HealthDay (4/18, Gotkine ) reported a study suggests that “predictable movement stimuli could be a behavioral marker for early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screening.” Researchers analyzed “observation durations for predictable movements for children with potential ASD (13 male and four female) compared to typically developing children (nine male and two female) using a preferential-looking paradigm.”

They found that “children with potential ASD spent significantly more time observing predictable movements, especially in the latter part of the stimulus presentation.” Researchers concluded, “This study’s results highlight the potential of predictable stimuli as an early screening tool, offering promise for improving early diagnosis and intervention for children at risk for ASD.” The study was published in Scientific Reports.

Related Links:

— “Observation of Predictable Visual Stimuli a Potential Early Indicator for Autism,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 18, 2025

Medical Economics (4/18, Littrell) reported on a Sermo survey of “more than 1,100 physicians worldwide” finding that 23% of physicians endorse “an outright ban” on TikTok, “due to the app’s role in spreading health misinformation.” In addition 43% of respondents “identified TikTok as a significant source of misinformation about medical treatments.” Asked about social media they personally use, 5% said TikTok, 26% Sermo, 23% Facebook, and 16% LinkedIn.

Related Links:

— “1 in 4 physicians support a TikTok ban, citing health misinformation,” Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, April 18, 2025

Dermatology Advisor (4/18, Kuhns) reported on a study finding that “oral finasteride use at various doses was associated with completed suicide, depression suicidal, suicidal behavior, and suicidal ideation following the identification of post-finasteride syndrome, but was not associated with suicide attempts.” The study was based on “data from the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).” The findings were published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Finasteride is used to treat Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy and men’s pattern baldness.

Related Links:

— “Oral Finasteride Associated With Increased Depression, Suicidal Ideation Rates,” Lisa Kuhns, PhD, Dermatology Advisor, April 18, 2025

HealthDay (4/17, Gotkine ) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that “widespread use of digital technology seems to be associated with lower rates of cognitive decline in adults older than 50.” Researchers analyzed 57 “observational or cohort studies focusing on general digital technology use in older adults.” They found “an association for use of digital technologies with a reduced risk for cognitive impairment (odds ratio, 0.42) as well as reduced time-dependent rates of cognitive decline (hazard ratio, 0.74). When accounting for demographic, socioeconomic, health, and cognitive reserve proxies, the effects remained significant.” The review was published in Nature Human Behaviour.

Related Links:

— “Digital Technology Linked to Lower Rates of Cognitive Decline in Adults Older Than 50,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 17, 2025

HCPlive (4/16, Brooks ) reports a study found that “past-month binge drinking rates were greater among young adult females than males during the 2021 to 2023 period, reversing 2017 to 2019 patterns, whereas males in other age groups continued to binge and heavy drink at higher rates than females.” Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, researchers “assessed sex-based differences in past-month binge drinking,” which is defined as “≥ 5 alcoholic drinks for males or ≥ 4 alcohol drinks for females on the same occasion, and heavy drinking, defined as binge drinking on ≥ 5 days in the past 30 days.”

From 2021 to 2023, they found that females across all age groups “had significantly lower overall past month binge drinking levels than males,” while females “18 to 25 years of age had greater binge drinking levels than males.” Investigators noted that “female adults had significantly lower heavy drinking levels than male adults across all age groups from 2017 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023.” The study was published in JAMA.

Related Links:

— “Binge Drinking Rates Increasing Among Young Female Adults, Study Finds,” Abigail Brooks, MA, HCPLive, April 16, 2025

CNN (4/16, McPhillips , Christensen ) reports new datapublished Wednesday by the CDC National Center for Health Statistics indicate that “more than 1 in 8 people ages 12 and up in the US have been depressed in recent years.” This suggests that “depression prevalence has nearly doubled, from 7.3% in 2015-16 to more than 13% in 2021-23.” The data show “women are more likely than men to have depression, and prevalence tends to decrease with age and greater wealth. Overall, about 16% of women and 10% of men had depression during the 2021-23 survey period. But more than 1 in 4 adolescent girls between ages 12 and 19 had depression,” higher than any other demographic group. The report shows “only about 40% of adults and adolescents with depression received counseling or therapy,” and that “adult women are also more than twice as likely as adult men to take medication for depression, according to another CDC report published Wednesday.”

Related Links:

— “As depression becomes more common in the US, treatment rates vary, CDC reports show,” Deidre McPhillips and Jen Christensen, CNN, April 16, 2025

The Washington Post (4/15, Nirappil ) reports that on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report finding that “one in 31 8-year-olds had autism,” according to a CDC survey, “a small increase from previous years.”

The AP (4/15, Stobbe ) reports the previous CDC estimate from 2020 found that one in 36 US children have autism. According to the report, “boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black.” Health officials “largely attribute growing autism numbers to better recognition of cases through wide screening and better diagnosis.”

CNN (4/15, McPhillips ) reports the study is “based on surveillance data from 16 areas that participate in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. The data are not nationally representative and encompass a different set of sites than the last report with data from 2020, which only captured data from 11 sites.” Improvements in early identification of autism “have been apparent,” the authors of the CDC report wrote, and “differences in the prevalence of children identified with [autism spectrum disorder] across communities might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.”

Related Links:

— “Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says,” Mike Strobbe, Associated Press, April 15, 2025

HealthDay (4/14, Thompson ) reports a review of 102 previous clinical trials found that “ADHD medications generally have just a small effect on a person’s blood pressure, heart rate and heart electrical activity.” Researchers observed that “there were no significant differences between stimulant ADHD meds like methylphenidate and amphetamine and non-stimulant drugs like atomoxetine and viloxazine.” Only guanfacine “led to decreased blood pressure and heart rate, results showed.” Nevertheless, “the findings also reinforce that doctors should keep an eye on blood pressure and heart rate in people taking ADHD medications, whether or not the drugs are stimulants.” Researchers concluded, “Overall, the risk-benefit ratio is reassuring for people taking ADHD medications.” The review was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “ADHD Drugs Generally Safe For Heart Health, Review Says,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 14, 2025

MedPage Today (4/14, George ) reports a study suggests that “people that required emergency department (ED) or acute hospital care for cannabis use may have an increased risk of a subsequent dementia diagnosis.” Researchers found that “among adults ages 45 years and older with no history of dementia, those who needed acute care due to cannabis use had a 1.5 times higher risk of a new dementia diagnosis within 5 years compared with patients who had an all-cause acute care encounter.” Notably, the “risk of a new dementia diagnosis for people who needed acute care due to cannabis use was 3.9 times higher than that of the general population.” Researchers stated that “the findings do not show that cannabis use causes dementia.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Healio (4/10) reported a study found that “adults showed a significant reduction in their clinical-level mental health symptoms with unrestricted access to a generative AI-powered chatbot designed for mental health treatment.” Study researchers “evaluated Therabot’s ability to treat symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or high risk for feeding and eating disorders (CHR-FED) among 210 adults aged 18 years or older.” The results suggest that “Therabot users experienced greater reductions in their respective symptoms compared with the control group.” In addition, “the intervention group reported a therapeutic alliance with Therabot comparable to what patients report with in-person providers.” Nevertheless, researchers concluded, “While these results are very promising, no generative AI agent is ready to operate fully autonomously in mental health where there is a very wide range of high-risk scenarios it might encounter.” The study was published in NEJM AI.

Related Links:

— “Generative AI chatbot ‘promising’ for mental health treatment, but supervision needed,”Moira Mahoney, Healio, April 10, 2025