The New York Times (9/2, Reynolds) “Well” blog summarized several studies indicating that exercise may be beneficial for “aging brains.” For example, a 100-participant study published Aug. 5 in PLoS One revealed that “the most physically active elderly volunteers…had better oxygenation and healthier patterns of brain activity than the more sedentary volunteers — especially in parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, that are known to be involved in improved memory and cognition.” A much larger study, published Aug. 25 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, indicated “some small improvements among the oldest exercising volunteers in their working memory and attention.”

Related Links:

— “Does Exercise Change Your Brain?,” Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, September 2, 2015.

CNN (9/2, Ansari) reports that results from an online survey “on mental health, anxiety and suicide indicate that 90% of Americans value mental and physical health equally,” indicating that the “stigma” surrounding mental health issues “appears to be shifting, at least in the” US.

US News & World Report (9/1, Esposito) reports that the survey, which was answered by “2,020 nationally representative adults,” also reveals that even though “47 percent of participants believe they have had a mental health condition, only 38 percent have received treatment” for it, with younger people being more likely than older ones to get help. The survey, which was conducted last month “by Harris and sponsored by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention,” also found that “about 55 percent of participants have been affected by suicide in some way, according to a joint press release from the three mental health groups.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: Mental health stigmas are shifting,” Azadeh Ansari, CNN, September 2, 2015.

The Washington Post (9/1, Dennis) details a new report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics that recommends warning children by the age of nine about the dangers associated with drinking alcohol. The report states, “Surveys indicate that children start to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13 years… Therefore, it is very important to start talking to children about the dangers of drinking as early as 9 years of age.”

The New York Times (9/1, Dell’Antonia) writes the report states that “21 percent of youth acknowledge having had more than a sip of alcohol before 13 years of age, and most (79 percent) have done so by 12th grade.”

NBC News (9/1, Fox) quotes the report as saying, “Among youth who drink, the proportion who drink heavily is higher than among adult drinkers, rising from approximately 50 percent in those 12 to 14 years of age to 72 percent among those 18 to 20 years of age.” This heavy drinking, or binging, was defined as five or more drinks in one sitting. The report also notes that “80 percent of teenagers say their parents are the biggest influence on their decision whether to drink.”

Related Links:

— “When should you talk to your kids about alcohol? Before they turn 10, doctors say,” Brady Dennis, Washington Post, August 31, 2015.

Reuters (9/1, Kearney) reports that daily marijuana use among US college students is greater than it has been in 35 years, according to the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study.

The NBC News (9/1, Stelloh) website reports that the students smoked marijuana more often in 2014 than they did cigarettes, with 5.9% smoking marijuana daily and 5% smoking cigarettes at that rate.

Related Links:

— “Daily pot smoking on U.S. college campuses at 35-year high: study,” Laila Kearney, Reuters, September 1, 2015.

The New York Times (9/1, Rabin) “Well” blog reports that a study conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Health found no evidence that omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant supplements “stave off cognitive decline in older people.” Researchers recruited over 3,500 participants who were “randomly assigned…to take a lutein/zeaxanthin supplement, a supplement of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EHA), both or a placebo.”

Related Links:

— “Supplements Don’t Fight Cognitive Decline, N.I.H. Study Says,” Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, August 31, 2015.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (8/29, Boulton) reported that a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison “has added to the mounting evidence that growing up in severe poverty affects the way children’s brains develop, potentially putting them at a lifelong disadvantage.” The study, published recently in JAMA Pediatrics, “found that the parts of the brain tied to academic performance were 8% to 10% smaller for children who grow up in very poor households.” The study drew from 823 MRI scans “of 389 children, ages 4 to 22, from a National Institutes of Health study done to show normal brain development.”

Related Links:

— “Growing up in severe poverty affects brain size, UW-Madison study shows,” Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 29, 2015.

The AP (8/29, Cox) reported that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are praising neuropsychologist George Lindenfeld’s Bio-Acoustical Utilization Device (BAUD), which is “approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class II biofeedback device.”

Related Links:

— “Veterans with PTSD praise audio-therapy results,” Associated Press via Chron, August 29, 2015.

HealthDay (8/29, Preidt) reported, “Women in the US military are no more likely than men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research. For the study, researchers “included more than 2,300 pairs of women and men who were matched on similarities – including combat experience – and followed for an average of seven years.” Investigators found that by “the end of the study, 6.7 percent of women and 6.1 percent of men had developed PTSD, a difference that is not statistically significant.”

Related Links:

— “Women Soldiers No More Likely to Develop PTSD, Study Finds,” Robert readout, HealthDay, August 28, 2015.

Medscape (8/31, Harrison) reports that “updated findings from the Prolonging Remission in Depressed Elderly (PRIDE) study,” which involves “approximately 240 patients…173 of whom have completed” the first phase, “continue to support the use of right unilateral electrode placement and ultrabrief pulse stimuli as an optimal means of achieving a rapid response, and even remittance, within a week of delivering three courses of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in geriatric patients with major unipolar depression.” The study results were presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (8/30, Preidt) reported, “Risky behaviors such as reckless driving or sudden promiscuity, or nervous behaviors such as agitation, hand-wringing or pacing, can be signs that suicide risk may be high in depressed people,” research presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Congress suggests. The study, which involved some 2,800 people with depression, also revealed that “other warning signs may include doing things on impulse with little thought about the consequences.” People with depression “with any of these symptoms are at least 50 percent more likely to attempt suicide, the new study found.” BBC News (8/31) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “Impulsive, Agitated Behaviors May Be Warning Signs for Suicide,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 29, 2015.