The New York Times (8/2, Jacobs, Chiarito) reports that in June, the FDA “said that it would move toward slashing nicotine levels in cigarettes in an effort to reduce the health effects of an addiction that claims 480,000 lives a year.” The FDA “set next May as its timetable for introducing a fully developed proposal.” However, “many experts hope regulators will champion an immediate 95 percent reduction in nicotine levels – the amount federally funded studies have determined is most effective for helping smokers kick the habit.”

Related Links:

— “Breaking Nicotine’s Powerful Draw ” Andrew Jacobs, The New York Times, August 2, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/2) reports, “Switching stable” patients with schizophrenia “to a different antipsychotic as a maintenance strategy (for example, to reduce side effects) does not increase the risk of relapse,” investigators concluded in a 98-study systematic review and network meta-analysis, the findings of which were published in the August issue of The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Switching Antipsychotics During Maintenance Treatment May Not Increase Relapse Risk, Psychiatric News , August 2, 2022

HealthDay (8/2, Thompson) reports, “More young children may struggle with eating disorders than previously thought, a…study reveals.” The article adds, “Data on nearly 12,000 U.S. children between the ages of 9 and 10 that was collected as part of a federally funded study found that 5% had engaged in binge eating,” and “another 2.5% had taken measures to avoid gaining weight.” Also, the researchers “found that boys are just as at risk for disordered eating as girls, based on the results” published online in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Eating Disorders Can Begin as Early as Age 9 “Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, August 2, 2022

Psychiatric News (8/1) reports, “Smoking throughout pregnancy appears to have lasting effects on the brain development of the offspring,” investigators concluded in a study that “focused on the MRI data from 2,704 children (average age, 10 years) and the information on tobacco use during pregnancy provided by children’s parents.” The study revealed that “continued exposure to maternal tobacco use in utero was associated with lower brain volume.” The findings were published online Aug. 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Smoking Throughout Pregnancy May Have Long-Term Effects on Offspring’s Brain Development, Psychiatric News , August 1, 2022

Healio (8/1, Herpen) reports that “cognitive reserve acted as a protective factor that preserved executive function in older adults with benefits mitigated by depression level, according to” researchers who “sought to examine the relationship between cognitive reserve, depression and executive function in older adults over a 10-year period.” The findings of the “longitudinal study” were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Cognitive reserve protects executive function in older adults “Robert Herpen, Healio , August 1, 2022