The Los Angeles Times (7/24, Healy) reports in “Science Now” on studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference suggesting that exercise may benefit people with mild cognitive impairment and “mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.” In each of these studies, “subjects were asked to participate in three-to-four sessions of aerobic conditioning – ranging from 45 minutes to an hour – a week.” The goal “was to get participants working at between 70% and 80% of their aerobic capacity.”

The AP (7/24, Neergaard) reports that researchers found that “vigorous workouts by people with mild memory impairment decreased levels of a warped protein” called tau that is “linked to risk of later Alzheimer’s – and improved quality of life for people who already were in early stages of the disease.” One study involving magnetic resonance imaging scans demonstrated that “exercisers experienced increased blood flow in brain regions important for memory and thought processing – while cognitive tests showed a corresponding improvement in their attention, planning and organizing abilities.” Dr. Laurie Ryan, of the National Institute on Aging, cautioned, however, that “it’s too soon to say that [exercise] lowers risk’ of worsening memory…saying longer studies must test if sticking with exercise makes a lasting difference.”

Related Links:

— “To fend off dementia, run — or dance, bike, power-walk or step,” Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2015.

HealthDay (7/23, Preidt) reports that a new study published July 20 in the Journal of Adolescent Health suggests that “although more American teens are using marijuana, their use of alcohol and cigarettes has decreased.” Researchers at Penn State “reviewed information from nearly 600,000 high school seniors surveyed about their substance use between 1976 and 2013,” and found “an increase in marijuana use, particularly among black teens.” They “also found a significant decline in cigarette use, particularly among white teens.”

Related Links:

— “Teen Drinking, Smoking on the Decline, U.S. Study Finds,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 22, 2015.

The Washington Post (7/23, Morse) reports that yesterday, in response “to an increase in the number of arrestees with acute mental illness, law enforcement leaders in Montgomery County,” MD, announced that “they are looking to set up a special court geared toward treatment rather than punishment.” Were Montgomery County to establish a mental health court, it would join three other Maryland jurisdictions with such courts: “Prince George’s County, Harford County and Baltimore City.”

Related Links:

— “Montgomery County weighs setting up a mental health court,” Dan Morse, Washington Post, July 22, 2015.

On the CBS Evening News (7/22, story 5, 2:00, Rose), Charlie Rose reported that according to a new study, “more than a quarter million veterans still suffer from” post-traumatic stress disorder 40 years after the Vietnam War.

Reuters (7/22, Rapaport) reports that the study was published online July 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. An accompanying editorial emphasized the life-long impact PTSD can have.

Related Links:

— “Many Vietnam veterans have PTSD 40 years after war’s end,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, July 22, 2015.

In a letter to the editor of the New York Times (7/22, A26, Subscription Publication), John M. Oldham, MD, MS, a past president of the American Psychiatric Association, writes in response to Psychiatry’s Identity Crisis that if psychotherapy is “done right and done long enough, it can help change the brain in ways that can stick. We just have to help each other do it.”

Related Links:

— “Drugs, Talk Therapy and the Brain,” John M. Oldham, MD, New York Times, July , 2015.