Neuropsychology/Neuroscience Track

Neuropsychology interns will have one day of protected research time each week. Given the nature of the internship year, interns will have a greater likelihood of benefiting from being involved in faculty research projects rather than initiating an independent project. The opportunities to participate in neuroscience research are as follows.

Neuropsychology Data Repository – Neuropsychology Faculty
The neuropsychology faculty maintain a data repository of individuals seen through our clinical service who consent to allow use of their data for research. This is a rich source of data, collected over 10+ years of clinical service, with a wide variety of neurocognitive diagnoses and etiologies represented. Our team has published several projects using these data and we have collaborated with other departments in answering cognitive questions in specific populations.

Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment in Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment/Alzheimers Disease – Nicholas Allan, PhD; Chris Nguyen, PhD
Interns working on this NIH-funded R01 will have the opportunity to participate in a research project aimed at delivering a brief computerized intervention to adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease-related dementia (ADRD) and their care partners. Dr. Allan’s research focuses on developing and testing brief transdiagnostic interventions for emotional distress and related conditions. This project involves randomizing 196 participants into one of two intervention conditions and monitoring both objective and subjective anxiety and cognitive impairment. Interns will be responsible for administering a neuropsychological battery at baseline and during follow-ups. Additionally, they will receive training to deliver two brief, computerized interventions, which will be augmented by a clinician. Interns will also gain experience in utilizing mobile applications to enhance interventions. This role provides a valuable opportunity to contribute to meaningful research and develop skills in neuropsychological assessment, intervention delivery, and the use of technology in clinical settings.

The Tso Lab-Ivy Tso, PhD
The Tso Lab conducts research investigating social cognition in psychiatric populations, especially in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The lab uses a multitude of research methods including, fMRI, EEG, neuromodulation, eye tracking, and computational modeling to answer our research questions. Dr. Tso currently has two NIMH funded studies in progress that interns would have the opportunity to participate in. The first investigates disrupted eye gaze perception as a biobehviarol marker of social dysfunction in a transdiagnostic sample, which includes individuals ages 14-30 with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or psychosis. This study aims to assess the generality of gaze perception disturbances in psychiatric patients and to identify the neural correlates of altered gaze perception using fMRI. The second study is an investigation into the age-based trajectory of social cognitive deficits in mid- to late- life individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. The study aims to characterize deficits in cognitive and affective processes across age, identity behavioral and biological markers of mental illness, and identify the neural bases of age based cognitive deficits using EEG.

Neuroimaging and Applied Computational Anatomy Lab – Lei Wang, PhD
Dr. Wang is interested in developing neuroimaging biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders ranging from psychosis and dementia to pediatric HIV and cancer-treatment related cognitive dysfunction. He is interested in understanding these disorders at the brain circuit and systems levels. Neuroimaging biomarkers are complex, multidimensional and should be integrated across multiple modalities. Dr. Wang uses computational anatomy tools to develop these biomarkers, bridging mathematics, engineering and clinical neuroscience. Neuroimaging biomarkers can help us see the structure and function of the living brain and help us see when and where disease breaks down neural function. This can lead to advances in both basic science and patient care. For example, multimodal imaging approaches can examine how the brain’s activation and communication abilities are disrupted when there is a structural breakdown. This understanding could help explain why people develop certain cognitive dysfunctions or clinical symptoms, and in turn help develop targeted interventions. Dr. Wang is also interested in contributing to the building of big data and open science infrastructure for neuroimaging research. This includes data discovery, data sharing, and reproducibility science. Big data and the increasingly large amount of open science research will help us make new discoveries faster by combining and more fully utilizing already-collected data. Open science will also encourage sharing of tools and foster new collaborations.

The Phan Lab - Luan Phan, MD
The Phan Lab believes that solving the mystery of mental illness and improving how we treat mental illness begins with studying the brain. Therefore, the lab employs affective, cognitive, and social neuroscience perspectives and uses a multi-level, multi-unit analytic approach that integrates self-report and clinical scales, neuropsychological assessments, behavioral performance, neuropsychopharmacology, and peripheral and central psychophysiology. In addition, our studies often incorporate clinical trials of pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions, to interrogate the mechanisms of illness and recovery. The lab primarily uses magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, DTI, sMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) of event-related potentials (ERP), electromyography (EMG) of startle response, and other psychophysiologic readouts as assays of brain function as they relate to emotion, affect regulation, motivation and cognition. We focus on anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression and alcohol and drug use disorders. The lab is intentionally multi-disciplinary and patient-oriented. Ultimately, we seek to understand mental illness more fully, make current treatments better and innovate treatment and prevention strategies that are more targeted and precise, in order to avert or reduce the burden of mental illness.

