University of Calgary

Brandy Callahan

  • Associate Professor

Research Profile

I am not currently recruiting any new students or volunteers.

Broadly speaking, my research aims to improve the early diagnosis of dementia in older adults. I am particularly interested in how to best recognize early signs of neurodegenerative disease in individuals who have complex clinical presentations, including co-morbid medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions that may mimic or increase dementia risk (in particular, later-life ADHD). A second important area of my research involves determining the most accurate methods of assessing cognition and predicting future decline. My work is heavily based in neuropsychology, and also integrates neuroimaging and neuropathological tools to draw conclusions about progression and mechanisms of disease.

A complete list of my publications can be found here.

Selected recent Publications

Callahan, B.L., Becker, S., Ramirez, J., Taylor, R., Shammi, P., & Black, S.E. Vascular burden moderates the relationship between ADHD and cognition in older adults. In press at the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2023.10.018.

Becker S, Chowdhury M, Tavilsup P, Seitz D, Callahan BL. Risk of neurodegenerative disease or dementia in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2023 Aug 17;14:1158546. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1158546.

Becker, S., Sharma, M.J., & Callahan, B.L. (2022). ADHD and neurodegenerative disease risk: A critical examination of the evidence. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13(826213): 1-17. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.826213.

Callahan, B.L., Ramakrishnan, N., Shammi, P., Bierstone, D., Taylor, R., Ozzoude, M., Goubran, M., Stuss, D.T., & Black., S.E. (2022). Cognitive and neuroimaging profiles of older adults with ADHD presenting to a memory clinic. Journal of Attention Disorders, 26(8), 1118-1129, DOI: 10.1177/10870547211060546.

Callahan, B.L.†, Plamondon, A.†, Gill, S. & Ismail, Z. (2021). Contribution of vascular risk factors to the relationship between ADHD symptoms and cognition in adults and seniors. Scientific Reports, Dec 20;11(1):24276. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03782-y.

Callahan, B.L., Shammi, P., Taylor, R., Ramakrishnan, N., & Black., S.E. (2021). Longitudinal cognitive performance of older adults with ADHD presenting to a cognitive neurology clinic: A case series of change up to 21 years. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13(726374):1-16. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.726374.

Prentice, J.L., Schaeffer, M.J., Wall, A.K., & Callahan, B.L. (2021). A systematic review and comparison of neurocognitive features of late-life attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dementia with Lewy bodies. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 34(5), 466-481, DOI: 10.1177/0891988720944251.

Callahan, B.L., McLaren-Gradinaru, M., Burles, F. & Iaria, G. (2021). How does dementia begin to manifest in bipolar disorder? A description of prodromal clinical and cognitive changes. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 82:737-748. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-201240

Sharma, M.J., Lavoie, S., & Callahan, B.L. (2021). A call for research on the validity of the age-of-onset criterion application in older adults being evaluated for ADHD: A review of the literature in clinical and cognitive psychology. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(7):669-678. DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.10.016.

Sharma, M.J. & Callahan, B.L. (2021). Cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative pathologies in long-term stable mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 79:1269-1283. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-200829

Huang, V., Hogan, D.B., Ismail, Z., Maxwell, C.J., Smith, E.E. & Callahan, B.L. (2020). Evaluating the real-world representativeness of participants with mild cognitive impairment in Canadian research protocols: a comparison of the characteristics of a memory clinic patients and research samples. Canadian Geriatrics Journal, 23(4):297-328. DOI: 10.5770/cgj.23.416.

Callahan, B.L. (2020). On the misalignment between research and clinical practice in psychology: An example from the Alzheimer’s and dementia field. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 61(2), 127–139. DOI: 10.1037/cap0000204

Callahan, B.L. (2020). Operationalizing impaired performance in neuropsychological assessment: A comparison of the use of published versus sample-based normative data for the prediction of dementia. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1-8. DOI: 10.1017/S1355617719001309.

Callahan, B.L.* & Plamondon, A.* (2019). Examining the validity of the ADHD concept in adults and older adults. CNS Spectrums, 24(5):518-525. DOI: 10.1017/S1092852918001190.

Schaeffer, M.J. & Callahan, B.L. (2019). Investigating the association between verbal forgetting and pathological markers of Alzheimer’s and Lewy body diseases. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 70(3):877-887. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180962.

Callahan, B.L., Bierstone, D., Stuss, D.T., & Black, S.E. (2017). Adult ADHD: Risk factor for dementia or phenotypic mimic? Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 9(260):1-15. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00260. 

Students

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