Two drugs have emerged as the optimal medications for treating insomnia based on the "best-available evidence," but there are caveats. In a comprehensive comparative-effectiveness analysis, lemborexant and eszopiclone showed the best efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability for acute and long-term insomnia treatment. However, eszopiclone may cause substantial side effects — and safety data on lemborexant [...]
Whereas symptoms of depression are known to intensify in patients who have recently experienced an incident stroke, it might also be true in such cases that the depression actually starts to worsen in the months or years before the stroke occurs, suggests a new study of adults 50 years and older. "Stroke seems to [...]
Balovaptan, a novel drug that binds to and blocks vasopressin 1A (V1a) receptors, does not improve social communication in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research shows. Efficacy analysis from a phase 2 trial included more than 160 participants, making it the largest of its kind to date, investigators note. Although [...]
A novel, noninvasive, over-the-counter electromagnetic neuromodulation device (ActiPatch, BioElectronics Corp.) appears to deliver long-lasting relief in chronic pain patients. Results of a long-term prospective study that included 240 patients who had previously experienced chronic pain relief with the device showed that at 6 months, 97% of the 240 participants sustained [...]
On individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly those who experience suicidal thinking, levels of translocator protein (TSPO), a marker of microglial inflammation, are increased, new research shows. Investigators from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, found significantly higher levels of TSPO in patients with MDD than in healthy control [...]
Treatment with the diuretic bumetanide (Bumex, Validus) improved core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including social deficits and stereotyped behaviors, results from a multicenter phase 2b study show. Bumetanide was effective in improving ASD-related symptoms across the pediatric age range, as assessed by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), [...]
In findings reported in a letter to the editor published online March 10 in Schizophrenia Research and reported by Medscape Medical News, the smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) appears to enhance cognition in nonsmoking individuals with and those without schizophrenia. The results also showed that the drug reduced the cognitive [...]