Mental Disorders


Stress-Related Disorders Linked to Subsequent Neurodegenerative Diseases

A Swedish nationwide cohort study suggests that stress-related disorders may be associated with the subsequent risk of neurodegenerative diseases, possibly through a cerebrovascular pathway. A population-matched cohort included 61 748 individuals who received their first diagnosis of stress-related disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress reaction, adjustment disorder, and other stress reactions) […]


Metoprolol and Aspirin Effective in Grief

A randomized controlled trial in Australia suggested that a low dose metoprolol and aspirin for 6 weeks reduces physiological and psychological surrogate measures of cardiovascular risk in early bereavement. After assessment within 2 weeks of bereavement, spouses (n = 73) or parents (n = 12) of deceased (aged 66.1 ± 9.4 years, 55 females) were randomized […]


102 Genes Implicated in ASD

An exome sequencing study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identified 102 risk genes at a false discovery rate of 0.1 or less. The study included 35,584 total samples, 11,986 with ASD, and used an enhanced analytical framework to integrate de novo and case-control rare variation. 49 of the risk genes […]


Antidepressant Maintenance Reduced Depressive Recurrence

An US 2nd phase randomized clinical trial revealed that maintenance of antidepressant medication treatment was associated with a reduced risk of depressive recurrence, but previous treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was not. The study included a total of 292 adult outpatients (171 women; mean age, 45.1 years) with chronic […]


Lower Blood Pressure Might Reduce Dementia Risk

A meta-analysis of individual participant data from eligible observational studies suggested that use of any antihypertensive medications (AHM) with efficacy to lower blood pressure (BP) might reduce the risk for dementia among people with high BP. However, no evidence was found that a specific AHM drug class was more effective […]


Early Life Vascular Risk Linked to Brain Pathology Later

A prospective longitudinal cohort study in Britain revealed that early adulthood vascular risk is strongly associated with smaller whole-brain volume (WBV) and greater white matter–hyperintensity volume (WMHV) at age 69 to 71 years. The study assessed 502 participants in a birth cohort in 1946. Framingham Heart study–cardiovascular risk scores (FHS-CVS) […]


Optimism Linked to Lower CVD and Mortality Risk

A meta-analysis and systematic review suggested that optimism is associated with a lower risk of events of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all-cause mortality. The analysis included 15 studies of 229 391 participants, in which 10 studies reported data on CVD events (including CVD mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, and/or new-onset angina) […]


Lifestyles, Genetics and Dementia

A prospective population-based cohort study in the Netherlands suggests that in individuals at low and intermediate genetic risk, favorable modifiable-risk profiles are associated with a lower risk of dementia compared to unfavorable profiles. However, these protective associations were not found in those at high genetic risk. The study included 6,352 […]


BP across Adulthood Linked to Late-life Brain Volume and Pathology

A UK epidemiological study revealed that high and increasing blood pressure (BP) from early adulthood into midlife seems to be associated with increased white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) and smaller brain volumes at 69–71 years of age. The study included 502 individuals from a cohort born throughout mainland Britain in […]


Brain and BP

Two US studies showed that more intensive blood pressure (BP) management was associated with less progression of cerebral small vessel ischemic diseaseand a greater decrease in total brain volume; BP patterns in midlife and late life may be associated with differing risks for incident dementia. The substudy of a randomized […]