This article introduces the rapidly growing literature linking cognitive dysfunction to overeating and obesity. Though neural responses to food and food cues can predispose individuals to overeating, these processes are moderated by a series of cognitive factors. Deficits in attentional bias, delay discounting, and episodic memory have clear connections to overeating in both laboratory and real-world settings. New weight loss interventions target these deficits through strategies designed to either directly improve cognitive function or circumvent them by tailoring weight management strategies to individuals’ specific cognitive profile. Future iterations of these interventions should better account for the influence of obesity-related risk factors such as poor sleep, high stress, socioeconomic burden, and prevalent medical risk factors. In so doing, future work may lead to treatment strategies that promote healthy eating and weight for a lifetime.

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Treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is often in the context of biobehavioural interventions, consisting of medication for OUD (for example, methadone and buprenorphine), which is accompanied by psychoeducation and/or behavioural therapies. Patients with OUD often display weaknesses in cognitive function that may impact the efficacy of such behavioural interventions.A review of the literature was conducted to: (1) describe common cognitive dysfunction profiles among patients with OUD, (2) outline intervention approaches for patients with OUD, (3) consider the cognitive demands that interventions place on patients with OUD and (4) identify potential accommodation strategies that may be used to optimise treatment outcomes.Cognitive profiles of patients with OUD often include weaknesses in executive function, attention, memory and information processing. Behavioural interventions require the patients’ ability to learn, understand and remember information (placing specific cognitive demands on patients). Accommodation strategies are, therefore, needed for patients with challenges in one or more of these areas. Research on accommodation strategies for patients with OUD is very limited. We applied research from populations with similar cognitive profiles to form a comprehensive collection of potential strategies to compensate for cognitive dysfunction among patients with OUD. The cognitive profiles and accommodation strategies included in this review are intended to inform future intervention research aimed at improving outcomes among patients with OUD.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent in athletes. The pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) may increase risk for symptoms due to fear of exposure during competition or uncertainty regarding participation. The current study examined the prevalence of COVID-19 anxiety in 437 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes and its association with psychological symptoms. Only 0.2% of participants endorsed COVID-19 anxiety symptoms above cutoff. COVID-19 anxiety did not change after postponement of fall sports or differ between persons competing in different seasons. However, higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Though student-athletes generally reported low levels of psychological symptoms, females endorsed significantly higher levels than males. Low levels of COVID-19 anxiety in student-athletes may reflect protective factors (e.g., health knowledge, emotion regulation) or the tendency for this population to minimize psychological symptoms. Further investigations on the psychological impact of COVID-19 in athletes is needed.