Mindfulness-Based Programs Show Benefits for Cardiovascular Health

Findings from a recent randomized clinical trial, supported by the National Institutes of Health Science of Behavior Change Common Fund Program through an award administered by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, suggest that a mindfulness-based program can improve multiple aspects of cardiovascular health.

The study, led by Eric Loucks, Ph.D., from Brown University, evaluated the Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP) program, an 8-week intervention designed to support behavior change across key risk factors such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress.

Compared to usual care, participants in the program showed modest but clinically meaningful improvements in overall cardiovascular health at 6 months. These improvements were driven by positive changes across multiple components, including:

• Physical activity
• Sleep
• Diet quality
• Blood pressure

These findings suggest behavioral mindfulness-based interventions may effectively support changes across risk factors to improve cardiovascular health.

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Artificial Intelligence in Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Personalized Medicine Applications

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Mitochondria and health

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When Machine Learning Helps Reveal Hidden Dementia

Patients at primary care clinics received more dementia diagnoses after implementation of a machine-learning tool designed to flag potential cases, according to a study published in JAMA Network.

The findings point to a potential solution for diagnosing dementia earlier in the disease process, said Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPh, professor in the Department of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, who led the study.

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Rise: Early Mobility in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Adding an online group mindfulness intervention to a standard treatment for opioid use disorder was similar to adding an online evidence-based recovery support program when it came to reducing illicit opioid use, other substance use, and anxiety, but the mindfulness intervention resulted in greater reductions in opioid craving, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. The study was conducted by researchers at the Cambridge Health Alliance, McLean Hospital, Harvard University, and Tufts University and partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative or NIH HEAL Initiative® Behavioral Research to Improve Medication-Based Treatment (BRIM) program.

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Cracking the Ketamine Code

Treatment-resistant depression affects nearly 3 million people in the United States. In the early 2000s, researchers began looking at ketamine as a possible treatment. Decades of research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health led to the 2019 approval of esketamine for treatment-resistant depression.

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CTE identified in brain donations from young amateur athletes

McKee AC, et al. “Neuropathological and Clinical Findings in Young Contact Sport Athletes Exposed to Repetitive Head Impacts.” August 28, 2023. JAMA Neurology. DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.2907

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How can computer models help us better understand the brain?

Welcome to the Brain Experts podcast, where we meet neuroscience experts and talk about their work, the field in general, and where it’s going. We hope to provide both education and inspiration. I am Peter Bandettini with the National Institute of Mental Health. Please note that the views expressed by the guests do not reflect NIMH policy. This is episode three with Niko Kriegeskorte. We will discuss, among other things, how might brain imaging help us to truly understand the brain. Let’s chat.

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The Amazing Brain: Mapping Brain Circuits in Vivid Color

Hop aboard as we fly up, down, left, and right through the information highways of the human brain! This captivating and eye-catching video was one of the winners of the 2019 “Show us Your Brain!” contest sponsored by the NIH-led Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative.

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The Amazing Brain: Zooming Through the Globus Pallidus Externa

The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative continues to find new ways to visualize neurons interconnecting into the billions of circuits that control our thoughts, feelings, and movements. This video, another winner in the initiative’s “Show Us Your Brain!” contest, offers a beautiful example of how these imaging techniques are getting better all the time.

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Brain Basics: Know Your Brain

The brain is the most complex part of the human body. This three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the senses, initiator of body movement, and controller of behavior. Lying in its bony shell and washed by protective fluid, the brain is the source of all the qualities that define our humanity. The brain is the crown jewel of the human body.

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