TL;DR: A 2026 preprint on medRxiv found that blood tau markers and neurofilament light tracked different parts of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with tau markers linked more to current lower-motor-neuron and muscle-injury features while neurofilament light was the clearest marker of faster decline and shorter survival. Key Findings 119 ALS patients: Researchers measured plasma and …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in Translational Psychiatry found that ketamine changed EEG-derived high-order brain interactions in late-life treatment-resistant depression, and a 24-hour increase in alpha-band redundancy tracked greater depression improvement by Day 7. Key Findings 30 analyzed participants: The secondary analysis compared 18 ketamine-treated and 12 midazolam-treated late-life veterans with treatment-resistant depression at baseline. Single …
TL;DR: A 2026 study published in BMC Medicine used lesion network mapping to identify a somatic-symptom brain network centered on the right insula and putamen, then linked atrophy inside that network to somatic symptom severity across 399 psychiatric patients. Key Findings 21 lesions mapped: Lesions linked to somatic symptoms appeared in different brain locations but …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that one session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) reduced cigarette craving in adults with tobacco use disorder, and the people who responded had heavier baseline smoking, craving, and withdrawal. Key Findings DLPFC craving test: The randomized crossover study included 60 adults …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint linked greater attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom scores in college students to reduced stop-signal functional MRI (fMRI) activation in cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R)-rich brain regions, and that reduced activation predicted heavier cannabis-use trajectories over 4 years. Key Findings ADHD-cannabis trajectory: Researchers analyzed cannabis-use trajectories in 466 first-year college students aged 18-19, …
TL;DR: A 2026 narrative review in Molecular Psychiatry argues that depression in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease follows disease-specific brain mechanisms, while standard antidepressant evidence remains weak in these neurodegenerative populations. Key Findings 42% in Alzheimer’s disease: The review cites depressive syndromes affecting about 42% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and 35% of patients with …
TL;DR: A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis in Molecular Psychiatry found that CB-1 receptor blockade and cannabidiol reduced alcohol intake in animal models, but human alcohol-use-disorder evidence remained inconsistent and too thin to support a treatment claim. Key Findings 63 studies reviewed: Researchers synthesized 44 preclinical studies and 19 clinical or human experimental studies of …
TL;DR: A 2026 meta-analysis in Journal of Medical Internet Research did not find a statistically significant reduction in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression scores with AI-driven chatbots, but emotionally responsive, structured, and frequent interactions were more consistently associated with user adherence. Key Findings 11 randomized trials: The review included 11 RCTs with 2220 participants for …
TL;DR: A 2026 study in International Clinical Psychopharmacology described a 40-year-old man whose dysphoria, anhedonia, amotivation, and fatigue appeared soon after olanzapine was changed to olanzapine-samidorphan and resolved after he returned to olanzapine alone. Key Findings One-patient case report: The report followed a 40-year-old man after first psychiatric hospitalization, so the evidence is a clinical …
TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv retrospective cohort study found that depression often followed bipolar manic or mixed episodes quickly, with 25% of manic episodes and 22% of mixed episodes transitioning to depression within 1 month. Key Findings First-month risk window: Researchers analyzed 10,437 people, 42,314 mood episodes, and 90,727 person-years in a U.S. electronic health record …
