A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin, given with psychological support, led to significant reductions in body dysmorphic disorder symptoms at one week and twelve weeks after dosing in eight adults with moderate-to-severe nondelusional BDD. Resting state functional connectivity measured one day after dosing showed increased connectivity within the Executive Control Network and between the Executive Control Network, Default Mode Network, and Salience Network. These connectivity increases predicted symptom improvement at one week. The authors note the small sample size and uncontrolled design require larger controlled studies to validate the findings.
An 8-week mindfulness-based contextual cognitive defusion training program, followed by 12 weeks of unsupervised practice, reduced perceived stress and improved memory, psychomotor speed, and mindfulness awareness in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment. In a randomized trial with 102 participants, those in the program showed significantly greater stress reduction than a health promotion control group at both 8 and 20 weeks. At the individual level, 59% of intervention participants showed reliable improvement in perceived stress at 8 weeks, rising to 75% at 20 weeks, with 39% achieving clinically significant change. No improvement in global cognitive function was seen at the individual level.
A prognostic study of 32 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) found that pre-treatment pallidum volume predicted treatment effectiveness for both mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and psycho-education (PE). Both groups showed substantial symptom reduction over 10 weeks, with MBCT yielding a larger reduction. A one-cubic-centimeter increase in pallidum volume corresponded to a 22.3% decrease in the Y-BOCS total score reduction rate. The authors propose that pallidum volume may serve as a promising predictor for MBCT and PE, and possibly other treatments with shared mechanisms.