Complex post-traumatic stress: widely varying estimates among displaced people
A meta-analysis documents complex post-traumatic stress among displaced people, without establishing a generalizable prevalence estimate.
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Recent studies and announcements, explained with the same rigor as our analyses: sources, context, and the limitations of the data.
The publication feed
Parkinson’s: genetic associations with depression, but no validated predictive test
An analysis of three studies links certain genetic profiles to depression in Parkinson’s. These exploratory findings do not demonstrate causality.
Autism: a review explores links between sensations, movement and body perception
A review of 37 studies links certain types of sensory processing to body representation in autism, without establishing causality or clinical applications.
Antihypertensives in care facilities: reducing treatment has no established clinical benefit
A review of three randomized trials shows that deprescribing reduces medication use and raises blood pressure, without establishing its effect on mortality.
Moxibustion and depression: a promising signal, but weak evidence
A meta-analysis of 15 trials reports a reduction in depressive symptoms with moxibustion. The quality of the evidence remains low to very low.
Borderline personality disorder: no demonstrated additional clinical benefit from amygdala neurofeedback
A randomized pilot trial finds changes in amygdala activity, but no additional clinical benefit compared with intensive psychotherapy alone.
Green spaces: a review proposes an ecological assessment framework, not a measure of health benefits
A review of 113 publications proposes seven categories for assessing the ecological quality of green spaces, without establishing their effects on health.
Cancer: review of European guidelines highlights gaps in psychological support
A review of 38 publications finds inconsistent recommendations, mainly focused on distress, anxiety and depression in adults.
Psychosis and cognition: the link with cortisol may depend on measurement time
A meta-analysis finds no overall link between basal cortisol and cognition in psychotic disorders, but identifies a specific signal late in the day.
Premenstrual symptoms and academic difficulties: an association, not proven causation
A review of 11 studies links premenstrual symptoms to poorer well-being among female health sciences students, without establishing causation.
Prenatal haptonomy: a trial suggests a psychological benefit, without specifying its magnitude
A trial involving 102 pregnant women suggests psychological benefits from haptonomy. The available abstract does not allow their magnitude to be assessed.
GLP-1 and reward: a review of 66 animal studies points to a research avenue, without clinical evidence
A preclinical review finds reduced reward-related behaviors with GLP-1, without demonstrating psychiatric benefits in humans.
Autism: metallothioneins are not a validated biomarker
A systematic review of human studies finds no consistent alteration in metallothioneins associated with autism.
Tension-type headaches: a review of 93 trials does not identify a single treatment of choice
A systematic review examines treatments for tension-type headaches. Differences between trials limit comparisons and the scope of the conclusions.
Cancer: resilience interventions appear to improve well-being, but the evidence is weak
A review of 33 trials in patients with cancer reports encouraging findings on well-being, but does not allow the benefit to be quantified.
Type 2 diabetes: a self-management programme improves some markers without proving kidney protection
A Chinese randomised trial reports improvements in several markers in patients at risk of kidney disease. The clinical benefit remains to be established.
Music and AI-generated suggestions: a signal for negative emotions, but not anxiety
An exploratory trial involving 113 Chinese students found fewer negative emotions with an intervention combining music and culturally adapted suggestions, with no detected difference in anxiety.
Fear of negative judgment is linked to social anxiety, with no evidence of causality
A meta-analysis of 143 studies confirms an association between fear of negative judgment and social anxiety, but cannot establish a causal link.
Mental health among trans adults: a meta-analysis estimates high prevalence rates, with substantial variation
A synthesis of 207 studies documents mental health among trans and gender-diverse adults, without establishing the causes of the difficulties observed.
After childhood cancer, digital psychosocial interventions appear to offer a modest benefit
A meta-analysis of ten trials suggests modest improvements in quality of life and anxiety, but no established benefit for depression.