Key Highlights
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A new study on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) found that the brains of patients use a “low-cost shortcut” to switch between states, requiring less energy than healthy brains, which is linked to more severe symptoms. This discovery suggests that the brain’s energy efficiency is disrupted in OCD, offering a new way to understand the condition by looking at how brain networks communicate.
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Researchers identified that one specific brain state—where the frontoparietal network is active—was less persistent in people with OCD, but that virtually boosting this state could partially fix the abnormal brain patterns. This finding opens the door for future treatments that might target and strengthen this specific brain state to help manage OCD symptoms.
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In a large study of over 43,000 adults aged 75 and older, researchers found that most people who reach age 90 remain cognitively healthy, and that using antihypertensive medication was linked to a higher chance of staying sharp. The study also revealed that having a psychiatric condition, being Black, or being on Medicaid were factors that lowered a person’s cognitive resilience, meaning their ability to stay mentally healthy despite aging.
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The research on cognitive resilience in the “old-old” showed that while high blood pressure is often seen as a risk factor, taking medication for it was actually associated with better brain health, suggesting that well-managed vascular health is key to staying mentally fit. This finding highlights the importance of managing heart health and addressing social inequalities to help prevent dementia in the very elderly.
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