Mental Disorders


Meditation May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk

The American Heart Association scientific statement systematically reviewed data on the potential benefits of meditation on cardiovascular risk. Neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies demonstrate that meditation can have long‐standing effects on the brain, which provide some biological plausibility for beneficial consequences on the physiological basal state, physiological responses, and on cardiovascular […]


Blood Pressure Variability Linked to Dementia

A prospective cohort study of a general Japanese population demonstrated a significant independent association between increased day-to-day blood pressure variability (BPV) measured with home blood pressure monitoring and risk of dementia. The study included 1674 community-dwelling Japanese elderly without dementia, ≥60 years of age, and followed up for 5 years […]


Autism Genetics

A special report revealed that genetics of autism is as complex as autism. The condition runs in families, but most of the relevant mutations identified so far arose spontaneously in the sperm or egg or after fertilization. The list of genes tied to autism continues to grow. Researches have expanded […]


Lithium Use in Early Pregnancy Linked to Congenital Cardiac Defects

A US cohort study suggested that maternal use of lithium during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of cardiac malformations, including Ebstein’s anomaly (right ventricular outflow tract obstruction defects). The study included 1,325,563 pregnancies in women who delivered a live-born infant between 2000 and 2010. Cardiac malformations […]