What’s going on?

Today Barbara is joined by Dr. Linda Ercoli, a clinical psychology professor and the director of UCLA’s Longevity Center. Linda has always been fascinated by what happens in the brain with dementia, and her graduate work was in geriatric psychology and the issues that elders face in our society. She talks to Barbara about neuropsychology, in which the focus is an assessment of cognizant and intellectual functions. She gets called in by neurologists, psychologists, and sometimes even lawyers to help tease out brain-related diagnoses by looking at brain scans, blood tests, and medications. After the evaluation – which she says is usually triggered by memory issues – Linda works with individuals and families to help them understand what is happening and to recommend treatment.