HealthDay (12/31, Dallas) reports that according to a study published online Dec. 30 in JAMA Neurology, hypothyroidism appears not to be associated with “mild dementia or impaired brain function.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after examining “more than 1,900 people, including those with mild and more severe cases of hypothyroidism.” The participants ranged in age from 70 to 89.

Related Links:

— “Underactive Thyroid Not Linked to Memory Problems, “Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay, December 30, 2013.

Research suggesting Vitamin E may be beneficial for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease was covered on two of Tuesday’s national news broadcasts, in the print editions or on the websites of several major papers, and by several other major websites and wires. Most sources pointed out that while the vitamin was associated with a delay in the loss of function in Alzheimer’s patients, it had no impact on memory and has not been shown to prevent the disease. ABC World News (12/31, story 5, 1:10, Muir) reported that “a newstudy” indicated that “Vitamin E may” be beneficial for some patients with Alzheimer’s.

On the CBS Evening News (12/31, story 7, 2:15, Dubois), CBS’ Elaine Quijano reported, “Since the exact cause of Alzheimer’s is still being debated, researchers aren’t sure how the vitamin helps,” but “they believe it protects brain cells from Alzheimer’s damage.”

USA Today (1/1, Weintraub) reported, “Research a decade ago showed that vitamin E was helpful in late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.” The new research, “published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association finds the benefits extend to people with mild to moderate forms of the disease.”

Related Links:

— “Vitamin E may aid those with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, “Karen Weintraub, USA Today, December 31, 2013.

The Columbus (OH) Dispatch (12/29, Rowland, Candisky) detailed efforts to improve the US mental healthcare system in the past year since the Newtown, CT school shootings. In a webcast, American Psychiatric Association president Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, of Columbia University, said that the combination of the Mental Health Parity Act and the Affordable Care Act “will have tremendous impact of historic significance.” The article also examined measures passed in Ohio to improve mental healthcare, including “Gov. John Kasich’s initiative to expand Medicaid, which will provide health coverage to tens of thousands of adults in need of treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, and provide additional state aid for community-based services.”

Related Links:

— “‘Broken’ mental-health system made a few improvements this year, “Darrel Rowland, The Columbus Dispatch, December 29, 2013.

In an opinion piece in the Baltimore Sun (12/29), psychiatrist John J. Boronow, MD, of the Sheppard Pratt Health System, and psychiatrist Steven S. Sharfstein, MD, president and CEO of the Sheppard Pratt Health System, called for passage in Maryland of an “‘assisted outpatient treatment’ (AOT) law, also called Outpatient Civil Commitment.” According to the two psychiatrists, “many AOT programs in other states have been the subject of studies – most exhaustively in North Carolina and New York – and have been shown to reduce hospitalization, homelessness, incarceration and, not the least, the costs of care for individuals with major mental illness.”

Related Links:

— “Close the mental health revolving door [Commentary], “John J. Boronow, The Baltimore Sun, December 29, 2013.

In continuing coverage, Reuters (12/28, Huggins) reported that research published online in Stroke suggests that greater levels of anxiety may be associated with a higher risk of stroke.

On its website, TIME (12/28, Nicks) reported that investigators looked at data on more than 6,000 “men and women over about 16 years.” The researchers found that “anxiety is responsible for a relatively small uptick, 14 percent, in the risk of suffering a stroke.”

The Huffington Post (12/28) reported that although the research “does not show that anxiety causes stroke,” study author Maya Lambiase, PhD, “noted that people with greater anxiety levels might be more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as sedentary activity or smoking, which are known stroke risk factors.” Meanwhile, “other potential factors could include higher blood pressure or stress hormone levels.”

Related Links:

— “Anxiety linked to stroke risk, “C.E. Huggins, Reuters, December 27, 2013.