Vasovagal syncope is the most common cause of syncope in children, and there is no satisfactory treatment currently. We evaluated the response to midodrine treatment in patients with vasovagal syncope who failed to benefit from conventional, non-pharmacologic treatments.

The study was a single-centre retrospective study. The data of 44 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years, who were diagnosed with recurrent vasovagal syncope, did not benefit from non- pharmacological treatments, and received midodrine treatment from 2015 to 2022 were enrolled in the study.

In total, 44 patients, 38 (86.4%) were girls, and 6 (13.6%) were boys. The primary outcome measure was the change in frequency of vasovagal syncope episodes from baseline to 6 months after treatment with midodrine. Patients received a midodrine treatment at an average of 2.5–5 mg/day and were followed for a median of 23.07 (8–72) months. The median number of syncope was 4.2 (3–9.8)/year prior to treatment and 1.2 (1–5)/year (p = 0.01) following the treatment. There was a significant improvement in syncope episodes in all patients.

Vasovagal syncope is the common cause of syncope in children, and its treatment has not yet been found satisfactory. Midodrine treatment was found to be effective and safe in paediatric patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope. However, further research is needed to determine the most effective treatment for this condition.

Parenting is related to the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e. low empathy and restricted guilt), making it an important target of interventions for childhood conduct problems (CPs). However, the relative importance of different parenting features in relation to the development of CU traits remains unclear. This study used machine learning to examine multiple parenting features assessed across infancy and early childhood as predictors of CU traits and CPs in early adolescence.

Data were from the Family Life Project (N = 1,292; 49% female, 41% Black, and 28% below the poverty line). Seventy-four parenting predictors were assessed at eight time points between children aged 6–90 months using parent-reported questionnaires and observer ratings of videotaped interactions and home visits. CU traits and CPs were assessed via parent-reported questionnaires in preadolescence (12–14 years).

Parenting features explained 8.2% of CU traits variability in preadolescence, with top predictors including early sensitive parenting and later behavior management and scaffolding practices. Prediction of CPs was weaker, with parenting explaining 4.5% of the variability.

Results highlight that disruption in close and sensitive early parent–child relationships is relevant to the development of CU traits. Results from the prediction of CPs indicate a more heterogeneous etiology. Findings support targeting parental sensitivity and behavior management within preventative interventions for CU traits and CPs.

Accurate and up-to-date epidemiological data on the prevalence and treatment of common mental disorders are essential for evidence-based healthcare policy and resource allocation. However, large-scale, representative epidemiological surveys on common mental disorders in China—particularly those incorporating insomnia disorder and applying the latest diagnostic criteria alongside validated assessment tools—remain notably lacking.

We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional epidemiological survey to assess the prevalence and treatment of common mental disorders among adults in Beijing, China, using a multistage clustered probability sampling design (n = 10,778). Licensed psychiatrists administered standardized diagnostic interviews based on DSM-5 criteria to assess both lifetime and current mental disorders through a single-stage assessment protocol.

Among all lifetime mental disorders assessed, depressive disorders constituted the most prevalent diagnostic category (7.7%), with major depressive disorder representing the most common specific diagnosis (5.4%). Individuals aged 65 years and older exhibited significantly higher 1-month prevalence of both depressive disorders and insomnia disorder compared with younger age groups. Alcohol-related disorder was more prevalent in men than in women, and in urban residents than in rural residents. Help-seeking patterns revealed a predominant reliance on informal support over professional services among individuals with lifetime mental disorders. Only 13.4% sought help from mental health professionals, and 12.7% received mental health professional treatment.

The improved access to treatment did not translate into a reduction in population-level mental disorder prevalence, which may be attributable to the low rate of professional mental health treatment. Governments must optimize mental healthcare access.

Cognitive impairment is a significant, yet often overlooked, non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease, and a strong predictor of quality of life for those affected. Despite the availability of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options for Parkinson’s disease, their efficacy for the cognitive symptoms of the disease specifically is unclear, as no ‘gold standard’ treatment strategy for cognitive impairment in the disease has yet emerged. Further, a comparative understanding of the efficacy of each of these treatment options is severely lacking.

This systematic review aims to critically evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.

A comprehensive systematic search will be conducted to identify studies involving participants clinically diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease that assess non-pharmacological interventions targeting cognitive impairment. If feasible, results will be synthesised using meta-analysis; otherwise, narrative synthesis will be used.

