Psychology news

• More frequent overnight hot flashes linked with brain scan changes

  10-06-2015 23:57
  Women who had more hot flashes during sleep had a greater number of brain scan changes. More than 70 percent of women have hot flashes -- a sudden feeling of intense warmth and sweatiness -- while transitioning into menopause. While recent research has shown that hot flashes can be linked to signs of subclinical heart disease, such as changes in the blood vessels, as well as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels, this study examined the possible connection between hot flashes and b
  
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• Keeping mind, body active may not protect against underlying signs of Alzheimer's

  10-06-2015 23:57
  While participating in physical activities such as bike riding, dancing, walking and gardening and mentally stimulating activities such as crosswords and reading may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, they may not do so by affecting the underlying markers for the disease, according to a study.
  
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• Fragile X proteins involved in proper neuron development

  10-06-2015 22:17
  Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited intellectual disability and the greatest single genetic contributor to autism. Unlocking the mechanisms behind fragile X could make important revelations about the brain. In a new study, researchers show that two proteins implicated in fragile X play a crucial role in the proper development of neurons in mice.
  
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• Specialized proteins may be detected in blood of people with Alzheimer's disease

  10-06-2015 22:16
  Specialized brain proteins that are involved in the removal of damaged nerve cell materials may be detected in the blood of people who were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. In a select group of people who later developed dementia, the levels of the lysosomal proteins were abnormal while the people still had no problems with memory or thinking skills, according to a new study.
  
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• Single protein causes Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy

  10-06-2015 21:22
  Several neurodegenerative disorders are caused by aggregates of a single protein known as alpha-synuclein. Neurobiologists have discovered that the shape of these aggregates -- 'cylinders' or 'ribbons' -- determines whether a patient develops Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy, respectively.
  
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• Brain research: Interneurons find their way to the striatum

  10-06-2015 19:18
  Researchers have identified the mechanisms guiding interneurons to the striatum, a major brain center involved in the coordination of body movement and motivation.
  
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• Youth on the autism spectrum overly sensitive to sensory stimuli have brains that react differently

  10-06-2015 19:16
  Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, a team of researchers has shown for the first time that children with autism spectrum disorder who are overly sensitive to sensory stimuli have brains that react differently.
  
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• Syllables that oscillate in neuronal circuits

  10-06-2015 19:14
  Speech, emitted or received, produces an electrical activity in neurons that neuroscientists measure in the form of "cortical oscillations." To understand speech, as for other cognitive or sensory processes, the brain breaks down the information it receives to integrate it and give it a coherent meaning. But researchers could not confirm whether oscillations were signs of neuronal activity, or whether these oscillations played an active role in speech processing. Researchers reached such conclus
  
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• The price of a happy ending can be bad decision-making, say researchers

  10-06-2015 18:00
  Research using gambling techniques shows that even very recent experiences carry a 'temporal markdown' so that those more immediate carry disproportionate weight in decision-making, meaning that a...
  
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• Nobel Scientist Makes Sexist Speech at International Conference

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Time MagazineTim Hunt complained that female scientists "cry" and make male colleagues fall in love with them.
  
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• New Uniforms for Transgender Students at Bangkok University

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - Asia-PacificBangkok University issues new guidelines for uniforms to be worn by transgender students, a move that has been widely welcomed.
  
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• "If He Beats You, He Loves You": Domestic Violence in Moscow

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianWhen Anna Zhavnerovich wrote about a beating she received from her boyfriend, it broke the taboo on the Russian capital’s culture of domestic abuse Anna Zhavnerovich went to the police a week after she says her boyfriend beat her unconscious, determined to make sure he was arrested and brought to justice. She was surprised by some of the questions the Moscow police officers asked her when she recounted what had happened, her face still...
  
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• Genes May Play Role in Deciding at What Age Women Have First Child

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianDelayed motherhood has often been ascribed to sociological factors, but new findings suggest a genetic component, which also links to number of children. Women are starting families later in life despite an apparently stronger genetic drive to have children when they are younger, according to Oxford researchers. The team arrived at the conclusion after studying the DNA of nearly 7000 women and working out how large a role genetics plays in the...
  
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• From Headlines to Hip-Hop: The Ugandan TV Show Rapping the News

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianHitting back at press censorship, NewzBeat uses music to cover controversial topics and engage younger audiences Ugandan broadcasters calling themselves “rap-orters” are changing the way news is delivered, after a team of hip-hop artists teamed up to deliver a weekly TV bulletin. “Uganda’s anti-gay law is making news/Some countries have found it befitting to accuse/Uganda of treating gays as German Jews/Nothing to gain from this and more...
  
