Fonseca, Luciana Mascarenhas

Abstract Objective Clinical neuropsychology is an evidence-based discipline that draws heavily from the field’s peer-reviewed journal articles. However, our scientific understanding of the methods and content that comprise the articles published in clinical neuropsychology journals is quite limited. Method A mixed methods approach was used to describe the aims, methods, and content of clinical neuropsychology’s major lifespan journals. Six-hundred articles were randomly sampled from the 2020–2024 volumes of six lifespan clinical neuropsychology journals. All articles were coded across 42 dimensions, including article type, population, design, methods, ability domains, and miscellaneous topics (e.g., brain health). The aims/scope sections of the journals were subjected to qualitative analyses, to identify relevant themes. Results The most common article content was observed in the areas of empirical/data-driven studies, cross-sectional and observational designs, older and neurological participants, cognitive testing of higher-order abilities, and psychometrics/methods. Results showed significant between-journal differences for some of these content areas at broadly medium effect sizes (e.g., experimental design, brain health topics). Qualitative analyses yielded five shared themes, suggesting that the lifespan clinical neuropsychology journals are interested in submissions on brain-behavior relationships, clinical applications, both clinical and healthy/typical populations, professional/guild matters, and multidisciplinary investigations. Conclusions The scientific content published within clinical neuropsychology’s six primary lifespan journals varies in some dimensions, but largely focuses on cross-sectional, observational studies of psychometrics and higher-order cognition. The implications of these findings for future research in clinical neuropsychology are contextualized for authors, reviewers, and readers.

Abstract INTRODUCTION Cognition is reduced at low and high glucose, reflecting cognitive vulnerability to glucose (CVG) fluctuations. The impact of glucose fluctuations on the aging brain remains unclear. We examined whether CVG is associated with plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and neurodegeneration. METHODS Participants included N = 114 adults with type 1 diabetes assessed for processing speed and sustained attention using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) combined with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). We characterized associations between CVG and amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/40, phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) 181 and 217, neurofilament light chain, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. RESULTS CVG was associated with all plasma biomarkers, except Aβ 42/40. CVG for sustained attention exhibited strong associations with p‐tau biomarkers that persisted across covariate specifications. DISCUSSION CVG may be a useful digital phenotype of AD. It remains unclear whether CVG contributes to versus arises from neurodegeneration. We consider possible mechanisms linking cognitive vulnerability and long‐term glucose variability to the development of neuropathology. Highlights Cognitive vulnerability to glucose (CVG) may be a useful digital phenotype of neurodegeneration. We used cognitive ecological momentary assessment and continuous glucose monitoring to investigate CVG's associations with plasma biomarkers. Associations of CVG for sustained attention and phosphorylated tau 181 remained significant across covariates. We discuss possible mechanisms relating glucose variability, cognition, and neurodegeneration.