Kaiser Health News (10/11, Graham) reported, “as older adults become reliant on computers, cellphones and tablets,” cognitive impairment and dementia may make technology “difficult to use and, in some cases, problematic.” For example, patients may have difficulty remembering passwords or using smartphone applications. Moreover, “people with frontotemporal dementia, which affects a person’s judgment, self-awareness and ability to assess risk,” may be particularly vulnerable to digital threats. Meanwhile, families may have difficulty monitoring or controlling a loved one’s online activities because “appropriating someone’s passwords and using them to check email or online bank or brokerage accounts” without their consent is illegal.

Related Links:

— “With cognitive impairment, older adults struggle with — and face risks from — smartphones, computers., ” Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News, October 11, 2019

Reuters (10/14, Carroll) reports an analysis by Canadian researchers at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute within Unity Health Toronto of over 163 studies involving nearly 25,000 patients suggests that “symptoms of aggression and agitation in dementia patients may respond better to non-drug therapies such as massage, touch therapy and outdoor activities.” Investigators “found that outdoor activities were more effective than antipsychotic medications for treating physically aggressive patients.” Also, in terms of “verbal aggression, massage and touch therapy were more effective than the patients’ usual care.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “To ease dementia agitation, drugs may not be best option, “Linda Carroll, Reuters, October 14, 2019

On its “Morning Edition” program and in its “Shots” blog, NPR (10/10, Hamilton) reports scientists are “worried about vaping’s effect on teenage brains,” which could present “potential problems” that “include attention disorders…impulse control issues and susceptibility to substance abuse.” Current “research on young animals shows that nicotine can interfere with processes that are critical to memory, learning, focus, impulse control and brain development.” Frances Leslie, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of California at Irvine, “says the problem is that nicotine mimics acetylcholine, an important chemical messenger in the brain,” fooling “brain cells that have something called a nicotinic receptor.” Leslie explained that “unfortunately…’those parts of the brain that are actively maturing during adolescence are being actively controlled by nicotinic receptors.’”

Related Links:

— “How Vaping Nicotine Can Affect A Teenage Brain, “Jon Hamilton, NPR, October 10, 2019

MD Magazine (10/10, Campbell) reports research indicated that “nearly one in five cardiac rehabilitation patients suffered from depression.” The 5,908-patient study highlights “the need for monitoring depression and anxiety symptoms on entry and during cardiac rehabilitation to assist with improving adherence.” The findings were published online Oct. 9 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Related Links:

— “Depression, Anxiety Can Derail Cardiac Rehabilitation, “Patrick Campbell, MD Magazine, October 10, 2019

Psychiatric News (10/10) reports, “Whether patients with major depressive disorder [MDD] show improvement (or lack thereof) at the end of their second week on an antidepressant medication may predict whether they will ultimately achieve remission at the end of 12 weeks,” researchers concluded after conducting “a secondary analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs Augmentation and Switching Treatments for Improving Depression Outcomes…study, which involved 1,552 veterans aged 18 and older whose” MDD “was unresponsive to at least one course of antidepressant treatment.” The findings were published online Oct. 3 in the journal Psychiatric Research & Clinical Practice, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Changes in Depressive Symptoms at Two-Week Treatment Mark May Predict 12-Week Remission Outcomes, Psychiatric News, October 10, 2019