Psychology news

• Mental practice, physical therapy effective treatment for stroke, research shows

  09-04-2015 21:08
  A combination of mental practice and physical therapy is an effective treatment for people recovering from a stroke, according to researchers. Mental practice and physical therapy are interventions used to improve impaired motor movement, coordination and balance following stroke. Mental practice, also known as motor imagery, is the mental rehearsal of a motor action without an overt action. Physical therapy consists of repetitive, task-oriented training of the impaired extremity.
  
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• Signal variability, cognitive performance in the aging human brain

  09-04-2015 19:35
  As we age, the physical make up of our brains changes. This includes changes in neural processing in grey matter, but also in the deterioration of structural connections in the brain, which allow communication between distinct brain regions, so the brain is able to work as a well-wired network system. The moment-to-moment variability in brain activity has been studied by researchers, and more specifically, in the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal.
  
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• Gene loss creates eating disorder-related behaviors in mice

  09-04-2015 19:35
  Building on their discovery of a gene linked to eating disorders in humans, a team of researchers has now shown that loss of the gene in mice leads to several behavioral abnormalities that resemble behaviors seen in people with anorexia nervosa.
  
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• Brain activity in infants predicts language outcomes in autism spectrum disorder

  09-04-2015 19:34
  Autism spectrum disorder can produce different clinical outcomes in young children, with some having strong conversation abilities and others not talking at all. A new study reveals at the first signs of possible autism in infants and toddlers, neural activity in language-sensitive brain regions is already similar to normal in those autism spectrum disorder toddlers who eventually go on to develop good language ability but nearly absent in those who later have a poor language outcome.
  
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• Touch-sensing neurons are multitaskers

  09-04-2015 19:32
  
  Two types of touch information -- the feel of an object and the position of an animal's limb -- have long been thought to flow into the brain via different channels and be integrated in sophisticated processing regions. Now, with help from a specially devised mechanical exoskeleton that positioned monkeys' hands in different postures, researchers have challenged that view.
  
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• Brain imaging explains reason for good, poor language outcomes in ASD toddlers

  09-04-2015 19:32
  
  Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers say it may be possible to predict future language development outcomes in toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), even before they've been formally diagnosed with the condition.
  
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• Clot-busting drug benefits stroke patients, brain scan study shows

  09-04-2015 15:48
  A drug that breaks up blood clots in the brains of stroke patients could be used more widely than at present without increased risk, a brain scan study suggests. It had previously been thought that giving the drug to people with signs of early damage in the brain caused by a stroke would increase the chances of them suffering a bleed on the brain -- which can be fatal. The study is the first to show that early tissue damage seen in brain scans does not necessarily indicate an increased risk of b
  
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• Delicate magnolia-jasmine scent activates human pheromone receptor

  09-04-2015 14:14
  
  The question if humans can communicate via pheromones in the same way as animals is under debate. Cell physiologists have demonstrated that the odorous substance Hedione activates the putative pheromone receptor VN1R1, which occurs in the human olfactory epithelium. Researchers showed that the scent of Hedione generates sex-specific activation patterns in the brain, which do not occur with traditional fragrances.
  
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• Under-reported suicides: Hiding or compounding the tragedy

  09-04-2015 11:00
  A new study has revealed that suicide figures may not be as accurate as they are reported, with key Western countries having a higher suicide rate than that reported in official figures, especially...
  
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• Cold, callous and untreatable? Not all psychopaths fit the stereotype, says new study

  09-04-2015 10:00
  Many mask unmanageable emotion, can be helped with right therapyMovie villains from Norman Bates to Hannibal Lecter have popularized the notion of the psychopath as cold, cruel, lacking in...
  
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• Around 9% of adults with access to firearms have anger problems

  09-04-2015 10:00
  A new study has found that nearly 1 in 10 adults in the US is anger-prone and has access to guns. The authors suggest changes to firearm legislation could reduce gun violence.
  
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• White House Calls for Ban on Conversion Therapy for LGBT Youth

  09-04-2015 09:20 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsPresident Barack Obama is calling for an end to psychiatric therapy treatments aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay, lesbian and transgender youth.
  
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• Mental Disorders and Physical Diseases Co-Occur in Teenagers

  09-04-2015 09:20 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyEvery third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. These co-occurrences come in specific associations: More often than average, depression occurs together with diseases of the digestive system, eating disorders with seizures and anxiety disorders together with arthritis, heart disease as well as diseases of the digestives system. These findings are based on data from 6,500 U.S. teenagers.
  
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• Emotional Processing Deficits Linked with White Matter Damage

  09-04-2015 09:20 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyResearchers have linked inability to recognize facial affect (emotion) with white matter damage after traumatic brain injury, an important first step toward understanding this emotional processing deficit. Findings indicate a pattern of white matter damage/gray matter atrophy associated with this specific impairment of social cognition after TBI.
  
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• Black Women Less Likely to Struggle with Depression Than Whites

  09-04-2015 09:20 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportWhere women live also appears to affect mental health disorder rates.
  
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