Drugs & Medications

Antipsychotic Dose Was Not Linked to MoCA Cognitive Scores in Young Adults With Schizophrenia

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Antipsychotic Dose Was Not Linked to MoCA Cognitive Scores in Young Adults With Schizophrenia

TL;DR: A 2026 BMC Psychiatry study found that antipsychotic dose was not associated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief cognitive screening test, in clinically stable schizophrenia patients under 40, while higher symptom scores and longer illness duration tracked lower cognition. Key Findings Forty-one clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia were included after researchers screened a …

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VNS Reduced Seizures After Failed Epilepsy Surgery in CORE-VNS

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VNS Reduced Seizures After Failed Epilepsy Surgery in CORE-VNS

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv from the CORE-VNS study reported that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), a neuromodulation therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy, produced similar 36-month seizure reductions in people with and without prior intracranial epilepsy surgery. Key Findings 531 VNS implants: The analysis included 531 people with drug-resistant epilepsy who received an initial VNS implant …

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Sympathetic Nerves Slowed Mouse Melanoma via Norepinephrine on Alpha Adrenergic Receptors on Macrophages

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Sympathetic Nerves Slowed Mouse Melanoma via Norepinephrine on Alpha Adrenergic Receptors on Macrophages

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Neuron from Weill Cornell used mouse melanoma models to find that sympathetic nerves growing into tumors release norepinephrine, which activates alpha adrenergic receptors on tumor-associated macrophages and reduces their pro-tumor numbers — flipping the conventional view of the nervous system as a cancer accelerator into evidence that one branch of …

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SSRIs Did Not Raise Major Bleeding Risk With DOACs in Cohort Analysis

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SSRIs Did Not Raise Major Bleeding Risk With DOACs in Cohort Analysis

TL;DR: A 2026 study in BJGP Open found no clear cohort-level increase in major bleeding outcomes when selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were used with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), but the self-controlled analysis still pointed to extra caution when an SSRI is newly started during DOAC treatment. Key Findings No cohort increase: DOAC plus SSRI …

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A Specific Serotonergic Brain Circuit Produced Tinnitus-Like Behavior in Mice and Explains SSRI-Tinnitus Reports

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A Specific Serotonergic Brain Circuit Produced Tinnitus-Like Behavior in Mice and Explains SSRI-Tinnitus Reports

TL;DR: A 2026 study in PNAS from Oregon Health & Science University and Anhui University used optogenetics in mice to map a specific serotonin-producing brain circuit that runs straight to the auditory system, showed that activating this circuit produced tinnitus-like behavior, and traced a likely mechanism for why some patients on SSRI antidepressants report worsened …

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Risperidone Was Linked to Higher Stroke Risk in Dementia

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Risperidone Was Linked to Higher Stroke Risk in Dementia

TL;DR: A 2026 population-based matched cohort study in British Journal of Psychiatry found that risperidone use was associated with increased stroke risk, adjusted hazard ratio 1.28, while absolute stroke incidence was especially high in people with prior stroke or cardiovascular disease. Key Findings Matched dementia comparison: The analysis compared stroke risk among risperidone users and …

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Pregabalin Reduced Pain Enough to Support CRPS Rehabilitation in Case Series

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Pregabalin Reduced Pain Enough to Support CRPS Rehabilitation in Case Series

TL;DR: A 2026 study in Journal of Pain Research described 3 adults with type I complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a severe neuropathic pain condition with sensory, autonomic, motor, and skin changes, whose pain scores improved after pregabalin and who were then able to participate more fully in rehabilitation. Key Findings Case-series evidence: Researchers reported …

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Nicotine Dependence Linked to Lower ICU COVID-19 Mortality in Texas Cohort

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Nicotine Dependence Linked to Lower ICU COVID-19 Mortality in Texas Cohort

TL;DR: A 2026 study in PLOS One found that Texas ICU COVID-19 hospitalizations coded for current nicotine dependence had lower crude and adjusted mortality than hospitalizations coded as never nicotine dependent, but the administrative-data design means the result should not be read as evidence that nicotine is protective. Key Findings Large ICU cohort: Researchers analyzed …

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MK-8189 PDE10A Inhibitor Failed Schizophrenia Phase 2b PANSS Endpoint

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MK-8189 PDE10A Inhibitor Failed Schizophrenia Phase 2b PANSS Endpoint

TL;DR: A 2026 randomized phase 2b trial in Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology found that the PDE10A inhibitor MK-8189 did not improve Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) schizophrenia symptom scores more than placebo after 6 weeks, while risperidone separated from placebo in the same trial. Key Findings 458 treated participants: The acute phase included 132 …

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GLP-1 Drugs Reduced Sleep Apnea Events in RCT Meta-Analysis

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GLP-1 Drugs Reduced Sleep Apnea Events in RCT Meta-Analysis

TL;DR: A 2026 meta-analysis in Sleep and Breathing found that GLP-1 drugs, metabolic hormone medications involved in glucose, appetite, and weight regulation, were linked to fewer obstructive sleep apnea breathing events in adults with obesity. Key Findings Sleep apnea events fell: GLP-1 treatment reduced apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), a count of breathing interruptions per hour of …

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