The American College of Professional Neuropsychology
(ACPN)
Distance Learning presents:
Neuropsychological Assessment Across the Lewy Body Disease Continuum
Presented by
Joanne M. Hamilton, PhD, ABPP
Abstract:
This presentation will review the role of neuropsychological assessment in Lewy body spectrum disorders, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies across the disease continuum. Emphasis will be placed on cognitive and neuropsychiatric features emerging in the prodromal phase, their evolution through early and advanced stages, and the implications for diagnosis and prognosis. The talk will compare and contrast characteristic neuropsychological profiles of Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies, highlighting differences in symptom chronology, attentional and executive dysfunction, visuospatial impairment, and fluctuating cognition. Practical considerations in assessment, including test selection, interpretation of stage-related confounds, and integration of findings into interdisciplinary clinical care, will be discussed.
Speaker Biography:
Dr. Joanne Hamilton is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist with specialized expertise in Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and related neurodegenerative disorders. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her PhD in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology) from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the UC San Diego Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, where she later served as an NIH-funded research neuroscientist, including as Principal Investigator on an R01 focused on cognitive changes in Lewy body spectrum disorders. Dr. Hamilton is currently the lead neuropsychologist in the Division of Neurology at Scripps Clinic Medical Group in San Diego and directs adult neuropsychology at her private practice. Her work emphasizes clinically grounded, evidence-based neuropsychological assessment across the disease continuum, with a focus on translating research findings into meaningful guidance for patients, families, and care teams.