Memory slips, trouble focusing, slower thinking or changes in mood or personality can feel confusing and scary. Our clinical neuropsychology team is here to help you figure out what’s going on and what to do next. We check how your brain and behavior are doing, share what we find, and give advice that fits you, your family and your care team.
Learn about your memory, focus and everyday brain function with neuropsychology
The brain is a complex organ made up of different networks that control how we think, feel and act. When it isn’t working the way it should, memory, focus, speech, mood, learning and problem-solving can change. These changes can feel confusing or frustrating, and they might mean parts of the brain have been injured or aren’t working as they should. Understanding what’s happening is the first step to feeling more in control and finding ways to adapt.
We help you make sense of it all. Our clinical neuropsychologists know how different parts of the brain work and can evaluate people at any age. We give clear diagnoses and guide next steps for treatment, support and long-term planning. We focus on your strengths while spotting challenges and work with you and your family to find solutions that make everyday life easier and more manageable.
Please note: We specialize in adult clinical neuropsychology. While we don’t offer pediatric neuropsychology, our child and adolescent psychiatry team is available to provide behavioral health support and care for children and teens.
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Conditions
Neuropsychological evaluations can be helpful for many reasons. They can clarify behavior, support a diagnosis, guide care and planning, check how well a treatment is working, assess decision-making abilities, or help with research.
If you or a loved one is noticing changes in learning, memory, attention, speech, coordination, perception, organization or personality, it can feel confusing or worrying. Your doctor may suggest seeing a neuropsychologist to understand what’s happening.
Neuropsychologists also help when brain changes are linked to other health conditions like liver, kidney, heart, lung, digestive or hormone problems, or certain cancers.
Some conditions we often evaluate and support include:
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Attention disorders
- Autism spectrum
- Brain tumors
- Cancer and cancer-related cognitive changes (“chemo brain”)
- Dementia (such as vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal)
- Epilepsy
- Genetic, metabolic, and hormone disorders
- Head injury
- Infectious diseases
- Learning disabilities
- Medical illnesses
- Metabolic disorders
- Multiple sclerosis and other neuroimmune disorders
- Movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease
- Organ transplant
- Psychiatric conditions like depression or anxiety
- Sports concussions
- Stroke and vascular cognitive disorders
Some people may also have the option to take part in clinical trials, which help doctors test new ways to understand, treat or support brain health.
We work with you and your doctor to understand your situation, focus on your strengths, and guide next steps for treatment, support and strategies to make everyday life easier.
Testing
A neuropsychological evaluation looks closely at how your brain and mind are working. We do this through conversations, questionnaires and tests. These help us understand how changes in thinking, memory, behavior or mood might affect your everyday life and guide strategies or treatments to help you function at your best.
We also focus on your strengths and challenges, not just the difficulties. Then we work with you, your doctor and your family or caregivers to give a clear picture of what’s happening and what steps can help you in daily life.
What your brain can tell us
During testing, we look at several key areas and how difficulties might show up in daily life:
- Learning and memory: Trouble remembering daily plans, medications, phone numbers, directions or important events
- Attention and concentration: Getting easily distracted, losing track of what’s happening, trouble handling more than one task at a time, brain fog or slower thinking
- Problem-solving and planning: Difficulty organizing, making plans, predicting how long tasks will take, or getting started on activities
- Language and communication: Struggling to find the right words or understand others
- Visual and spatial skills: Trouble judging distance, navigating stairs, parking, or noticing details in your surroundings
- Motor skills and coordination: Slower movements or difficulty with tasks that used to be easy, especially ones requiring fine motor skills
- Emotional function: Problems managing or expressing feelings, overreacting to small things, mood swings, irritability, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy
What to expect from your evaluation
- Clinical interview: We start with a conversation about the difficulties you’re noticing. We often talk with a family member or caregiver too. We ask about your background, education, daily routines, social life and medical history so we can understand where challenges are happening and what concerns you most.
- Neuropsychology testing: Next, we do tests tailored to your needs. These measure thinking, memory, problem-solving and other brain functions. After testing, results are scored and compared to people of the same age and education level. Family members or caregivers usually wait in a separate room during testing.
- Feedback session: Finally, we meet again to review results, share what we found and give clear recommendations for support, strategies or treatments to make daily life easier.
Treatments
Treatment in neuropsychology is all about helping you live your best daily life, even when memory, focus, thinking, behavior or mood change. After your evaluation, we work with you, your family and your medical team—including specialists in psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, kidney health, metabolism, genetics and general medicine—to create a personalized plan that fits your needs.
Treatment may include:
- Working with doctors, therapists and caregivers to coordinate care and make sure everything is connected
- Guidance for managing mood, behavior and social challenges, supporting emotional well-being and coping strategies
- Recommendations for medications, in partnership with your medical team, to help with thinking, mood or behavior when needed
- Identifying people who may be eligible for new Alzheimer’s therapies, including support for evaluation, enrollment, tracking outcomes and ongoing monitoring
- Suggestions for joining clinical trials to access new or emerging treatments
- Recommendations for therapy, rehabilitation or brain training programs
- Strategies and tools to improve memory, attention, problem-solving and organization, often using habits and compensatory techniques
- Support for home or work adjustments to make daily tasks easier and safer
- Education for you and your family about cognitive changes and practical ways to manage them at home
- Guidance on lifestyle and medical factors that affect brain health—like sleep, exercise, heart health, stress, nutrition and mental stimulation—with simple steps to make these habits part of your routine
- Advice on noninvasive brain stimulation therapies, when appropriate, to support thinking, mood and daily function
Our goal is to help you understand your strengths and challenges, improve function where possible and give practical solutions that make everyday life easier and more manageable.
FAQs
What conditions do neuropsychologists treat?
Neuropsychologists help with conditions that affect the brain, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke, brain tumors, epilepsy, head injuries, attention disorders, learning disabilities and autism. We also assess brain changes caused by other medical conditions like heart, kidney, liver or endocrine disorders.
What happens during a neuropsychology evaluation?
A neuropsychological evaluation helps us see how your brain is working and how it affects daily life. It usually has three parts:
- Interview: We talk about your daily life, medical history and any concerns.
- Testing: Short tasks measure memory, attention, problem-solving, language, motor skills and mood.
- Feedback: We review results, highlight strengths and challenges and give tips for everyday life.
No need to study or worry – These tests aren’t pass or fail, and they’re adjusted to fit your needs.
Tips to prepare
- Sleep well
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Take your medications
- Bring glasses, hearing aids or past test records
This evaluation helps you understand your brain, see your strengths, and get strategies to make daily life easier.
How are neuropsychology results used?
Results help your neuropsychologist and medical team understand your condition, guide treatment options, recommend therapies or cognitive training, and suggest strategies to improve memory, focus, learning and everyday functioning.
Who should consider a neuropsychology evaluation?
If you or a loved one is experiencing changes in memory, focus, thinking, mood, speech, coordination or behavior, your doctor may recommend a neuropsychology evaluation to better understand the cause and next steps.
How do I get started with a neuropsychologist in Boston?
Talk with your doctor about a referral or contact our neuropsychology team directly. We will guide you through testing, review results in plain language, and recommend personalized treatment and support strategies.
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