Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
Treatment-resistant depression means depression that does not get better after usual treatments. Scientists do not all agree on one clear definition, which makes it hard to know exactly how common it is or which treatments work best. Using the definition that regulators often use, about 30% of people with depression…
Brain imaging studies (fMRI) show that ADHD is linked to problems in many brain networks that control attention, timing, working memory, motivation, and emotion. There is also evidence that a brain system normally quiet during tasks (the default mode network) does not switch off properly in people with ADHD. Some…
Researchers tested deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a small group of people whose depression did not get better with usual treatments. They used an implanted device that both delivered stimulation to the subcallosal cingulate (a brain area linked to mood) and recorded brain electrical signals. Around 9 out of 10…
Depression is a prevalent psychiatric disorder that often leads to poor quality of life and impaired functioning. Treatment during the acute phase of a major depressive episode aims to help the patient reach a remission state and eventually return to their baseline level of functioning. Pharmacotherapy, especially selective serotonin reuptake…
This review combined 17 studies of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for people with treatment-resistant depression. Across studies, about 56% of patients showed a clinical response and 35% reached remission, while 14% later had recurrence. Adverse events were common (about 67%), and the two randomized trials did not show a clear,…
This paper looks at studies that use transcranial magnetic stimulation and ketamine together to treat depression that has not improved with usual treatments. It notes that each method can reduce depressive symptoms on its own. Some recent research suggests that giving them together might make the benefits stronger and last…
Brainwave entrainment (BWE) uses sound or light at specific frequencies to lead the brain's electrical activity to match those signals. This review looked at studies from the past ten years and included 84 papers. Those studies reported improvements in pain, sleep problems, mood, thinking (cognition), and some neurodegenerative conditions. The…
