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VR Training for Alzheimer’s Improved Memory Tests, Not Daily Function

MHD card with a VR headset and memory tiles: 11 study reports include 2 from the same cohort; memory test scores improved, with no clear gain in daily life.

A 2026 meta-analysis of 11 reports from small randomized trials found that virtual reality (VR) training modestly improved thinking-test scores in people with Alzheimer’s dementia (standardized effect 0.44), but it did not produce a clear benefit for everyday functioning, quality of life, or mood.1 The studies were small, several had design problems, and the researchers …

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Adult ADHD Trials Often Skip Full Diagnostic Assessment

MHD featured image for adult ADHD randomized trials and diagnostic assessment quality.

A 2025 scoping review of 292 adult ADHD randomized controlled trials found that 49.7% allocated diagnosis without a general psychopathology assessment, and only 35% reported that psychiatrists or psychologists assigned the ADHD diagnosis. Research Highlights 292 adult ADHD RCTs were reviewed: Studart et al. screened 706 PubMed records and included 292 randomized controlled studies.1 49.7% …

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Alzheimer’s Fingerprick Blood Biomarkers: p-tau217 and GFAP Track Cognition

MHD featured image for Alzheimer’s disease fingerprick blood biomarkers p-tau217 and GFAP.

A 2026 PROTECT study involving 174 older adults found that self-administered fingerprick p-tau217 correlated with episodic memory (r = 0.299, p < 0.001) and GFAP correlated with working memory (r = 0.183, p = 0.034), supporting remote Alzheimer's risk triage rather than a stand-alone dementia diagnosis. Research Highlights Fingerprick sampling reached 77% completion: 174 of …

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Antidepressants Did Not Shift Facial Emotion Recognition in Depression

MHD featured image for antidepressant maintenance and facial emotion recognition in recurrent depression.

A 2026 ANTLER mechanistic analysis found no evidence that maintaining antidepressants preserved a happier facial-emotion recognition pattern compared with placebo substitution at 12 weeks (adjusted mean difference 0.23, 95% CI −0.5 to 1.0, p = 0.5) or 52 weeks (0.29, 95% CI −0.5 to 1.2, p = 0.5). Research Highlights No 12-week maintenance advantage: discontinuation …

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Female Body Size Judgments Depend on Lower-Body Visual Cues

MHD featured image for female body-size judgment, lower-body visual cues, and body-image perception.

A 2-experiment BMC Biology study found that female body-size judgments did not require a full-body view: bottom-half views preserved accuracy in 99 women, while isolated inner- or outer-thigh views produced more perceptual error than whole-body views in a second 116-woman experiment.1 The result is relevant to body-image research because it points to lower-body feature integration, …

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