Older people may be able to boost their working memory with a new approach that couples online therapeutic games with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique. Working memory is critical for people to function well in everyday life. This volatile form of memory holds and manipulates a finite amount of information over a short time interval, enabling people to interact with […]
Persons infected with the COVID-19 virus are at an increased risk of developing neurological conditions in the first year after infection, researchers reported on Sept. 22 in Nature Medicine. “Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of the long-term neurologic consequences of COVID-19,” said senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, Director of […]
The research uses machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimer’s. The advantage of the technique is its simplicity and the fact that it can identify the disease at an early stage when it can be very difficult to diagnose. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, getting […]
Antidepressants are the first-choice treatment for severe depression. Antidepressant use is often supplemented by psychotherapy. Now a major ongoing international study has shown that adding psychotherapy treatment to antidepressant medication does not improve treatment outcomes in severely depressed patients. The study, presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry*, also found that those patients with severe depression who were also treated […]
More than half of people diagnosed with one psychiatric disorder will be diagnosed with a second or third in their lifetime. About a third have four or more. This can make treatment challenging and leave patients feeling unlucky and discouraged. But a sweeping new analysis of 11 major psychiatric disorders offers new insight into why comorbidities are the norm, rather […]
Effective clinical care for patients with psychosis means understanding the ‘lived experience’ of their delusions, say researchers at the Universities of Birmingham, York and Melbourne. By understanding the intricacies of feelings, attitudes, and experiences which are interlinked with delusions, clinicians will be better able to build trust and genuine engagement with patients. In a new study, published today (4 May […]
Despite the ability of any Michigan pharmacy to dispense medication to combat opioid overdose without writing prescriptions, slightly more than half of pharmacies in the state offer the drug in such a way. The standing order for naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, was passed by the Michigan legislature in 2016. This allows any pharmacist to dispense the overdose reversal drug without […]
A recent study by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä and the Gerontology Research Center (Finland) investigated the paths from childhood socioemotional behaviour to midlife health behaviour decades later. Socioemotional behaviour at age 8 predicted health behaviour both directly and indirectly through education. There are a wide variety of factors behind health behaviour and […]
In addition to memory problems and other cognitive symptoms, most people with Alzheimer’s disease also suffer from mental health issues. It has long been unclear whether these occur because of tissue changes in the brain, or whether they represent psychological reactions to cognitive symptoms. A study from Lund University in Sweden has provided new insight, and is published in Biological Psychiatry. […]
Alcoholism, if left untreated, could have dangerous repercussions. Thus, it is no surprise that there are a range of drugs developed to treat this condition. Of these drugs, disulfiram (DSF) is approved by the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) for the treatment of alcoholism. DSF primarily inhibits the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which is responsible for the metabolism of alcohol. […]
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