Neurology Advisor (2/10, Saha) reports, “Pregnancy and breastfeeding are associated with less later-life cognitive decline, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a longitudinal secondary analysis of 2 Women’s Health Initiative cohorts: the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS; n=7427) and the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (WHISCA; n=2304).” The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

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— “Pregnancy, Breastfeeding Linked to Reduced Cognitive Decline in Older Age,”Rajan Saha, Neurology Advisor, February 10, 2026

MedPage Today (2/10, Jeffrey) reports, “Exercise effectively reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, comparable to results seen with pharmacological or psychological interventions, according to a systematic umbrella review with a meta-meta-analysis of randomized trials.” Researchers observed that “exercise had a medium-sized effect on reducing depression symptoms (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.61, 95% CI -0.69 to -0.54), while it had a small-to-medium effect on reducing anxiety symptoms (SMD -0.47).” They noted that “while exercise was effective across all age groups, the greatest benefits of exercise on depression were seen in adults ages 18 to 30 years (SMD -0.81), as well as among postnatal women (SMD -0.70).” The review was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/9) reports a study of Swedish registry data found that “the male-to-female ratio of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be more equal than commonly believed.” The research team “analyzed nearly 2.8 million individuals born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020 – identifying 78,522 (2.8%) who were diagnosed with ASD by the end of 2022. Across the whole cohort, the male-to-female ratio of ASD was 1.6:1 – though the data showed that the yearly gap has been shrinking over time.” They noted the “average age of ASD diagnosis was 14 years – among males, diagnoses peaked between ages 10 to 14 while in females diagnoses peaked between ages 15 to 19. In 2022, the ASD male-to-female ratio at age 10 was 3:1 – but by age 20, the ratio dropped to 1.2:1.” The findings “show a pattern of significant ‘catch-up’ in recognizing ASD in females over the past 40 years in Sweden.” The study was published in The BMJ.

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— “Is Autism a Predominantly Male Disorder?, Psychiatric News , February 9, 2026

Psychiatric News (2/6) reported, “Socially isolated older adults who received one of two brief, telephone-based psychosocial interventions showed significant reductions in loneliness at 12 months compared with those who received ‘befriending’ phone calls that didn’t include psychosocial skills,” according to findings from a study of 1,151 older adults in Hong Kong. However, “the findings were mainly applicable to lonely, Cantonese-speaking, older adults with limited resources and may not be generalizable to populations with greater socioeconomic, cultural, or linguistic diversity.” The research was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Brief Lay-Delivered Phone Interventions Can Reduce Loneliness Among Older Adults, Psychiatric News, February 6, 2026

Research by Lauren Osborne, M.D., reproductive psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, has identified a potential biomarker for postpartum depression (PPD). Examining the metabolic progesterone pathway throughout pregnancy showed that a lower pregnanolone-to-progesterone ratio and elevated isoallopregnanolone in the third trimester were associated with PPD risk. Further investigation may help determine who can benefit from earlier treatment intervention.

Related Links:

— “Dr. Lauren Osborne: Research Uncovers a Potential Biomarker for Postpartum Depression Risk, NYP, February 5, 2026