Missed Index (RMI) from the Wechsler Memory Scale – Third
Edition (WMS-III) as a method of detecting memory malingering in mild head
injury litigants. Journal of Forensic Neuropsychology, 4(1), 49-64.
Lucas, S.K., Carstairs, J. & Shores, E.A. (2003). A comparison of
methods to estimate premorbid intelligence in an Australian sample: Data from
the Macquarie University Neuropsychological Normative Study (MUNNS). Australian
Psychologist, in press.
Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2003). Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale - Third Edition findings in relation to severity of brain injury in
litigants. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, in press.
Langeluddecke, P.M. & Lucas, S.K. (2003). Quantitative measures
of memory malingering on the Wechsler Memory Scale - Third Edition in mild
head injury litigants. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 18, 181-197.
Lucas, S. & Wade, T. (2001). An examination of the power of the
voices in predicting the mental state of people experiencing psychosis. Behaviour
Change, 18, 51-57.
Ms Sara Lucas & Ms Antoinette Redoblado:
Wegener, S., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Lucas, S.K., Fitzgerald,
D., Harris, A. & Brennan, J. (2005). The relative contribution of psychiatric
symptoms and neuropsychological functioning to quality of life in first episode
psychosis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychaitry, in press.
Harris, A., Brennan, J., Anderson, J., Taylor, A., Sanbrook, M., Fitzgerald,
D., Lucas, S., Redoblado-Hodge, A., Gomes, L. & Gordon,
E. (2005). Clinical profiles, scope and general findings of the Western Sydney
First Episode Psychosis Project. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,
39, 36-43.
Lucas, S., Fitzgerald, D., Redoblado-Hodge, M.A., Anderson,
J., Sanbrook, M., Harris, A. & Brennan, J. (2004). Neuropsychological
correlates of symptom profiles in first episode schizophrenia. Schizophrenia
Research, 71, 323-330.
Fitzgerald, D., Lucas, S., Redoblado, M.A., Winter, V., Brennan,
J., Anderson, J. & Harris, A. (2004). Cognitive functioning in young people
with first episode psychosis: relationship to diagnosis and clinical characteristics.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 501-510.
Lucas, S. K., Fitzgerald, D., Redoblado, A., Brennan, J., &
Harris, A. (2000). Neuropsychological correlates of symptom profiles in first-episode
psychosis [Abstract]. Australian Journal of Psychology, 52 (Suppl.), 134.
Redoblado MA, Lucas S, Fitzgerald, Winter V, Harris A, Brennan J. (2002).
Cognitive profiles of first episode schizophrenia and affective disorders.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 106 (413):40
Winter V, Lucas S, Fitzgerald D, Redoblado MA, Harris A &
Brennan J. (2002) Duration of untreated psychosis in first episode psychosis.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 106 (413): 72
Fitzgerald D, Lucas S, Redoblado MA, Brennan J, Anderson J, Sanbrook
M, Taylor A & Harris A. (2002). WSFEPP: neuropsychological function and
diagnosis in early psychosis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 106 (413): 98
Ms Antoinette Redoblado:
Nolan MA, Redoblado MA, Lah S, Sabaz M, Lawson J, Cunningham AM, Bleasel
AF, & Bye AME. (2003). Intelligence in childhood epilepsy syndromes. Epilepsy
Research. 53:139-150
Redoblado MA, Grayson S & Miller LA. (2003). Lateralized Temporal-Lobe
Lesion Effects on Learning and Memory: Examining the Contributions of Stimulus
Novelty and Presentation Mode. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology,
25: 36-48.
Nolan, M., Redoblado, A., Lah, S, Sabaz, M., Lawson, JA, Bleasel AF,
Bye AME. Does epilepsy syndrome predict intellectual ability in childhood?
Journal of Clinical Neurosciences, 8:488.
Redoblado, A., Bleasel, A., & Bye, A. M. (2000). Neuropsychological
features of different epilepsy syndromes [Abstract]. Brain Impairment,
1, 84.
Redoblado, A. & Miller, L. A. (1998). Stimulus novelty contributes
to the lateralisation of lesion effects of temporal lobectomy on learning
[Abstract]. Australian Journal of Psychology, 50(Suppl.), 144.
Honorary Members
Dr Arthur Shores
Dr Jenny Batchelor
Susanne Meares
Updated: 20th April 2006 fsc
