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26 papers
This review found that Long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) share many symptoms and similar biological changes. People with both conditions often have long-lasting fatigue, thinking problems, sleep disruption, pain, post-exertional worsening, and signs of problems in the brain, autonomic nervous system, heart, lungs, immune system, gut microbiome,…
Researchers followed 100 outpatients (mean age 62) who kept having dizziness. They found that problems of the vestibular system (inner ear and balance) and psychiatric disorders were the most common causes. About half the patients had more than one factor making dizziness worse, and life‑threatening causes were rare.
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…
This representative German survey of 1,287 people (ages 14–90) found that 15.8% reported dizziness. Of those with dizziness, 28.3% had symptoms of at least one anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety, social phobia, or panic). People with dizziness also reported more physical health problems, and when anxiety was present they used more…
This randomized, controlled trial tested a brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for 41 patients with chronic subjective dizziness. The program was three weekly sessions led by a clinical psychologist and used psychoeducation, behavioral experiments, exposure, and attention refocusing. After treatment, patients showed large, significant reductions in dizziness-related disability, physical…
This review looked at studies in animals and people about how stress and the balance system (the vestibular system) affect each other. In many animal experiments, vestibular damage or stimulation turns on the body's stress system (the HPA axis) and short-term stress hormones help brain circuits adjust after vestibular loss.…
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,…
Spontaneous reports of vertigo or dizziness, as side-effect of certain drugs, received at our Pharmacovigilance Center, represented the 5% of all reports in 2012. Considering the high incidence of such an ADR for several drugs' classes, it can be speculated that under-reporting also affect vertigo and dizziness. Despite the fact…
This review looks at research on psychedelic drugs, especially psilocybin. It says recent human studies show a single dose can give lasting relief from severe depression, and regulators have given two late-stage psilocybin trials special 'Breakthrough Therapy' status. The paper also pulls together lab and animal studies that suggest psychedelics…
Researchers ran a one-year study of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in about 500 adults whose depression had not improved with many previous treatments. People were randomly assigned to get real VNS or a sham (no real stimulation), and neither they nor the main study staff knew which they had. The…
This cross-sectional study of 100 patients with dizziness (mean age 38.7 years) used two questionnaires (DHI and HADS) to measure dizziness-related handicap and signs of anxiety and depression. The study found that 49% had normal HADS scores, 29% had anxiety, 7% had depression, and 15% had both anxiety and depression.…
This cross-sectional study measured 130 adults (52 men, 78 women; ages 18–75) with dizziness from four causes: BPPV, Meniere’s disease, unilateral weakness, and central causes. Researchers used the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) to measure disability and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to measure anxiety. They found no significant differences in…
