Psychology news

• How did primate brains get so big?

  11-08-2016 22:00
  Virtual brains reconstructed from ancient, kiwi-sized primate skulls could help resolve one of the most intriguing evolutionary mysteries: how modern primates developed large brains.
  
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• Researchers 'reprogram' network of brain cells in mice with thin beam of light

  11-08-2016 20:35
  Neurons that fire together really do wire together, says a new study, suggesting that the three-pound computer in our heads may be more malleable than we think.
  
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• Human brain clocks exposed: Effects of circadian clocks, sleep loss vary across brain regions, new study finds

  11-08-2016 20:27
  A new study helps us to understand how the brain maintains performance during the day, why many symptoms in psychiatric and neurodegenerative conditions wax and wane, and why we should avoid long drawn out negotiations into the night
  
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• Two Zika proteins responsible for microcephaly identified

  11-08-2016 19:15
  Researchers have tracked down two Zika proteins potentially responsible for thousands of microcephaly cases in Brazil and elsewhere -- taking one small step toward preventing Zika-infected mothers from birthing babies with abnormally small heads. The Zika virus contains 10 proteins, but only NS4A and NS4B matter when it comes to microcephaly. These miscreant proteins, researchers discovered, have two shared life goals: to handicap fetal brain formation and to mobilize their malevolent forces.
  
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• Your brain on Google Glass

  11-08-2016 18:04
  A group of biomedical engineers use functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure mental workload as subjects navigate a college campus.
  
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• TSRI and NIH scientists show molecule in brain may drive cocaine addiction

  11-08-2016 18:00
  
  A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol...
  
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• "Cultural Learners" in the Cradle

  11-08-2016 18:00
  
  Well before starting to speak, children from a very young age pay higher attention to the information received from native speakers of their language compared to the information received from...
  
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• Paraplegics regain some feeling, movement after using brain-machine interfaces

  11-08-2016 16:10
  Eight people who have spent years paralyzed from spinal cord injuries have regained partial sensation and muscle control in their lower limbs after training with brain-controlled robotics, according to a new study.
  
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• Increased risk suicide death associated with hospitalization for infection

  11-08-2016 16:00
  
  Being hospitalized with infection was associated with an increased risk of suicide death and the highest risk of suicide was among those individuals with hepatitis and HIV or AIDS, according to a...
  
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• More than a third of female students 'have mental health problems'

  11-08-2016 15:53 via bbc.com
  
  Development of policies and anti-stigma campaigns is beginning to address willingness to access mental health services.
  
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• Believe it or not: Exercise does more good if you believe it will

  11-08-2016 15:00
  People benefit more from exercise when they believe it will have a positive effect, new research indicates. A psychologist and his team have conducted a study demonstrating that test subjects derive more psychological as well as neurophysiological benefits from exercise if they already have positive mindsets about sports. Moreover, the team provided evidence that test subjects can be positively or negatively influenced in this regard before engaging in the exercise.
  
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• In search of neurobiological factors for schizophrenia

  11-08-2016 09:00
  
  It is impossible to predict the onset of schizophrenic psychosis. If factors linked to a risk of psychosis can be identified, however, these may yield significant insights into its underlying...
  
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• Financial worries linked to mental health issues among university students

  11-08-2016 09:00
  
  Experiencing financial difficulties and worrying about debt at university increases the risk of mental health conditions such as depression and alcohol dependency, according to new research from...
  
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• New PET scan tracer allows first imaging of the epigenetics of the human brain

  11-08-2016 00:09
  A novel PET radiotracer is able for the first time to reveal epigenetic activity -- the process that determines whether or not genes are expressed -- within the human brain.
  
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• First validated canine behavioral genetics findings of nine fear, aggression traits in dogs

  11-08-2016 00:09
  Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in the United States. And while much is understood about the biochemistry of anxiety, little is known about the genetic variation associated with it. A new study reports that genetic predisposition to aggression toward an owner or a familiar dog is distinct from that for fear and aggression directed at unfamiliar humans and dogs.
  
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• Brain stimulation technique shown effective in phantom limb pain

  11-08-2016 00:00
  As many as 25,000 people a year worldwide lose limbs from land mine blasts, and a new study shows that transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) administered to the scalp can stimulate the brain and provide significant reductions in phantom limb pain.
  
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