Perioperative use of (es)ketamine significantly reduces the risk of postoperative delirium (POD) but does not prevent postoperative neurocognitive disorder (POND). Subgroup analyses indicate that esketamine is more effective for delirium prevention, whereas racemic ketamine provides better cognitive protection.
A wearable mindfulness brain-computer interface (BCI) that uses electroencephalography (EEG) and artificial intelligence to assess a user's focus on breathing and provide real-time audiovisual feedback can reduce car sickness symptoms. In two real-world experiments with over 100 participants susceptible to car sickness, over 83% rated the BCI-based attention shifting as effective, with significant reductions in severity, especially for those with severe symptoms. EEG data analysis identified a neurobiological signature of car sickness, offering mechanistic insight into the intervention's efficacy. The authors propose this as a nonpharmacological alternative to pharmacological treatments with adverse side effects.
Young adults with high trait anxiety had lower gut bacterial diversity and a different microbial composition than healthy controls. An eight-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program reduced trait anxiety and depression, improved mindfulness and resilience, and shifted the gut microbiota toward a profile more similar to that of healthy controls. A high pre-treatment abundance of the bacterium Subdoligranulum was associated with greater responsiveness to MBCT, and decreases in Subdoligranulum after treatment corresponded with reduced anxiety. Tryptophan metabolism pathways were more active in high responders than in low responders.