Alzheimer's Research & Therapy
June 22, 2018
Gaël Chételat, Antoine Lutz, Eider M. Arenaza‐Urquijo et al.
106 citations
Psycho-affective states or traits such as stress, depression, anxiety and neuroticism are known to affect sleep, cognition and mental health and well-being in aging populations and to be associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mental training for stress reduction and emotional and attentional regulation through meditation practice might help reduce these adverse factors. So...
June 18, 2018
Sarah J. Bolognino
Mindfulness and loving-kindness are two concepts with associated meditation exercises that have been evaluated as part of mindfulness-based treatment approaches (MBTAs) to improve mental health. A common MBTA, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) includes multiple component exercises including mindful breathing meditation (MBM), and loving-kindness meditation (LKM). The purpose of the...
Psychological Medicine
June 15, 2018
Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Dayanna Barreto, Heloisa Onias et al.
827 citations
Abstract Background Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise as fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression. Methods To test the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received a single dose of either...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
June 4, 2018
Marc Aixalà, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jaime E. C. Hallak et al.
14 citations
In the past decade, an increasing number of clinical trials are reporting evidence that psychedelics or serotonergic hallucinogens (such as lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and ayahuasca/dimethyltryptamine) could be effective in the treatment of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The mechanisms responsible for these effects are not fully understood but seem to involve changes in...
Social Neuroscience
June 1, 2018
Mei-Kei Leung, Way K W Lau, Chetwyn C H Chan et al.
Recent evidence suggests that the effects of meditation practice on affective processing and resilience have the potential to induce neuroplastic changes within the amygdala. Notably, literature speculates that meditation training may reduce amygdala activity during negative affective processing. Nonetheless, studies have thus far not verified this speculation. In this longitudinal study,...
BMC Psychiatry
May 25, 2018
Marcelo Trombka, Marcelo Demarzo, Daniel Campos Bacas et al.
Background: Police officers experience a high degree of chronic stress. Policing ranks among the highest professions in terms of disease and accident rates. Mental health is particularly impacted, evidenced by elevated rates of burnout, anxiety and depression, and poorer quality of life than the general public. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, burnout and promote...
Chronic respiratory disease
April 24, 2018
Linda Perkins-Porras, Muhammad Riaz, Adeoba Okekunle et al.
Psychological distress is common among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to assess whether a 10-minute mindfulness intervention reduces distress and breathlessness, improves mood and increases mindfulness among hospital inpatients following acute exacerbation of COPD.Fifty patients were recruited following an acute admission. The immediate effects of a...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
April 17, 2018
Carola Rong, Caroline Park, Joshua D. Rosenblat et al.
116 citations
OBJECTIVES: Extant evidence indicates that ketamine exerts rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depressive (TRD) symptoms as a part of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). The identification of depressed sub-populations that are more likely to benefit from ketamine treatment remains a priority. In keeping with this view, the present narrative review aims to...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
April 3, 2018
Tara C. Malone, Sarah E. Mennenga, Jeffrey Guss et al.
128 citations
A growing body of evidence shows that existential and spiritual well-being in cancer patients is associated with better medical outcomes, improved quality of life, and serves as a buffer against depression, hopelessness, and desire for hastened death. Historical and recent research suggests a role for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in treating cancer-related anxiety and depression. A...
American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
April 1, 2018
Joseph A Hirsch
There is a high prevalence of anxiety disorders including specific phobias and panic disorder in the United States and Europe. A variety of therapeutic modalities including pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, systematic desensitization, hypnosis, in vivo exposure, and virtual reality exposure therapy have been applied. No one modality has been entirely successful. There has been only...