Psychology news

• Human brain houses diverse populations of neurons, new research shows

  23-06-2016 21:01
  A team of researchers has developed the first scalable method to identify different subtypes of neurons in the human brain. The research lays the groundwork for 'mapping' the gene activity in the human brain and could help provide a better understanding of brain functions and disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and depression.
  
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• Scientists reveal single-neuron gene landscape of the human brain

  23-06-2016 20:59
  A team of scientists has completed the first large-scale assessment of single neuronal 'transcriptomes.' Their research reveals a surprising diversity in the molecules that human brain cells use in transcribing genetic information from DNA to RNA and producing proteins.
  
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• Heroin use in U.S. reaches "alarming" high

  23-06-2016 20:57 via cbsnews.com
  
  Two new reports highlight huge spikes in both heroin and opioid painkiller abuse.
  
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• Precise control of brain circuit alters mood

  23-06-2016 18:29
  By combining super-fine electrodes and tiny amounts of a very specific drug, researchers have singled out a circuit in mouse brains and taken control of it to dial an animal's mood up and down. Stress-susceptible animals that behaved as if they were depressed or anxious were restored to relatively normal behavior by tweaking the system, according to a study.
  
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• New study provides unprecedented insight into the fine details of neuronal communication

  23-06-2016 18:29
  For communication between neurons to occur, an electrical impulse, called an action potential, must travel down an axon to its synaptic terminal. A major technical challenge impeding the direct examination of this process, axonal excitability, is the small diameter of a typical axon -- less than 500 nanometers. Researchers have now optimized optical and electrophysiological recordings from single neurons to study axonal excitability with unprecedented detail.
  
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• Not only trauma but also the reversal of trauma is inherited

  23-06-2016 18:03
  Behaviors caused by traumatic experiences in early life are reversible. Researchers could demonstrate that environmental enrichment allows trauma-related symptoms in mice to be reversed. This is the first evidence that positive environmental factors can correct behavioral alterations which would otherwise be transmitted to the offspring. The symptoms and their reversal are associated with epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene.
  
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• Scientists learn more about how star-shaped brain cells help us learn

  23-06-2016 17:22
  A molecule that enables strong communication between our brain and muscles appears to also aid essential communication between our neurons, scientists report.
  
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• 3D Brain-on-a-chip

  23-06-2016 16:05
  To study brain cell’s operation and test the effect of medication on individual cells, the conventional Petri dish with flat electrodes is not sufficient. For truly realistic studies, cells have to flourish within three-dimensional surroundings. Researchers have developed a sieve with 900 openings, each of which has the shape of an inverted pyramid. On top of this array of pyramids, a micro-reactor takes care of cell growth.
  
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• Rates of nonmedical prescription opioid use and opioid use disorder double in 10 years

  23-06-2016 16:00
  
  Almost 10 million U.S. adults report misusing prescription opioids in 2012-2013.
  
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• How technology made us hyper-capable – and helpless | Jonathan Coopersmith

  23-06-2016 13:00
  
  Tech enables us to do more while understanding less. That’s fine, until there’s a glitch – which is why the US navy is teaching sailors how to navigate by the starsThe smartphone in your hand enables you to record a video, edit it and send it around the world. With your phone, you can navigate in cities, buy a car, track your vital signs and accomplish thousands of other tasks. And so?Each of those activities used to demand learning specific skills and acquiring the necessary r
  
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• Augmented eternity: scientists aim to let us speak from beyond the grave

  23-06-2016 13:00
  
  Advances in artificial intelligence could give us digital immortality, distilling a lifetime’s worth of online presence into a deathless version of ourselvesWould you like a version of yourself to live on after death? A radical new concept called “augmented eternity” could make that fantasy a reality, creating a posthumous impression of our knowledge, opinions and even parts of our personality in digital form.Researchers at the MIT Media Lab and Ryerson University in Toronto be
  
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• United States parents not as happy as those without children, researcher says

  23-06-2016 12:54
  Parents in the United States generally are not as happy as those who aren’t parents. Not only that, the U.S. has the largest “happiness gap” among parents compared to non-parents in 22 industrialized countries, according to a new report.
  
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• Unilever Vows to Drop Sexist Stereotypes From Its Ads

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianUnilever, the owner of brands including Dove and Lynx, has pledged to drop all sexist stereotypes from its advertising after research suggested just 2% of ads show intelligent women. The world’s second-biggest advertiser, which spends €8bn (£6.3bn) a year on more than 400 brands from Sunsilk to Knorr, will unveil a global strategy to “unstereotype” its advertising and eradicate outdated portrayals of gender.
  
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• More Americans Eating Healthily, But Disparities Remain

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Medical News TodaySeveral improvements appear to have taken place in the American diet, according to an analysis of nationally representative surveys carried out over 1999-2012. Adults in the United States are eating more whole grains, nuts, and seeds, and drinking less sugary beverages. However, in other areas of healthy eating the changes are not so positive, and there is evidence of worsening disparities by race/ethnicity, education, and income level.
  
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• In U.S. First, New York City Making Tampons Free in Schools

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthWomen will get free tampons and sanitary pads in New York City schools, jails and shelters under a first-of-its-kind program whose supporters argue that costly hurdles to feminine hygiene products amount to discrimination.
  
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• "Finding Dory" Counters Stereotypes About Disabilities

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: CBS News - U.S. News"Finding Dory" is not only shattering box office records. Some say the latest Disney Pixar movie is also breaking down stereotypes about the disabled, reports CBS News correspondent Reena Ninan. That's thanks in part to the lovable but forgetful title character, Dory, who has suffered from short term memory loss since she was a baby.
  
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• Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Tied to Brain Development in Offspring

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyCannabis use during pregnancy is associated with abnormal brain structure in children, according to a new study. Compared with unexposed children, those who were prenatally exposed to cannabis had a thicker prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in complex cognition, decision-making, and working memory.
  
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• 123,000 Same-Sex Marriages Since U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

  23-06-2016 07:59 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsA new Gallup survey estimates that 123,000 same-sex marriages have taken place across the U.S. in the year since the Supreme Court ruling that legalized such unions nationwide.
  
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