Institute of Medicine Report on Cognitive Aging
The Institute of Medicine has recently released a report entitled Cognitive Aging: Progress in Understanding and Opportunities for Action. This special report addresses “the emerging concept of cognitive aging, the importance of this issue for the nation’s public health, and actions the nation needs to take to better understand and maintain the cognitive health of […]
Read MoreMagnetic Stimulation Can Improve Memory in Schizophrenia
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides new evidence that stimulating the brain using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be an effective strategy to improve cognitive function. A randomized, 4-week controlled trial (n=27) evaluated whether rTMS can improve working memory in schizophrenia. Patients performed the verbal working memory n-back task before and after […]
Read MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy Helps Treat Diabetic Neuropathies
Research published this month in the Journal Pain found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve pain for people with painful diabetic neuropathies. This was a randomized, treatment as usual (TAU), controlled, non-blinded intervention pilot study with a 4-month follow-up conducted in a VA Medical Center in Boston. It was hypothesized that participants who […]
Read MoreTherapy in Virtual Environments: Are the Rights and Responsibilities the Same as in the Real World?
There has been a steady increase in the use of therapy for psychological disorders in virtual environments (VE) and using computer-assisted treatment over the last decade. Do the same guidelines and ethical standards apply as they do in the in-person world? A study published in Telemedicine and e-Health has taken on this challenge. Virtual reality […]
Read MoreUnified Approach To Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Effective In Anxiety Disorders
New research finds that using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with a “transdiagnostic” approach allows therapists to apply one set of principles across anxiety all disorders and provides the most improvement. Peter Norton, PhD, associate professor in clinical psychology and director of the Anxiety Disorder Clinic at the University of Houston, after a decade of research […]
Read MoreWho Benefits the Most from Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Dementia?
A study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reports that the efficacy of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) has been demonstrated, but little is known about the characteristics of people with dementia, who may respond to this therapy. This study sought to investigate which factors may predict a more positive response to CST. Subjects diagnosed […]
Read MoreComputerized 3D Self-help Intervention for Adolescent Depression
According to a study published in BMJ, adolescents suffering from depression can benefit just as much from specialized computer therapy as they do from one-to-one therapy with a clinician. Using SPARX, an interactive 3D fantasy game, researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, set out to assess whether a new innovative computerized cognitive behavioral […]
Read MoreComputerized Cognitive Training Restores Neural Activity in Schizophrenia
A new study published in the journal Neuron demonstrates that a specific type of computerized cognitive training can lead to significant neural and behavioral improvements in individuals with schizophrenia. According to the authors, ‘schizophrenia patients struggle with ‘reality monitoring. Although there are drugs that reduce the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia, current medications do not improve […]
Read More