Psychology news

• Popular electric brain stimulation method used to boost brainpower is detrimental to IQ scores

  05-05-2015 21:21
  
  Using a weak electric current in an attempt to boost brainpower or treat conditions has become popular among scientists and do-it-yourselfers, but a new study shows that using the most common form of electric brain stimulation had a statistically significant detrimental effect on IQ scores.
  
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• 3-D models of neuronal networks reveal organizational principles of sensory cortex

  05-05-2015 21:21
  
  Researchers have succeeded in reconstructing the neuronal networks that interconnect the elementary units of sensory cortex -- cortical columns. The scientists say that this study marks a major step forward to advance the understanding of the organizational principles of the neocortex and sets the stage for future studies that will provide extraordinary insight into how sensory information is represented, processed and encoded within the cortical circuitry.
  
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• Researchers observe the moment when a mind is changed

  05-05-2015 20:25
  
  Researchers studying how the brain makes decisions have, for the first time, recorded the moment-by-moment fluctuations in brain signals that occur when a monkey making free choices has a change of mind. This basic neuroscience discovery will help create neural prostheses that can withhold moving a prosthetic arm until the user is certain of their decision, thereby averting premature or inopportune movements.
  
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• How to win any argument: pseudo-scientific neuro-gibberish

  05-05-2015 19:52
  
  Research has revealed that so-called neurobabble is surprisingly convincing – here’s a quick guide to harnessing its persuasive powersIf you’re hoping to win an argument this week, try talking neuro-gibberish. Irrelevant neuroscience information – or “neurobabble” – makes for the most convincing scientific explanations, according to researchers at Villanova University and the University of Oregon.Scientists gave a group of 385 students brief descriptions of psychological phenomena,
  
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• Nail biters, beware: Teeth grinding is next

  05-05-2015 18:14
  Anxiety disorders affect approximately one in six adult Americans. The most well-known of these include panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. But what of brief bouts of anxiety caused by stressful social situations? New research shows that anxiety experienced in social circumstances elevates the risk of bruxism -- teeth grinding -- causing tooth wear, fractures, and jaw pain.
  
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• Say what? How the brain separates our ability to talk and write

  05-05-2015 17:22
  
  Although the human ability to write evolved from our ability to speak, writing and talking are now such independent systems in the brain that someone who can't write a grammatically correct sentence may be able say it aloud flawlessly.
  
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• Strategy found for safely prescribing antidepressants to children and adolescents

  05-05-2015 17:22
  Two new strategies to treat depression in young people have been developed for the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class of medications. These strategies incorporate a new understanding of how to mitigate the risk of suicide while on SSRI treatment.
  
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• 'Tangles' trigger early-stage Alzheimer's abnormalities in neocortical networks

  05-05-2015 16:23
  A ground-breaking study has now, for the first time, characterized early-stage changes that occur inside individual, Alzheimer's-affected cells in the intact brain. Remarkably, the study indicates that even if only a small number of cells is affected, the result is a reduction of electrical activity throughout the cerebral cortex -- the area of the brain that serves as the center of higher mental function and cognition.
  
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• Accelerated brain aging in type 1 diabetes related to cognitive complications

  05-05-2015 16:23
  The brains of people with type 1 diabetes show signs of accelerated aging that correlate with slower information processing, according to research. The findings indicate that clinicians should consider screening middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes for cognitive difficulties. If progressive, these changes could influence their ability to manage their diabetes.
  
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• 'Alone time' is really good for you

  05-05-2015 14:49 via cnn.com
  
  Our brains need to rest and recharge in order to function as well as we want them to.
  
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• Proteomics provides new leads into nerve regeneration

  05-05-2015 14:30
  Using proteomics techniques to study injured optic nerves, researchers have identified previously unrecognized proteins and pathways involved in nerve regeneration. Adding back one of these proteins -- the oncogene c-myc -- they achieved unprecedented optic nerve regeneration in mice when combined with two other known strategies.
  
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• 'Blue Light' Infoline launched in England to help emergency services personnel, friends and family

  05-05-2015 11:00
  Mental health charity Mind has opened a confidential help and support service for emergency services staff, volunteers; and their friends and family.
  
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• Majority of older adults willing to be screened by telephone for dementia

  05-05-2015 09:00
  Nearly two-thirds of older adults were willing to undergo telephone screening for dementia, according to a new study from the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief...
  
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• Child Prodigies and Autism: Is There a Genetic Link?

  05-05-2015 07:54 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - ScienceChild prodigies may share certain genetic traits with people who have autism, new research suggests. They also looked at 39 other people who were all members of the children's families, including 10 family members who had autism, and four prodigies who also had autism. For example, one prodigy had played an entire DVD of classical music by ear at age 3, and earned a spot on a symphony by age 6, said study co-author Joanne Ruthsatz, an assistant...
  
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• All-Female Smith College to Admit Transgender Women

  05-05-2015 07:54 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: CNN - Top StoriesIn yet another sign of evolving attitudes toward gender identity, venerable Smith College will begin admitting transgender women.
  
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• How our view of what makes us happy has changed in 80 years

  05-05-2015 03:07
  
  Our view of what makes us happy has changed markedly since 1938. That is the conclusion of the psychologist who has recreated a famous study of happiness conducted in Bolton in 1938.
  
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