Psychology news

• How do we hear time within sound?

  16-04-2015 20:55
  
  How does our auditory system represent time within a sound? A new study investigates how temporal acoustic patterns can be represented by neural activity within auditory cortex, a major hub within the brain for the perception of sound.
  
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• Major vascular anomalies found in brains of people with Huntington's disease

  16-04-2015 20:12
  Significant vascular changes in the brains of people with Huntington's disease have been identified by researchers. This breakthrough will have significant implications for our understanding of the disease and could open the door to new therapeutic targets for treating this fatal neurodegenerative condition.
  
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• Electronic micropump to deliver treatments deep within the brain

  16-04-2015 19:23
  For a condition such as epilepsy, it is essential to act at exactly the right time and place in the brain. For this reason, a team of researchers has developed an organic electronic micropump which, when combined with an anti-convulsant drug, enables localized inhibition of epileptic seizure in brain tissue in vitro.
  
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• Encountering a wall corrects 'GPS' in mouse brains, study finds

  16-04-2015 19:22
  By analyzing the activity of 'GPS' neurons in mice, researchers have discovered that the mental maps created by these cells accumulate errors, which are corrected when the animal encounters a wall. The findings support the theory that these cells, called grid cells, use an animal's perceived speed and direction to help it navigate familiar places.
  
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• Fundraising? Find a generous male friend and smile, says study

  16-04-2015 18:19
  
  Analysis of fundraising pages shows men are competitively generous: a big donation early on, helped by an attractive picture, can be key to successWhen fundraising for charity, picking a cause close to people’s hearts and subjecting yourself to a sufficiently gruelling physical ordeal might help, but scientists suggest there could be an even easier way to swell the coffers. Picking a flattering photo and persuading a male friend or relative to make a hefty donation to your fundraising page ear
  
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• Tylenol Numbs Emotions, New Study Finds

  16-04-2015 18:13 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Google News - HealthA new study is stating that painkillers are doing a lot more than dulling physical pain, they're numbing your emotions as well. The study, that was published in Psychological Science, included Tylenol as well as other over-the-counter acetaminophen...
  
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• Fatal Brain Disease in U.S. Man Likely Came from British Beef

  16-04-2015 18:13 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - ScienceA U.S. man who developed a rare and fatal brain disease likely got the disease from eating beef while living abroad more than a decade earlier, according to a new report of the case. Because the condition, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is so rare, the man was misdiagnosed and even hospitalized for psychiatric symptoms multiple times before doctors suspected the true cause of his symptoms, according to the report from researchers at...
  
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• Sex and the successful fundraiser | Richard P Grant

  16-04-2015 18:00
  
  A real-world study shows that in the art – and science – of fundraising, some of us have a natural advantage...It’s Spring, and everybody’s at it.The neighbours’ cats stroll into my garden, mewling and hoping for a little bit of in flagrante. Honey bees brazenly assault the cherry blossom. Tulips coyly invite flies to more closely examine their seductive stamen. The blackbirds and robins and and tits and finches shout at each other, chups and warbles and chirrups that, loosely translat
  
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• War, Poverty Deprive 21 Million Children of Education in Middle East

  16-04-2015 17:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: Reuters - World NewsWorsening conflicts, poverty and gender discrimination in the Middle East and North Africa are driving 21 million children and young adolescents out of school, two United Nations agencies said on Wednesday.
  
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• Eight Nutrients to Protect the Aging Brain

  16-04-2015 17:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyBrain health is the second most important component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle according to a 2014 AARP study. As people age they can experience a range of cognitive issues from decreased critical thinking to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers write about eight nutrients that may help keep your brain in good shape.
  
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• Complex Cognition Shaped the Stone Age Hand Axe

  16-04-2015 17:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: ScienceDailyThe ability to make a Lower Paleolithic hand axe depends on complex cognitive control by the prefrontal cortex, including the 'central executive' function of working memory, a new study finds. The results knock another chip off theories that Stone Age hand axes are simple tools that don't involve higher-order executive function of the brain.
  
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• A Sniff of Happiness: Chemicals in Sweat May Convey Positive Emotion

  16-04-2015 17:39 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: ScienceDailyHumans may be able to communicate positive emotions like happiness through the smell of our sweat, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research indicates that we produce chemical compounds, or chemosignals, when we experience happiness that are detectable by others who smell our sweat.
  
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• Mapping language in the brain

  16-04-2015 17:32
  
  'By studying language in people with aphasia, we can try to accomplish two goals at once: we can improve our clinical understanding of aphasia and get new insights into how language is organized in the mind and brain,' said the lead author of a new study.
  
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• Hair loss: how does it affect women?

  16-04-2015 17:00
  We look at the main causes of hair loss in women, the emotional impact it can have and why research into new treatments for female hair loss appears to have been lagging.
  
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• Scientists use brain stimulation to boost creativity, set stage to potentially treat depression

  16-04-2015 15:38
  
  The first direct evidence has been found demonstrating that a low dose of electric current can enhance the brain's natural alpha oscillations to boost creativity by an average of 7.4 percent. Next up: using the method to treat depression, scientists say.
  
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• Novel mechanism involved in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, study shows

  16-04-2015 14:43
  Researchers have found, in animal models, that the absence of a certain enzyme causes a syndrome resembling the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study paves the way for a greater understanding of this childhood and adolescent disease, aiming at innovative therapeutic approaches.
  
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• Increasing evidence points to inflammation as source of nervous system manifestations of Lyme disease

  16-04-2015 14:43
  About 15 percent of patients with Lyme disease develop peripheral and central nervous system involvement, often accompanied by debilitating and painful symptoms. New research indicates that inflammation plays a causal role in the array of neurologic changes associated with Lyme disease. The investigators also showed that the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone prevents many of these reactions.
  
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• Is your voice trustworthy, engaging or soothing to strangers?

  16-04-2015 13:56
  
  Analysis of millions of audio files has led one US company to claim that their software can predict how a person’s voice will make a listener feelFew people consciously think about their voice, but the way we speak is one of the most fundamental parts of our individual identity. The intricate acoustic patterns which comprise speech affect how we’re seen in terms of our personality, our emotional state and even our professional competence, but it’s only been relatively recently that scienti
  
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• Wristband that measures rest, activity schedule may help predict response to antidepressants

  16-04-2015 10:00
  A wristband that records motion throughout a 24-hour cycle may be an inexpensive, safe way to determine which patients with major depressive disorder will respond best to commonly prescribed drugs...
  
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• Depression and diabetes combined may create even higher risk of cognitive decline

  16-04-2015 10:00
  Depression and diabetes each raised dementia risk on their own, but risk rose even more for people with both, in a large study of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
  
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• Socially anxious youth in treatment can enhance recovery through simple service tasks

  16-04-2015 09:00
  This century's increase in addiction issues among U.S. youth may be related to their developmental need to fit in, particularly youth with social anxiety disorder (SAD), which could exacerbate the...
  
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• Oxytocin may influence maternal social behavior, study finds

  16-04-2015 09:00
  A new study finds oxytocin influences how adult female mice respond to distress calls from their pups - a major form of mammalian social behavior.
  
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• Constant praise may be damaging children

  16-04-2015 05:46 via huffingtonpost.com
  
  The solution is not to stop praising children, but to praise appropriately.
  
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• Divorce tied to increased heart attack risk

  16-04-2015 05:03 via foxnews.com
  
  Women who have been divorced once, or men who have been divorced at least twice, are more likely to have a heart attack than people who get and stay married.
  
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