Psychology news

• Injured spinal cord: Regeneration possible with epothilone?

  12-03-2015 22:38
  
  Damage to the spinal cord rarely heals because the injured nerve cells fail to regenerate. The regrowth of their long nerve fibers is hindered by scar tissue and molecular processes inside the nerves. Scientists in now report that help might be on the way from an unexpected quarter.
  
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• Open approach to mental healthcare | Letter

  12-03-2015 20:53
  
  Last week, a report by the all-party parliamentary group on mental health said people with mental health problems receive substandard care (Report, theguardian.com, 4 March). In response, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Simon Wessely, asked to see “good words translated into good deeds”. The good news is that some of these good deeds are already happening – but at the frontline. On NHS Change Day on Wednesday nearly 500 people attended the first national conf
  
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• Why women like war heroes more than any other kind of guy

  12-03-2015 19:46 via time.com
  
  Women are more sexually attracted to men who have been deemed heroic during conflict than men who have merely served in the armed forces.
  
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• Loneliness and isolation are as bad for you as obesity

  12-03-2015 19:45 via huffingtonpost.com
  
  Study finds that being alone threatens longetvity as much as being overweight.
  
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• Magnetic nanoparticles could allow brain stimulation without wires

  12-03-2015 19:29
  
  Researchers have developed a method to stimulate brain tissue using external magnetic fields and injected magnetic nanoparticles -- a technique allowing direct stimulation of neurons, which could be an effective treatment for a variety of neurological diseases, without the need for implants or external connections.Magnetic nanoparticles could allow brain stimulation without wires.
  
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• Political liberals display greater happiness, study shows

  12-03-2015 19:29
  
  What does it mean to be happy? Is it how happy you say you are, or is it how happy you act? Previous research has found that political conservatives report being happier than political liberals. But psychologists have discovered that those on the left exhibit happier speech patterns and facial expressions.
  
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• The games we play: A troubling dark side in academic publishing | Pete Etchells & Chris Chambers

  12-03-2015 19:05
  
  An autism researcher and an Oxford professor have exposed what appears to be a substantial case of academic malpractice, highlighting the vital role of peer review and the dangers faced by whistle-blowersOne of the most frustrating things we see as researchers is the glacial pace at which attitudes change in academic science. A culture of hidden peer review, hidden data, paywalled journal articles and performance-related bean counting undermine transparency and robustness in science. In some cas
  
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• Mind reading: Spatial patterns of brain activity decode what people taste

  12-03-2015 17:33
  Scientists have revealed how taste is encoded in patterns of neural activity in the human brain.
  
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• Sweet nanoparticles target stroke

  12-03-2015 14:22
  
  Materials resulting from chemical bonding of glucosamine, a type of sugar, with fullerenes, kind of nanoparticles known as buckyballs, might help to reduce cell damage and inflammation occurring after stroke. A team has tested this on mice, opening the door to potential new drugs for the cerebrovascular accident.
  
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• Teen cannabis users have poor long-term memory in adulthood

  12-03-2015 13:29
  
  Teens who were heavy marijuana users -- smoking it daily for about three years -- had an abnormally shaped hippocampus and performed poorly on long-term memory tasks, reports a new study. The hippocampus is important to long-term memory, which is the ability to remember life events. The brain abnormalities and memory problems were observed during the individuals' early twenties, two years after they stopped smoking marijuana.
  
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• Non-invasive ultrasound technology treats Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and restores memory in mice

  12-03-2015 13:28
  Scientists have found that non-invasive ultrasound technology can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease and restore memory. Researchers discovered that the innovative drug-free approach breaks apart the neurotoxic amyloid plaques that result in memory loss and cognitive decline.
  
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• Sexism -- it's in his smile

  12-03-2015 08:00
  Researchers say smiles, word choice show what type of sexism men displayIf you want to know what a man's true attitude towards the female sex is, carefully watch how he smiles and chats to her.
  
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• Boredom and frustration trigger skin-picking and other compulsive behaviors

  12-03-2015 08:00
  Individuals who get easily bored, frustrated or impatient are more inclined to develop skin-picking and other body-focused repetitive behaviors, say researchers at the Institut universitaire en sante...
  
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• Boosting older adults' vision through training

  12-03-2015 08:00
  Just a weeks' worth of training can improve vision in older adults, according to new research in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
  
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• Healthy eating, exercise, and brain-training program results in slower mental decline for older people

  12-03-2015 02:04
  A comprehensive program providing older people at risk of dementia with healthy eating guidance, exercise, brain training, and management of metabolic and vascular risk factors appears to slow down cognitive decline, according to the first ever randomized controlled trial of its kind.
  
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