General Adult Neuropsychology Service
Interns on this service will gain breadth in their general differential diagnosis skills. Referrals are received from a range of departments, including Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, Transplant Medicine, Cardiology, and other specialties. This rotation is ideal for individuals with specialty neuropsychology training who would benefit from a broader understanding of neurocognitive dynamics across common medical conditions and demographics.

Movement Disorder Service
The medical team at OSUWMC’S Center for Neuromodulation is nationally recognized for their work in deep brain stimulation and focused ultrasound ablation treatment for conditions such as essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. Our neuropsychology team provides pre- and post-surgical cognitive and psychological evaluations to help identify candidates for surgery and monitor functioning over time. Interns are involved a range of screening and comprehensive assessment opportunities. This rotation includes a strong emphasis in multidisciplinary consultation with other OSUMC providers including neurosurgeons, neurologists, radiologists, nursing, and research staff.

Geriatric Service
Interns will gain experience in providing high quality medical care for older persons (those over 65 years of age) presenting to our outpatient neuropsychology clinic with cognitive concerns. Interns will improve their knowledge of common cognitive concerns among the elderly, including neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia), metabolic disturbance, chronic health conditions, polypharmacy, and mood disorders. In this clinic, a special emphasis is placed on performing competency evaluations and may include opportunities for research in this area.

Transplant Service
The Ohio State Neuropsychology Service regularly assists OSUMC’s Comprehensive Transplant Center with determining surgical eligibility based on potential cognitive, emotional, and behavioral risk factors that can interfere with acquiring knowledge regarding the potential risks and benefits of treatment or impede treatment compliance/adherence. We evaluate capacity to make medical decisions and identify potential barriers and supports needed to facilitate a successful recovery post-transplant. Our faculty works closely with patients to identify supports that may help overcome potential barriers when present, so they may become eligible for organ transplantation. We also work with transplant recipients to rule-out/identify cognitive changes that may have occurred secondary to postoperative complications and to offer treatment recommendations to improve everyday functioning. Patients include candidates for heart, kidney, lung, and liver transplantation.

Post-ICU Service
In collaboration with internal medicine, our team evaluates patients who have been recently discharged from extended hospitalizations in the intensive care unit. These patients often have complex medical histories including hypoxic respiratory failure, hemorrhagic stroke, systemic infections, encephalopathy, cardiac arrest, mechanical ventilation, or spinal cord injuries. The goal of these evaluations is to identify lasting cognitive effects resulting from medical events during hospitalization and aid in treatment planning or referral to cognitive remediation services to optimize a successful recovery.

Serious Mental Illness Service
The Ohio State Neuropsychology Service receives referrals from OSU and community mental health providers to assess cognitive functioning in those diagnosed with serious mental illnesses (SMI), including schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Within this population, neuropsychology is uniquely poised to address questions related to etiology and functional impact of cognitive symptoms (e.g., due to neurodegenerative process, illness or injury, psychiatric symptoms, and/or secondary factors) and to provide recommendations for treatment, resources, and cognitive strategies. Our team also works closely with the OSU Early Psychosis Intervention Center (EPICENTER) team to provide neuropsychological evaluations for those who have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing psychosis symptom onset, often with the goal of supporting functional recovery. Cases are typically seen in the outpatient setting, though there may be opportunities for inpatient assessment.

Cognitive Remediation Service
The OSU Neuropsychology Cognitive Remediation service provides individually tailored treatment protocol developed from evidence-based cognitive-behavioral interventions for patients who are eligible to participate in this intervention. Specifically, cognitive remediation refers to behavioral interventions aimed at improving cognition in individuals who have experienced a decline in cognitive functioning. These interventions are administered over multiple sessions and involve a range of activities including general mental activity, guided practice on cognitively demanding tasks, and use of internal or external strategies.

Geropsychology Service
The OSU Geropsychology Service provides evidence-based, mental health interventions, for adults ages 65 and older on a variety of clinical issues such as depression, anxiety, adjustment to chronic illnesses, the stress of caregiving, and grief and loss.

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Related

Neuropsychology/Neuroscience Track

Clinical Experiences

Clinical Neuroscience Research Experience

Clinical Neuroscience Training

Sample Intern Schedule