Jennifer Hanratty summarises the recent Campbell review on mindfulness-based interventions for improving cognition, academic achievement, behaviour and socioemotional functioning in schools. She considers what school leaders, researchers and policy makers should do next, considering the current uncertainty around mindfulness in schools.
[read the full story...]Mindfulness for young people: to meta-analyse or not to meta-analyse?
Sarah McDonald and André Tomlin consider another meta-analysis of mindfulness in young people, which finds “small effect sizes on a range of outcomes”. They conclude that we badly need more RCTs that reliably evaluate the effectiveness, safety and cost effectiveness of mindfulness in young people.
[read the full story...]Tobacco smoking, cognition and first episode psychosis: time for a rethink?
Marcus Munafo appraises a recent cross sectional study of tobacco smoking and its association with cognition in first episode psychosis patients.
[read the full story...]Gamification for health and wellbeing
Sasha Danilina publishes her debut blog about a recent literature review on the effectiveness of gamification applied to health and wellbeing.
[read the full story...]Reminiscence groups for people with dementia and their family carers: REMCARE trial
Elizabeth Collier writes her debut blog on the REMCARE randomised controlled trial of reminiscence groups for people with dementia and their family carers.
[read the full story...]Cognitive stimulation therapy for dementia
Clarissa Giebel summarises a multicentre RCT that assesses the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of individual cognitive stimulation therapy for dementia.
[read the full story...]Art therapy for common mental health disorders
Chris Sampson reports on a new HTA systematic review and economic evaluation of art therapy for non-psychotic mental health disorders like depression, anxiety and phobias.
[read the full story...]Lifestyle changes for cognition and dementia: better than a new drug?
Should all molecular research institutes looking at neurodegenerative diseases be replaced by parks, playgrounds and cycle paths? Mark Horowitz highlights a recent systematic review of modifiable risk factors associated with cognition and dementia, which suggests that from a public health perspective, there may be some sense in this idea.
[read the full story...]Cognitive and exercise interventions for older adults with and without cognitive impairment
Jake Crawshaw reports on a recent systematic review of cognitive and exercise interventions for older people with and without cognitive impairment.
[read the full story...]Intensive cognitive training may help to prevent cognitive decline
Cognitive decline describes increasing problems with memory, comprehension, language and mental agility. Mild cognitive impairment means that a person has cognitive decline beyond that which might be expected for their age, but generally do not experience problems with everyday living (Alzheimer’s Society, 2012). Dementia has similar symptoms, but these are more severe and people with [read the full story…]