Neuropsychology Service
Coconut Grove Clinic
3225 Aviation Avenue, Suite 303
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
(305) 243-3465
Mental Health Hospital Center Clinic
1695 N.W. 9th Avenue, 3rd Floor
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 355-7280
Days and Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:30a.m. – 6:00p.m.
Please contact the Neuropsychology Service
to have a consultation for evaluation or
to get more information.
Neuropsychology Faculty and Staff
rhcardenache@med.miami.edu
Rene Hernandez Cardenache, Psy.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Dr.
Rene Hernandez Cardenache is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and
Neuropsychology. He is a licensed psychologist and has over six years
of pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology.
He
is currently an approved board candidate by the American Board of Clinical
Neuropsychology (ABCN), and an authority on neuropsychological
assessment--measurement of brain capabilities in relation to trauma, disease, or
aging. He
currently oversees the Neuropsychology Service at both, the Coconut
Grove Clinic and Jackson Memorial Hospital, Mental Health Hospital
Center. His research interests are in Concussion/Traumatic Brain
Injury, Alzheimer’s Dementia, Adult ADHD, and Bilingual Neuropsychology.
FGould@med.miami.edu
Felicia Gould, Ph.D.
Chief, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neuropsychology
Dr. Gould is Chief, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Neuropsychology,
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Gould is currently
seeing patients at the Memory Disorders Clinic, Mental Health Hospital
Center, and Coconut Grove sites. Her research interests are in the neuropsychological aspects of HIV, aging, and dementia.
In
addition, we have a team of highly qualified specialists in
Neuropsychiatry, Forensic Psychology, Substance Abuse, and Geriatric
Psychiatrists who are available for consultation.
Specialty Clinics in the Neuropsychology Service
Forensic Evaluation Clinic
Independent medical evaluations needed for Workers' Compensation, insurance claims, and legal proceedings are provided.
Adult Outpatient Clinic (JMH/Mental Health Hospital Center)
Dr. Hernandez-Cardenache sees adult patients for neuropsychological evaluations who present with a variety of clinical problems and referral questions. Test battery length and content are generally flexible and dependent on the nature of the referral questions.
Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic
Drs. Hernandez-Cardenache and Gould evaluate victims of concussion and traumatic brain injury. Specialized neuropsychological testing is used in this clinic to delineate cognitive impairment, track cognitive and emotional changes across time, and to provide recommendations prior to returning to work, school, contact sports, and re-entering the community. Dr. Hernandez-Cardenache is trained in using imPACT, state-of-the-art neuropsychological testing for the management of concussion and sports-related head injuries. Evaluations can be completed with both, English and Spanish patients.
Research in the Neuropsychology Service`
The Neuropsychology Service is actively collaborating with the Memory Disorders Clinic in research looking at the early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease, and the development of Brain Fitness programs. In addition, it is also working with the Department of Neurology on a project examining how sleep deprivation in residents affect neurocognitive functioning in a cohort of Anesthesiology Residents.
Education in Neuropsychology Service
The Neuropsychology Service sponsors externs/practicum students from APA-accredited graduate clinical or counseling psychology training programs in Florida to participate in specialized training in neuropsychological assessment. Training is generally tailored to the individual needs of the graduate student; however, training generally involves attending didactics on neuropsychological and psychiatric disorders, as well as training in test administration, scoring, test interpretation, and report writing. The purpose of such training is to enable students interested in the specialty to develop the clinical skills to effectively work with patients with neurological and psychological impairment.
Faculty and staff from the service regularly participate in advancing medical education by providing lectures to medical students, seminars to psychiatry residents, and scholarly presentations to post-doctoral fellows in the Psychology Program.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Neuropsychology is the scientific study of the functions of mind as it relates to the workings of the brain. When psychological changes occur as a result ot trauma, disease, or aging of the brain, clinical psychologists with specialized training called "Neuropsychologists" examine the relationships between the mind and the brain, to understand how the person's overall functioning has been affected.
Neuropsychological testing is a way of looking at the relationships between the brain and cognitive abilities. These tests are an important part of an overall evaluation, as they provide an objective measure of a person's cognitive and emotional strengths and weaknesses. Using a set of standardized tests and procedures, neuropsychological assessment provides a systematic evaluation of an affected person's intelligence, attention, language, learning & memory, problem-solving ability, visual-motor skills, sensorimotor, and personality/emotional functioning.
A typical evaluation involves a record review, an interview with the patient and family when available, along with the administration of both neuropsychological and psychological tests. Such tests usually invovle paper and pencil, performance measures, and computer-based instruments. Such evaluations can be conducted in English or Spanish.
Neuropsychological consultation plays a major role in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, educational, and vocational planning. It is particularly valuable as an objective measurement of how the person is doing before and after treatment.
Neuropsychological consultation can be beneficial for any case in which cognitive, behavioral, or emotional difficulties are suspected to involve trauma, disease, or aging, and have a negative effect on a person's way of functioning (at work, school, or with family and friends). Persons who benefit include those with the following conditions or needs:
Acquired brain injury (i.e., concussion, traumatic brain injury, stroke, central nervous system infection, brain tumor, hypoxia, or toxic exposures).
Progressive Degenerative Disease (i.e., Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson Disease, Huntington's Chorea, and Multiple Sclerosis).
Psychiatric conditions with a high index of risk for neurological (i.e., organic) involvement (i.e., chronic alcoholism, schizophrenia).
Attention, memory, or language problems that affect daily functioning, but for which the causes are unclear, unknown, or poorly delineated (i.e., Adult ADHD).
Identifying and measuring cognitive abilities of persons who are preparing to undergo a neurosurgical procedure, and re-testing of the person after the surgery (i.e., pre-post neurosurgical procedures).
Frequent Reasons for Seeking Neuropsychological Services
Costs to the Patient
Most major insurance companies will pay at least part of the cost for a neuropsychological evaluation. Call us with your insurance information and our billing staff will check on the extent of your coverage for these services.
How to Use Our Services
Referrals for neuropsychological consultations and evaluations may be requested by physicians, mental health professionals, patients, or by concerned family members in the community. We also accept referrals from inpatient and outpatient clinics. Upon receiving financial clearance, we will schedule an initial consultation and schedule for testing. In order to schedule an initial appointment please call our Coconut Grove office at 305-243-3465.
Getting Test Results and Professional Feedback
Receiving verbal and written feedback is the final step of the process. Results and testing information is tailored to the needs of the patient and the referral source. In general, a comprehensive report summarizing the findings, recommendations for useful treatments, and the likely consequences of the person's difficulties in day to day functioning are delineated for the referral source. This commonly includes useful information to the patient, family, attorneys, teachers, or employers, as to the strengths, challenges, and limitations the person will likely have when continuing life after the injury/condition.