This is a protocol for a systematic review that is yet to be conducted.

The findings from this review will provide critical insight into the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment options for cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease, which may help to influence clinical recommendations for the treatment of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease and highlight existing gaps in the literature.

Test whether a dissonance-based transdiagnostic eating disorder treatment, body project treatment (BPT), produces greater reduction in brain reward region response to the thin ideal and behaviors used to pursue this ideal and eating disorder symptoms, and higher abstinence from eating disorder behaviors and remittance from eating disorder diagnoses than a matched transdiagnostic interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT).

Women with various eating disorders (N = 83) were randomized to 8-week group-implemented BPT or IPT and completed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at pretest and posttest, and surveys and masked diagnostic interviews at pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up.

BPT versus IPT participants showed significantly greater reductions in mid cingulate cortex response to thin models, anterior cingulate cortex response to eating disorder behavior words, eating disorder symptoms (d = 0.54), and body dissatisfaction (d = 0.57), and marginally greater reductions in psychosocial impairment (d = 0.39) at posttest, as well as significantly greater reductions in body dissatisfaction (d = 0.68) and psychosocial impairment (d = 0.63), and marginally greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms (d = 0.53) at 6-month follow-up. At posttest, BPT versus IPT participants showed significantly greater abstinence from binge eating and purging (48% versus 23%, respectively) but did not differ on remittance from eating disorder diagnoses (52% versus 44%, respectively).

Results provide further evidence of target engagement for BPT and suggest that it is more effective than IPT in treating a range of eating disorders.

The treatment response for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia is not ideal, and the efficacy of antidepressant treatment remains a matter of considerable controversy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of adjunctive antidepressant treatment for negative symptoms of schizophrenia under strict inclusion criteria.

A systematic literature search (PubMed/Web of Science) was conducted to identify randomized, double-blind, effect-focused trials comparing adjuvant antidepressants with placebo for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia from database establishment to April 16, 2025. Negative symptoms were examined as the primary outcome. Data were extracted from published research reports, and the overall effect size was calculated using standardized mean differences (SMD).

A total of 15 articles, involving 655 patients, were included in this review. Mirtazapine (N = 2, n = 48, SMD −1.73, CI −2.60, −0.87) and duloxetine (N = 1, n = 64, SMD −1.19, CI −2.17, −0.21) showed significantly better efficacy for negative symptoms compared to placebo. In direct comparisons between antidepressants, mirtazapine showed significant differences compared to reboxetine, escitalopram, and bupropion, but there were no significant differences between other antidepressants or between antidepressants and placebo. No publication bias for the prevalence of this condition was observed.

These findings suggest that adjunctive use of mirtazapine and duloxetine can effectively improve the negative symptoms of schizophrenia in patients who are stably receiving antipsychotic treatment. Therefore, incorporating antidepressants into future treatment plans for negative symptoms of schizophrenia is a promising strategy that warrants further exploration.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression, but worries about cognitive side effects remain. This retrospective study evaluated cognitive outcomes and the antidepressant efficacy of ECT in a real-life sample of patients with treatment-resistant uni- or bipolar depression.

We included 90 depressed inpatients aged 49 ± 13.8 (SD) years who underwent 10 ± 2.1 (SD) unilateral or bitemporal ECT treatments and completed an extensive pre- and post-treatment psychological test battery. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were evaluated as main outcomes pre-/post-ECT treatment.

There was no significant change in MMSE scores between pre-/post-treatment assessments (β = 0.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.44, 0.25], p = 0.58), indicating no negative effect on global cognition. A minority of patients (N = 3) experienced a reduction of ≥5 points in the MMSE. Most cognitive tests showed no difference; however, some domains revealed statistically significant improvements (visual learning and motoric reaction time), whereas one domain showed a significant decline (verbal learning). Higher age and higher stimulus doses predicted worse outcomes in some cognitive domains. While ECT significantly reduced depressive symptoms measured by HAMD (β = −5.51, 95% CI [−7.08, −3.94], p < 0.001), depressive symptoms were not associated with cognitive outcomes.

No major cognitive changes were observed. While test results indicated deterioration in verbal learning and improvement in visual learning and motoric reaction time, effect sizes were small, and other cognitive tests showed no significant changes. The main limitation is the absence of retrograde memory assessment.