Psychology news

• High-resolution brain scans could improve concussion detection

  07-12-2016 21:13
  High-resolution brain scans, coupled with computational analysis, could play a critical role in helping to detect concussions that conventional scans might miss, report investigators.
  
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• Unique visual stimulation may be new treatment for Alzheimer's

  07-12-2016 19:35
  Using LED lights flickering at a specific frequency, researchers have shown that they can significantly reduce the beta amyloid plaques seen in Alzheimer's disease in the visual cortex of mice. This treatment appears to work by stimulating brain waves known as gamma oscillations, which the researchers discovered help the brain suppress beta amyloid production and invigorate cells responsible for destroying the plaques.
  
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• Knowing one's place in a social hierarchy

  07-12-2016 19:35
  When you start a new job, it's normal to spend the first day working out who's who in the pecking order, information that will come in handy for making connections in the future. In an fMRI study, researchers now provide insights into how we acquire knowledge about social hierarchies, and reveal the specific mechanisms at play when that hierarchy is our own (as compared to that of another person).
  
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• Scientists shed new light on how the brain processes, maintains what we don't see

  07-12-2016 19:23
  A team of scientists has mapped out how our brains process visuals we don't even know we've seen, indicating that the neuronal encoding and maintenance of subliminal images is more substantial than previously thought.
  
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• When neurons are 'born' impacts olfactory behavior in mice

  07-12-2016 18:15
  Neurons generated at different life stages in mice can impact aspects of their olfactory sense and behavior, report scientists.
  
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• Peer pressure and festive food: Who are you trying to impress?

  07-12-2016 17:00
  
  Who we eat with affects what we eat and how much of it. How will your peer or family group affect your dietary plans this Christmas?
  
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• Certain gifts are scientifically proven to bring real happiness

  07-12-2016 16:23 via huffingtonpost.com
  Psychologists found that experiential consumption fosters gratitude and giving, and that thinking about experiences promotes more altruistic behavior than thinking about possessions.
  
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• Stay optimistic, live longer?

  07-12-2016 16:22 via nytimes.com
  Study shows significant associations between increasing levels of optimism and decreasing risks of death from cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and infections.
  
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• Rhythm of breathing affects memory, fear

  07-12-2016 15:30
  The rhythm of breathing creates electrical activity in the human brain that enhances emotional judgments and memory recall, scientists have discovered for the first time. These effects on behavior depend critically on whether you inhale or exhale and whether you breathe through the nose or mouth.
  
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• Raising the curtain on cerebral malaria's deadly agents

  07-12-2016 15:30
  Using state-of-the-art brain imaging technology, scientists filmed what happens in the brains of mice that developed cerebral malaria (CM). The results reveal the processes that lead to fatal outcomes of the disease and suggest an antibody therapy that may treat it.
  
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• MRI scans detect 'brain rust' in schizophrenia

  07-12-2016 15:29
  A damaging chemical imbalance in the brain may contribute to schizophrenia, according to research.
  
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• Heart disease protein linked to brain damage

  07-12-2016 15:29
  Levels of a protein in the blood associated with heart disease are also linked to early-stage brain damage, according to a new study.
  
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• 'Flashing light therapy' for Alzheimer's

  07-12-2016 15:26 via bbc.com
  
  A flashing light therapy might help ward off Alzheimer's, say scientists after promising trials in mice.
  
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• Working out the genetic risk for ADHD

  07-12-2016 15:13
  Genetics play a strong part in the development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the path from a gene to risk for the disorder has remained a black box to researchers.. A new study suggests how the risk gene ADGRL3 (LPHN3) might work. ADGRL3 encodes the protein latrophilin 3, which regulates communication between brain cells. According to the study, a common variation of the gene associated with ADHD disrupts its ability to regulate gene transcription - the formation of mRN
  
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• Whiplash symptoms are caused by actual changes in the brain

  07-12-2016 15:13
  Study reveals changes in the regions of the brain connected to pain and posture processing. Whiplash symptoms that last years after a car accident but cannot be seen in tests could be down to previously unseen functional changes in the pain and posture processing parts of the brain, according to new research. The results of the study suggest close interaction between the neck and brain, resulting in changes in blood flow.
  
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• School shootings less likely in states with background checks on gun purchases

  07-12-2016 15:00
  
  ...And in those with higher spends on mental health services and public education.
  
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• Risk for misuse of opioids and stimulants: what does employment status have to do with it?

  07-12-2016 15:00
  
  Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that employment status is a factor in nonmedical use of prescription opioids and prescription stimulants.
  
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