A new study finds that older people taking a drug used to treat anxiety and insomnia — nitrazepam — as well as those on antidepressants, are twice as likely to suffer postoperative delirium after hip and knee surgery. The finding has prompted calls by University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers for older patients to temporarily…

Researchers have developed new technology to monitor cholesterol in brain tissue which could uncover its relation to neurodegenerative disease and pave the way for the development of new treatments. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, shows the major locations of cholesterol in the brain and what…

The primary focus of smoking cessation research has been adults in the past, but a new study zeroed in on adolescents. This study found that while there was no significant difference between the varenicline group and the placebo group at end of treatment, those in the varenicline group quit earlier in the trial and were…

Researchers found that variations in the gene known as BDNF strongly determine the effects of methamphetamine in the brain. This could potentially explain why some users develop methamphetamine-induced psychosis, which is similar to schizophrenia. The research, published in Molecular Psychiatry found that variations in the gene known as BDNF strongly determine the effects of methamphetamine…

New research shows brain imaging may be able to predict when a blood test known as a liquid biopsy would or would not produce clinically actionable information, allowing doctors to more efficiently guide patients to the proper next steps in their care. About 12,000 Americans are diagnosed with GBM each year, making it the most…

Between 1996 and 2013, approximately 27% of adults, 21% of elderly adults, and 16% of children with kidney failure in the United States were hospitalized with a psychiatric diagnosis in the first year of kidney failure. The prevalence of hospitalizations with psychiatric diagnoses increased over time across age groups, mostly due to secondary diagnoses. Studies…

In a new article, experts highlight what is currently known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the brain, the importance of increased research into the underlying causes of Long COVID and possible ways to treat its symptoms. Neurological symptoms that have been reported with acute COVID-19 include loss of taste and smell, headaches, stroke, delirium,…

Researchers studying executive control in adolescents and young adults with autism have published new research that suggests a unique approach, rather than impairment. Executive control difficulties are common in individuals with autism and are associated with challenges completing tasks and managing time. The study, published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, sought to tease…

Researchers haveidentified for the first time the initial steps of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates related to early onsets of hereditary Parkinson cases. The results may help the understanding of the early stages of the disease and how it develops over time. The characterization of these structures and their organization is fundamental to identify the early stages…

By temporarily suspending retinal activity in the non-amblyopic eye of animal models, neuroscientists restrengthened the visual response in the amblyopic eye, even at ages after the critical period when patch therapy fails. In a new study, MIT and Dalhousie University neuroscientists demonstrate that by temporarily anesthetizing the retina of the good eye, they could lastingly…