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• Chinese Feminists Hold Armpit Hair Photo Contest

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianAbout 40 women have published photos of their armpits on Weibo in stunt meant to spark debate over beauty stereotypes Weeks after China drew global condemnation for detaining five feminists who planned to protest against sexual harassment, activists have launched a fresh campaign for gender equality – by asking women to photograph their armpits and post the pictures online. Xiao Meili, a prominent women’s rights activist, said her online...
  
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• Children with Sleep Apnea Often Face Health and Cognitive Issues

  10-06-2015 17:12 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportOne to 4 percent of all children have obstructive sleep apnea, but many go undiagnosed and untreated.
  
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• Early intervention program improves long-term outcomes for children with autism

  10-06-2015 17:00
  An early intervention program for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder improves their intellectual abilities and reduces autism symptoms - and those results persist years after the children...
  
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• Insomnia leads to decreased empathy in health care workers

  10-06-2015 14:00
  Study highlights the importance to evaluate and treat insomnia in health care workersA new study suggests that insomnia decreases empathy in health care workers and may lead to adverse clinical...
  
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• In Kenya, program changes male attitudes about sexual violence, Stanford study finds

  10-06-2015 11:00
  In Kenya, where rape and violence against women are rampant, a short educational program produced lasting improvements in teenage boys' and young men's attitudes toward women, a study from the...
  
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• Can an online quiz spot a psychopath?

  10-06-2015 08:30
  
  Online quizzes claim to unmask the psychopaths among us. But just how accurate are these tests?
  People are fascinated by the nature of the psychopathic personality. Lurid tales of con men and serial killers capture our imagination and feature prominently in films like No Country For Old Men and Silence of the Lambs. Recent popular books on the topic like The Psychopath Test and The Wisdom of Psychopaths have brought psychopathy into the public consciousness, claiming to unmask the psychopaths am
  
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• Viktor Frankl's Book on Psychology of the Holocaust to Be Made Into Film

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianFrankl counselled fellow prisoners in Auschwitz, later writing Man’s Search for Meaning, outlining the concept of survival through finding meaning in the world Man’s Search for Meaning , Viktor Frankl’s account of his attempts to rationalise the Holocaust, has been optioned for a film adaptation, according to Deadline. Frankl , a contemporary of Freud, lost his whole family during the Nazi’s attempted extermination of the Jews. He...
  
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• The Surprising Reason Why Some People Smile More

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - ScienceIt turns out, whether you're quick to laugh and smile may be partly in the genes. "One of these big mysteries is why do some people laugh a lot, and smile a lot, and other people keep their cool," said study co-author Claudia Haase, a psychology researcher at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The gene was previously tied to depression and other negative states, but the new study suggests it may be linked to people experiencing more...
  
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• Texas Officer Suspended After Video Shows Him Pulling Gun on Teens

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Social Psychology Network NewsVideo posted on YouTube "raised concerns" after it shows the police officer breaking up party in an overly aggressive manner
  
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• Study Finds Genetic Link Between Creativity and Mental Illness

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianResults imply creative people are 25% more likely to carry genes that raise risk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But others argue the evidence is flimsy. The ancient Greeks were first to make the point. Shakespeare raised the prospect too. But Lord Byron was, perhaps, the most direct of them all: “We of the craft are all crazy,” he told the Countess of Blessington, casting a wary eye over his fellow poets. The notion of the tortured...
  
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• Majority of Americans Say Same-Sex Marriage Is Inevitable

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Time Magazine72% believe it will eventually be legalized.
  
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• Having Health Problems? You’re Not Alone, Report Suggests

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthJust one in 20 individuals around the globe was without ailments in 2013 and a third of them encountered more than five health problems, according to a large scale analysis. It's the global effect of an aging population in developed countries, coupled with a growing population in developing countries where health is often suboptimum, according to the authors, who say the worst is yet to come. "Large, preventable causes of health loss,...
  
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• Beatings, Abuse and Blame: Being Transgender in Egypt

  10-06-2015 05:42 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianGlobal attitudes may be changing but in Cairo a crackdown on LGBTI people means continued prejudice and possible arrest. Mada Masr spoke to the women struggling to live freely “They’re she-males!” declared the Egyptian police officers after raiding Aisha’s home. Along with three friends she was arrested and taken to the police station, where the beatings began. “He [the police officer] beat up my friend with an electric stick. He was...
  
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• Study links brain inflammation triggered by chronic pain to anxiety and depression

  10-06-2015 03:33
  Brain inflammation caused by chronic nerve pain alters activity in regions that regulate mood and motivation, suggesting for the first time that a direct biophysical link exists between long-term pain and the depression, anxiety and substance abuse seen in more than half of these patients, researchers report.
  
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• Brain lesions in children challenging to diagnose

  10-06-2015 03:28
  Brain lesions in children can be especially challenging to diagnose, according to a report. Lesions include tumors, abnormal blood vessel formations and abscesses and inflammation due to infections.
  
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