Psychology news

• Single brain cells reveal genes controlling formation, development

  17-03-2016 23:50
  In one of the first studies to 'read' the genetic activity inside individual brain cells, neuroscientists have identified the genetic machinery that causes maturation in a young nerve cell.
  
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• How kappa opioid receptors drive anxiety

  17-03-2016 20:29
  A cellular mechanism has been discovered by which kappa opioid receptors (KORs) drive anxiety. These proteins inhibit the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in a part of the brain that regulates emotion. KORs are targets for the treatment of addiction and anxiety disorders.
  
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• A new glimpse into working memory: Bursts of neural activity found as brain holds information in mind

  17-03-2016 20:11
  When you hold in mind a sentence you have just read or a phone number you're about to dial, you're engaging a critical brain system known as working memory.
  
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• Sonia Markham obituary

  17-03-2016 19:03
  
  My wife, Sonia Markham, who has died aged 77, was a loving mother and partner, peace and community activist, pioneering women’s rights worker and psychotherapist.She was the eldest of four talented daughters of the actor David Markham and the poet Olive Dehn. Sonia’s anarchist parents sent her to the progressive school Burgess Hill in Hampstead, north London, where I first met her when she was nine. Determined to become independent, Sonia left school at 16. She worked first at Chelse
  
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• Self-criticism can be psychologically devastating

  17-03-2016 17:58 via health.usnews.com
  
  Constructive self-critiquing is very useful, but harsher self-criticism can be damaging.
  
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• Study shows spinal cord stimulation reduces emotional aspect of chronic pain

  17-03-2016 15:54
  Researchers have shown that patients with chronic pain can reduce their emotional response to the pain through spinal cord stimulation.
  
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• Brain may show signs of aging earlier than old age

  17-03-2016 14:55
  The brain shows signs of aging earlier than old age, a new study shows. The study found that the microglia cells--the immune cells of the brain--in middle-aged mice already showed altered activity seen in microglia from older mice.
  
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• Future brain therapies for Parkinson's possible with stem cell bioengineering innovation

  17-03-2016 14:45
  Scientists have created a new technology that could someday help treat Parkinson's disease and other devastating brain-related conditions that affect millions of people. The technology -- a major innovation -- involves converting adult tissue-derived stem cells into human neurons on 3-D 'scaffolds,' or tiny islands of fibers.
  
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• Prenatal exposure to air pollution linked to impulsivity, emotional problems in children

  17-03-2016 13:00
  
  Exposure to common air pollutants during pregnancy may predispose children to problems regulating their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors later on, according to a new study led by researchers at...
  
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• Transgender Model Makes History in Europe

  17-03-2016 11:00 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: MSNBC - Health NewsBenjamin Melzer, who grew up as Yvonne, is the first transgender man in Europe to appear on the cover of a men's fitness magazine.
  
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• The hormone cortisol has been linked to increased aggression in 10-year-old boys

  17-03-2016 11:00
  
  Spanish researchers have studied the relationship between hormones and aggressive behaviour in girls and boys between the ages of eight and ten.
  
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• Nimble Steps to End Mental Health Shortages

  17-03-2016 11:00 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Science and Development NetworkNot only does poverty cause many physical health problems — it is also a major risk factor for mental illness. Poor people worry more about daily survival, they also have a greater likelihood of being a victim of crime and less access to healthcare, justice, education and safe housing. This means that poor people tend to suffer more from mental illness than the rich.
  
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• New Study Links Heart Health to Brain Health

  17-03-2016 11:00 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Medical News TodayIt goes without saying that good heart health is beneficial in itself. But according to a new study, a healthy heart may also lead to a healthy brain, by protecting against age-related cognitive decline.
  
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• Botswana Court Rejects Gov't Bid to Ban Gay Rights Group

  17-03-2016 11:00 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthBotswana's highest court on Wednesday rejected an attempt by the government to ban a gay rights lobby group, providing a rare victory for African gay rights campaigners on a continent where homosexuality remains highly contentious. The president of the Court of Appeals, Judge Ian Kirby, upheld a 2014 lower court judgment that the Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana should be allowed to register and campaign for changes in anti-gay...
  
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• Intimate partner violence simulation training at MU is first in nation

  17-03-2016 08:00
  
  Intimate partner violence (IPV), has become a prevalent health care issue. Instances of assault, battery, rape, stalking and emotional abuse in relationships can be difficult for nurses to handle...
  
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• Aging is portrayed as mainly negative in popular music lyrics

  17-03-2016 08:00
  
  A recent analysis of popular music reveals that while older age and aging are represented both negatively and positively in music lyrics, negative representations predominate.
  
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• Significant link between nightmares, suicidal behavior

  17-03-2016 02:51
  A new study is the first to report that the relationship between nightmares and suicidal behaviors is partially mediated by a multi-step pathway via defeat, entrapment and hopelessness. Results show that suicidal thoughts, plans or attempts were present in 62 percent of participants who experienced nightmares and only 20 percent of those without nightmares.
  
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• Scientists shed light on genetics of therapy for children's anxiety

  17-03-2016 02:00
  
  A new study of children with anxiety disorders suggests that response to cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is influenced by many genetic variants of small effect - rather than any individual gene.
  
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• Temporary disconnects shed light on long-term brain dysfunction

  17-03-2016 00:45
  Using optogenetics to study long-range communication across the brain, a team of researchers temporarily silenced long-range axons so as to determine their role in the brain’s conversation. As mental and neurological diseases are thought to be related to disrupted long-range connectivity, the team’s findings could lead to better understanding and treatment of such disorders.
  
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• Re-energizing the aging brain

  17-03-2016 00:42
  Supplementation with the molecule pyruvate increases the energy reserves in the brain of aging mice, and makes them more energetic and keener to explore their surroundings.
  
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• Healthy heart equals healthy brain

  17-03-2016 00:42
  Achieving the metrics that define a healthy heart may translate to healthier brain function as people age. More ideal cardiovascular health measures meant less decline in brain processing speed and, to some extent, thinking ability and memory.
  
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